A Plague of Lawyers

As The Post reported Tuesday, New York City has the dubious distinction of ranking as America’s third-worst “judicial hellhole” — and Nos. 1 and 2 are whole states.

The folks at the American Tort Reform Foundation produce a yearly “Judicial Hellholes” report, which regularly puts the Big Apple near the top . . . or bottom, really.

As ATRF’s president notes, city courts are awash in suits where “there really isn’t any particular kind of injury.” For example:

Attorney C.K. Lee allegedly made millions using recruited, visually impaired plaintiffs to shake down businesses alleging accessibility problems.

Queens resident Arik Matatov used the Americans with Disabilities Act to legally blackmail 50 Manhattan stores for not having wheelchair ramps — until The Post exposed him as able-bodied.

A 2017 study found that 22 percent of all “frivolous food lawsuits” nationwide were filed in the city — over claims like one over a bucket of chicken that didn’t look like the one in the KFC ads.

Or the Brooklyn federal suit complaining that famed Greek yogurt maker Chobani is run by a Turk whose factory is in upstate New York, not Greece. (After two years of litigation, the company settled out of court on undisclosed terms.)

It’s a huge business: City trial lawyers spent $6.4 million on 22,000 TV ads over three months this year to recruit plaintiffs. They also spend big in Albany — buying legislators to prevent reform.

Litigation costs passed along to consumers ding each New York household an estimated $6,600 a year. Will any lawmaker stand up for the little guy against these parasites?