In the legal world, losses or damages to a person or property subject to liability and often ending in the payment of a fine or settlement, falls under the blanket of tort law.

But a national study cited by the Lawsuit Reform Alliance of New York finds the costs of the U.S. tort system is way too high for too few yields, and that ultimately those who file lawsuits end up paying through the nose thanks to an inefficient and needlessly expensive system.

Tom Stebbins is the Executive Director of the Lawsuit Reform Alliance of New York.