The Pacific Research Institute recently published a study, Jackpot Justice with an eye-popping estimate of the total cost of liability lawsuit abuse: $865 billion, or roughly $10,000 per American family on average. At The Examiner, Mark Tapscott and Cheryl Chumley provide some distressing examples of the problem:

The medical profession provides numerous illustrations of the costs of out-of-control plaintiffs lawyers. A 2005 University of Michigan Health System study found escalating malpractice premiums led “providers to drop or reduce obstetrical services,” leaving pregnant women hard-pressed to find prenatal care in places as diverse as Florida, Chicago, Nevada, Michigan, New York and the District of Columbia. In Albany, N.Y., malpractice insurance for OB-GYNs climbed 22 percent in 2004, the local Business Review reported. In Virginia, meanwhile, doctors were shocked when the $23,000 rate of 2002 jumped to $84,000 in 2004, according to a CBS News report.

The PRI estimate of $865 billion in cost has prompted lots of spirited debate among lawyers and economists. For some of the to-and-fro, I suggest catching up here. The main point to remember is that reformers recognize the value of an accessible legal recourse for those truly injured by reckless or negligent action. You can have that without opening the door to extortion-by-litigation.