Debate over Georgia’s tort laws pits pro-business forces against defenders of public’s court access

Bad news – Georgia is officially a hellhole.

That’s the verdict from the American Tort Reform Association, which ranks states and localities for its annual “Judicial Hellholes” list of places where they say the courts unfairly favor plaintiffs in civil cases.

Tort is a legal term for an act or omission that causes harm or loss – examples could include a surgeon who performs the wrong procedure on a patient or a mechanic who leaves a puddle of oil on the shop floor leading a customer to slip.