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Articles 91 - 98 of 98

Full-Text Articles in Law

On Causation, Mari J. Matsuda Jan 2000

On Causation, Mari J. Matsuda

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

In this Essay, Professor Matsuda argues that the narrow dyadic focus of tort law perpetuates very real, and remediable, social harms. Using tort causation doctrine as her starting point, Professor Matsuda demonstrates how the tort system sacrifices human bodies to maintain the smooth flow of the economic system. Time after time, tragedies occur: school systems fail, first graders shoot each other, women live in constant fear of rape. Yet each tragedy is met with the same systematic response: those without resources, those least able to correct the harm, are considered the legal cause of the harm. The economic and corporate …


A Reexamination Of The Distinction Between "Loss-Allocating" And "Conduct-Regulating Rules", Wendy Collins Perdue Jan 2000

A Reexamination Of The Distinction Between "Loss-Allocating" And "Conduct-Regulating Rules", Wendy Collins Perdue

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

In this paper, I disagree with the premise that all tort rules can be meaningfully classified as either compensatory or deterrent. I argue that most tort rules are both and that "the compensation and deterrence goals ascribed to the tort system cannot be separated.” I then explore the impact on the Louisiana tort choice of law code of this alternative understanding of tort law. My analysis begins with the proposition that all tort rules are loss-allocating. A liability rule shifts the loss from the injured victim to the tortfeasor; conversely a rule of no liability means that the loss, no …


Prudence, Benevolence, And Negligence: Virtue Ethics And Tort Law, Heidi Li Feldman Jan 2000

Prudence, Benevolence, And Negligence: Virtue Ethics And Tort Law, Heidi Li Feldman

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Tort law assesses negligence according to the conduct of a reasonable person of ordinary prudence who acts with due care for the safety of others. This standard assigns three traits to the person whose conduct sets the bar for measuring negligence: reasonableness, ordinary prudence, and due care for the safety of others. Yet contemporary tort scholars have almost exclusively examined only one of these attributes, reasonableness, and have wholly neglected to carefully examine the other elements key to the negligence standard: prudence and due care for the safety of others. It is mistaken to reduce negligence to reasonableness or to …


Class Action Accountability: Reconciling Exit, Voice, And Loyalty In Representative Litigation, John C. Coffee Jr. Jan 2000

Class Action Accountability: Reconciling Exit, Voice, And Loyalty In Representative Litigation, John C. Coffee Jr.

Faculty Scholarship

In two recent and highly technical decisions – Amchem Products v. Windsor and Ortiz v. Fibreboard Corp. – the Supreme Court has recognized that a serious potential for collusion exists in class actions and has outlined a concept of "class cohesion" as the rationale that legitimizes representative litigation. Although agreeing that a legitimacy principle is needed, Professor Coffee doubts that "class cohesion" can bear that weight, either as a normative theory of representation or as an economic solution for the agency cost and collective action problems that arise in representative litigation. He warns that an expansive interpretation of "class cohesion" …


You Can Teach An Old Dog New Tricks: The Application Of Common Law In Present-Day Environmental Disputes, Joseph F. Falcone Iii, Daniel Utain Jan 2000

You Can Teach An Old Dog New Tricks: The Application Of Common Law In Present-Day Environmental Disputes, Joseph F. Falcone Iii, Daniel Utain

Villanova Environmental Law Journal

No abstract provided.


When Science Is Too Daunting: Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Federal Courts, And The Struggling Spirit Of Daubert, Carl H. Johnson Jan 2000

When Science Is Too Daunting: Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Federal Courts, And The Struggling Spirit Of Daubert, Carl H. Johnson

Villanova Environmental Law Journal

No abstract provided.


Does Risk To Oneself Increase The Care Owed To Others? Law And Economics In Conflict, Robert D. Cooter, Ariel Porat Dec 1999

Does Risk To Oneself Increase The Care Owed To Others? Law And Economics In Conflict, Robert D. Cooter, Ariel Porat

Robert Cooter

As applied by courts, the Hand Rule balances the injurer's burden of precaution and the victims' reduction in risk. In this application, risk to oneself does not increase the duty owed to others. Economists, however, use the Hand Rule to minimize social costs, which requires balancing the burden of precaution against the reduction in risk to everyone. For economists, risk to oneself counts in determining the duty owed to others. In cases where precaution reduces joint risk (risk to oneself and others), the usual legal interpretation underestimates the reduction in risk relative to the economic interpretation, often by 50%. The …


Symposium, Legal Ethics For Government Lawyers: Straight Talk For Tough Times: Introduction, Randy Lee Dec 1999

Symposium, Legal Ethics For Government Lawyers: Straight Talk For Tough Times: Introduction, Randy Lee

Randy Lee

No abstract provided.