Nuclear Verdicts Up 40.7% in 2025
Nuclear Verdicts Many in the legal industry — as well as those in the insurance industry — are urgently push Congress and the individual states for tort reform. One huge reason? Nuclear verdicts. The research company, Marathon Strategies said there were 200 verdicts in 2025 totaling $10 million or more.
Published September 1, 2026 at 3:51 PM · News Releases and Bulletins
Many in the legal industry — as well as those in the insurance industry — are urgently push Congress and the individual states for tort reform. One huge reason? Nuclear verdicts.
The research company, Marathon Strategies said there were 200 verdicts in 2025 totaling $10 million or more. That’s a 47.2% jump over the count in 2024.
It’s the largest count the company has seen since 2009.
The total amount of the over 200 verdicts hit $25.6 billion. Marathon said 40 cases hit the thermonuclear level of $100 million or more. Four of them were over $1 billion.
Insurers got hit for five nuclear verdicts costing $340 million.
“While many factors have influenced this growth, Marathon’s research identified corporate mistrust, social pessimism, erosion of tort reform, and public desensitization to large numbers as among the most important,” Marathon’s report noted.
Marathon thinks one reason is more millennials and Generation Z individuals being added to juries. Millennials have shown to be very pro-plaintiff and have very little trust in companies.
Over 68 industries were affected in 2025 compared to 55 in 2024 and 48 in 2023. Pharmaceuticals, banks, hotels, restaurants, auto manufacturers, oil and gas companies and many other large industries were impacted.
Product cases saw $12 billion in verdicts.
The good news is eight states — including the PIA Western Alliance state of Montana — enacting tort reforms in 2025. Many established caps and forced third-party litigators to identify themselves.
The PIA Western Alliance state of California joins South Carolina, Florida, Maryland and Texas with the most nuclear verdicts. Florida, however, enacted tort reform laws in late 2023 causing the numbers to drop to 10th in the country.
Sadly, in 2025 Florida had $2.5 billion in nuclear verdicts.
Marathon said eight states in 2025 enacted tort reform laws, including establishing caps and increasing disclosure for third-party litigation funders. Those eight states were Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, and South Carolina. Texas, California, Florida, and Maryland ranked highest for nuclear verdicts.
“These developments suggest that while a state can change rules in the courtroom, the court of public opinion is another matter entirely,” Marathon said.
Source link: Insurance Journal — https://bit.ly/4xC270C