Directorship Magazine has released its annual “State Litigation Guide,” which it describes as “The annual boardroom guide to the litigation climates in all 50 states.” Among other things, the guide focuses on each state’s propensity for imposing large amounts of punitive damages.

According to the survey, the 10 best states are:

1. Tennessee
2. Utah
3. Indiana
4. Ohio
5. North Dakota
6. North Carolina
7. Nebraska
8. Virginia
9. Michigan
10. South Dakota

The 10 worst states are:

1. Illinois
2. West Virginia
3. Rhode Island
4. Pennsylvania
5. California
6. Florida
7. Montana
8. New York
9. Maryland
10. Alabama

West Virginia businesses will no doubt be pleased that their state is only the second worst, which is actually an improvement over other similar studies.

Hat tip: TortsProf Blog.