After a brief abatement due to pandemic-related litigation delays and court closures, social inflation returned with a vengeance replete with numerous nuclear jury verdicts. Although a case in any state is capable of resulting in a nuclear verdict, Georgia, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia), California, New York, Illinois (Cook, Madison, and St. Clair counties), South Carolina (for asbestos litigation), Louisiana, Florida, Missouri (St. Louis), New Jersey, and Texas have been characterized as problematic jurisdictions by the American Tort Reform Foundation in its 2022-2023 Judicial Hellholes report.
Source: Key Insurance Cases and Developments – 2022 In Review