Baltimore City's court system is "teetering along the edge of a hellhole" because of a welcoming attitude toward multimillion-dollar lawsuits, according to a new study from the American Tort Reform Foundation.

"Baltimore is plagued by more than just out-of-control asbestos litigation, as several lead paint cases resulted in questionable multimillion-dollar verdicts," says the report titled "Judicial Hellholes, 2008/2009."

Todd Lamb, the executive director of Maryland Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse, said Baltimore's appearance in the report is a concern because citizens pay the price of what he called "abusive litigation."

"Lawsuit abuse affects all of us," Lamb said. "It increases the prices we pay for goods and services, threatens our access to affordable health care and hurts job creation."

Baltimore "has been a welcoming host to a disproportionate share of East Coast asbestos litigation," the report said. It also blamed Baltimore Orioles owner, Peter Angelos, for perpetuating the lawsuits, calling him an "all-star plaintiffs' attorney with a specialty in asbestos cases."

Angelos did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Cited in the study are several Baltimore lead paint and asbestos suits called "questionable." In one example, a jury awarded $6 million to a plaintiff -- an amount later reduced to $600,000 on appeal. The study said that one of the jurors in the case was also a client of the law firm representing the plaintiff but had failed to disclose the information before trial.

In another case called "truly astounding" by the study, a jury awarded $5.7 million, including $5.1 million for future noneconomic damages to lead paint in his home more than 20 years ago.

In a third case, a jury took just 32 minutes to render a $15.3 million verdict against John Crane-Houdaille Inc., finding that asbestos-containing rope it supplied caused a claimant's mesothelioma.

American Tort Reform Foundation President Tiger Joyce said the suits "have a negative impact on the nation's economy, as well as particular state economies."

"Every dollar spent defending against a speculative lawsuit is a dollar that won't be spent on research and development, capital investment, worker training or job creation," he said.