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Policy Oscillation In California's Law Of Premises Liability, Ronald L. Steiner

Ronald L. Steiner

The expansion of tort liability beginning in the middle of the 20th century, and the reaction against that expansion as the century came to a close, constitutes a clear demonstration of the nostrum that tort law is “public law in disguise.” Adjudication of private disputes became a battleground of public policy preferences as to how risks and compensation should be distributed so as to serve societal interests such as fairness, efficiency, and personal autonomy. This article studies examines in detail a critical battleground in a key state, the revolution and counter-revolution in premises liability in California, as a paradigm case. …