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The Biter Bit: Unknowable Dangers, The Third Restatement, And The Reinstatement Of Liability Without Fault, Ellen Wertheimer
The Biter Bit: Unknowable Dangers, The Third Restatement, And The Reinstatement Of Liability Without Fault, Ellen Wertheimer
Working Paper Series
This article argues that the Third Restatement of Products Liability, far from accomplishing its goal of eliminating strict liability for products, actually caused its revival. Prior to the adoption of the Third Restatement, many jurisdictions had gradually retreated from the strict products liability of Section 402A of the Second Restatement of Torts. The Third Restatement caused the courts to confront their own incremental processes and, in refusing the adopt the Third Restatement, to reinstate Section 402A of the Second Restatement in a much purer form.
The Foggy Road For Evaluating Punitive Damages: Lifting The Haze From The Bmw/State Farm Guideposts, Steven L. Chanenson, John Y. Gotanda
The Foggy Road For Evaluating Punitive Damages: Lifting The Haze From The Bmw/State Farm Guideposts, Steven L. Chanenson, John Y. Gotanda
Working Paper Series
In light of increasing punitive damages awards, the United States Supreme Court formulated criteria for evaluating whether a punitive damages award is so unreasonably large that it violates substantive due process. Unfortunately, these "guideposts," which were first erected in BMW v. Gore and applied last term in State Farm v. Campbell, are difficult to use and have resulted in inconsistent decisions. Indeed, Justice Scalia stated that they "mark a road to nowhere." The authors argue that the problems with the guideposts can be fixed by refining the third guidepost, which compares the punitive damages award to the criminal (or civil) …