For many of us, it may be difficult to imagine, but there was a time in New Jersey's recent history when our state was a beacon for the American Dream instead of a barrier to it.

TRENTON, N.J. (Legal Newsline) - New Jersey's small business owners say the state's liability laws are giving it a bad name.

Seventy percent of small business owners surveyed by Monmouth University said state laws make New Jersey a less attractive area to do business than other states, the New Jersey Lawsuit Reform Alliance announced Thursday.

The New Jersey Lawsuit Reform Alliance on Thursday called on the state to support tort reform, a move the alliance said would help small businesses in the state.

Marcus Rayner, executive director of the alliance, pointed to results from a poll conducted by Monmouth University that reveal small businesses in the state are terrified of lawsuits. In the absence of reforms, Rayner said, small businesses are willing to raise their prices and not hire new employees in order to cover their legal expenses.

"New Jersey is a dangerous place for them, in the absence of reform," he said.

Most New Jersey small-business owners are scared of getting sued by their customers, a fear that weighs heavily on their minds even as they struggle to ride out tough economic times, according to a study released yesterday.

Who is legally responsible when an intoxicated motorist is injured in a traffic accident?

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Citing New Jersey's ‘doctor drain' and a recent court ruling, proponents lobby hard for legislation to limit lawsuits.

Plaintiffs' attorneys are able to use experts from "outside the field" to testify against doctors in malpractice suits.