Couldn't the judge require the patent troll to put money into escrow to cover their opponent's estimated legal expenses (otherwise not allow the case to proceed)?
Because you don't limit access to the courts based on how much money someone has. That's insane.
Ironically, that's exactly what happens now -- defendants usually don't have access to the courts, because they don't have millions to defend themselves.
Not for everyone, but for those judged to be non-practicing entities.
We do it for shareholder derivatives suits, and in several other contexts. For B2B lawsuits it's not a big deal.