One in nine Californians say their cost of living has gone up over the past year, with nearly three-quarters of residents blaming lawsuit abuse as a driver of those costs for California families, a new poll concludes.
The polling numbers were the result of a survey of registered voters in the state that was conducted between May 19 and May 22 and had an error rate of plus or minus 3.1%, according to Virginia-based Protecting American Consumers Together (PACT), an advocacy group that works for fair plaintiff access to civil courts but also targets abuses by personal-injury attorneys.
The survey also found that 93% of respondents give the state Legislature poor or fair ratings for the work lawmakers are doing to hold down the cost of living. PACT is working to educate Californians about the problem of lawsuit abuse and how it drives up auto insurance premiums, prescription drug costs, groceries and overall costs for small businesses.
“PACT supports common-sense legal reforms that will help lower prices for Californians and put an end to the lawsuit abuse that enriches billboard attorneys at everyone else’s expense,” PACT’s executive director, Lauren Zelt, told the Southern California Record in an email.
