Missouri lawmakers “took great strides toward addressing lawsuit abuse” in 2020, but St. Louis remains a “judicial hellhole,” according to an annual assessment produced by the American Tort Reform Foundation.

“The City of St. Louis Circuit Court is notorious for allowing blatant forum shopping and awarding excessive punitive damage awards,” ATRF writes in its 2020-21 Judicial Hellholes report released Tuesday. “The court also fails to ensure cases are guided by sound science.”