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Full-Text Articles in Law

Fixing Failure To Warn, Aaron D. Twerski, James A. Henderson Jr. Jan 2015

Fixing Failure To Warn, Aaron D. Twerski, James A. Henderson Jr.

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

Design-defect and failure-to-warn cases share the same structural elements. Just as the defendant cannot defend a case premised on defective design without knowing the specifics of how the plaintiff would redesign the product to make it safer, so with regard to defective warnings the plaintiff cannot challenge the reasonableness of the defendant's marketing or whether better warnings would have saved the plaintiff from injury without knowing the specifics of the proposed warnings. No court would accept as adequate a statement by the plaintiff that she has a general idea for a reasonable alternative design (RAD), and no court should accept …


A Fictional Tale Of Unintended Consequences: A Response To Professor Wertheimer, Aaron Twerski, James A. Henderson Jr. Apr 2005

A Fictional Tale Of Unintended Consequences: A Response To Professor Wertheimer, Aaron Twerski, James A. Henderson Jr.

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Consumer Expectations' Last Hope: A Response To Professor Kysar, James A. Henderson Jr., Aaron Twerski Nov 2003

Consumer Expectations' Last Hope: A Response To Professor Kysar, James A. Henderson Jr., Aaron Twerski

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

The authors agree with Professor Kysar that the current version of the consumer expectations test for design defectiveness is an amorphous, unprincipled misreading of section 402A of the Restatement (Second) of Torts. And they agree that most courts apply risk-utility balancing in determining design defectiveness. But they disagree with Kysar's proposal to supplement risk-utility balancing with a reinvigorated consumer expectations test based on expert testimony regarding what consumers actually expect in the way of design safety. Judicial reliance on such testimony would be susceptible to result-oriented manipulation by litigants, would not guide manufacturers in making sensible design choices, would pressure …


Ethics Of Enterprise Liability In Product Design And Marketing Litigation, James A. Henderson Jr. May 2002

Ethics Of Enterprise Liability In Product Design And Marketing Litigation, James A. Henderson Jr.

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

American courts talk as though they are imposing strict enterprise liability on product manufacturers, but in truth they do so only with respect to manufacturing defects. In product design and marketing litigation, manufacturers' liability is based on fault. The reason why strict liability is inappropriate for the generic product hazards associated with design and marketing is that, in sharp contrast to manufacturing defects, the conditions necessary for insurance to function are not satisfied. Users and consumers control generic product risks to a sufficiently great extent that any insurance scheme based on strict enterprise liability would be destroyed by combinations of …


Product-Related Risk And Cognitive Biases: The Shortcomings Of Enterprise Liability, James A. Henderson Jr., Jeffrey J. Rachlinski Oct 2000

Product-Related Risk And Cognitive Biases: The Shortcomings Of Enterprise Liability, James A. Henderson Jr., Jeffrey J. Rachlinski

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

Products liability law has witnessed a long debate over whether manufacturers should be held strictly liable for the injuries that products cause. Recently, some have argued that psychological research on human judgment supports adopting a regime of strict enterprise liability for injuries caused by product design. These new proponents of enterprise liability argue that the current system, in which manufacturer liability for product design turns on the manufacturer's negligence, allows manufacturers to induce consumers into undertaking inefficiently dangerous levels or types of consumption. In this paper we argue that the new proponents of enterprise liability have: (1) not provided any …


Intuition And Technology In Product Design Litigation: An Essay On Proximate Causation, James A. Henderson Jr., Aaron Twerski Apr 2000

Intuition And Technology In Product Design Litigation: An Essay On Proximate Causation, James A. Henderson Jr., Aaron Twerski

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


The Products Liability Restatement In The Courts: An Initial Assessment, James A. Henderson Jr., Aaron Twerski Jan 2000

The Products Liability Restatement In The Courts: An Initial Assessment, James A. Henderson Jr., Aaron Twerski

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Product Design Liability In Orgeon And The New Restatement, James A. Henderson Jr., Aaron Twerski Apr 1999

Product Design Liability In Orgeon And The New Restatement, James A. Henderson Jr., Aaron Twerski

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


What Europe, Japan, And Other Countries Can Learn From The New American Restatement Of Products Liability, James A. Henderson Jr., Aaron Twerski Jan 1999

What Europe, Japan, And Other Countries Can Learn From The New American Restatement Of Products Liability, James A. Henderson Jr., Aaron Twerski

