Mississippi Says: Thank Heavens for West Virginia and Louisiana

…because now Mississippi is ranked 48th by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce!  The change is attributed to the various statutory changes to the tort system in recent years.  Not everyone is convinced:

Stevens [a Jackson, Miss., trial lawyer] said perception has everything to do with why Mississippi remained 50th for so long.

“People want to say Mississippi is a piece of crap, and it should outrage us. This poll has nothing to do with our civil justice system.

“They think in Mississippi we’re a bunch of toothless, no-shoe-wearing ignoramuses.”

When Mississippi had several large jury verdicts, a lot of other states were worse, he said.

The resulting tort reform has made it difficult and sometimes impossible for those injured to get the damages they deserve, he said.