Be sure to check out
Overlawyered. They've got a lot of interesting tidbits about Madison County, it's apparently a real friendly place to bring a lawsuit. This is likely something that'll get struck down, or at least reduced on appeal. And it's just kind of a cool site to read about current legal matters.
This is likely something that'll get struck down, or at least reduced on appeal.True, but the problem is (1) the costs borne by the defence in bringing the case to an appeal and (2) the chill on other defendents who settle meritless claims because of the risks involved in taking a claim to a jury. What you really need is loser pay, something that's always been around in Canada and works reasonably well.