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Achieving Consensus On Defective Product Design, James A. Henderson Jr., Aaron Twerski May 1998

Achieving Consensus On Defective Product Design, James A. Henderson Jr., Aaron Twerski

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


The Politics Of The Products Liability Restatement, James A. Henderson Jr., Aaron Twerski Apr 1998

The Politics Of The Products Liability Restatement, James A. Henderson Jr., Aaron Twerski

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


A Discussion And A Defense Of The Restatement (Third) Of Torts: Products Liability, James A. Henderson Jr. Jan 1998

A Discussion And A Defense Of The Restatement (Third) Of Torts: Products Liability, James A. Henderson Jr.

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Arriving At Reasonable Alternative Design: The Reporters' Travelogue, James A. Henderson Jr., Aaron Twerski Jan 1997

Arriving At Reasonable Alternative Design: The Reporters' Travelogue, James A. Henderson Jr., Aaron Twerski

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

Substantial commentary and controversy have been generated by the requirement in the new Restatement (Third) of Torts: Products Liability that plaintiffs in most (but not all) cases involving claims of defective product design show that a reasonable alternative design was available and that failure to adopt the alternative rendered the defendant's design not reasonably safe. Henderson and Twerski explain the origins of that requirement and show that it is not only the majority position but also comports with widely shared views regarding the proper objectives of our liability system. Although consumer expectations cannot serve as a workable, stand-alone test for …


Prescription Drug Design Liability Under The Proposed Restatement (Third) Of Torts: A Reporter's Perspective, James A. Henderson Jr. Jan 1996

Prescription Drug Design Liability Under The Proposed Restatement (Third) Of Torts: A Reporter's Perspective, James A. Henderson Jr.

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Will A New Restatement Help Settle Troubled Waters: Reflections, James A. Henderson Jr., Aaron Twerski Jan 1993

Will A New Restatement Help Settle Troubled Waters: Reflections, James A. Henderson Jr., Aaron Twerski

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


The Unworkability Of Court-Made Enterprise Liability: A Reply To Geistfeld, James A. Henderson Jr., Aaron Twerski Nov 1992

The Unworkability Of Court-Made Enterprise Liability: A Reply To Geistfeld, James A. Henderson Jr., Aaron Twerski

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


A Proposed Revision Of Section 402a Of The Restatement (Second) Of Torts, James A. Henderson Jr., Aaron Twerski Sep 1992

A Proposed Revision Of Section 402a Of The Restatement (Second) Of Torts, James A. Henderson Jr., Aaron Twerski

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Stargazing: The Future Of American Products Liability Law, James A. Henderson Jr., Aaron Twerski Nov 1991

Stargazing: The Future Of American Products Liability Law, James A. Henderson Jr., Aaron Twerski

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Process Norms In Products Litigation: Liability For Allergic Reactions, James A. Henderson Jr. Jul 1990

Process Norms In Products Litigation: Liability For Allergic Reactions, James A. Henderson Jr.

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Doctrinal Collapse In Products Liability: The Empty Shell Of Failure To Warn, James A. Henderson Jr., Aaron Twerski May 1990

Doctrinal Collapse In Products Liability: The Empty Shell Of Failure To Warn, James A. Henderson Jr., Aaron Twerski

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

Liability for a manufacturer's failure to warn of product-related risks is a well-established feature of modern products liability law. Yet many serious doctrinal and conceptual problems underlie these claims. Professors Henderson and Twerski explore these problems and argue that failure-to-warn jurisprudence is confused, perhaps irreparably, and that this confusion often results in the imposition of excessive liability on manufacturers. The authors begin by exposing basic errors resulting from courts' confusion over whether to apply a strict liability or a negligence standard of care in failure-to-warn cases. Having determined that negligence is the appropriate standard, they then examine more substantial and …


Coping With The Time Dimension In Products Liability, James A. Henderson Jr. Jul 1981

Coping With The Time Dimension In Products Liability, James A. Henderson Jr.

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Extending The Boundaries Of Strict Products Liability: Implications Of The Theory Of The Second Best, James A. Henderson Jr. May 1980

Extending The Boundaries Of Strict Products Liability: Implications Of The Theory Of The Second Best, James A. Henderson Jr.

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Design Defect Litigation Revisited, James A. Henderson Jr. Jan 1976

Design Defect Litigation Revisited, James A. Henderson Jr.

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.