Law Commons^™

An America's Cup For Tort Reform? Australia And America Compared, Jeffrey O'Connell, David Partlett

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

The issue of tort reform has descended from Ivory Towers to populist politics. A few years ago no one could have predicted that "tort reform" would become political argot and a stirring election slogan. Some in the United States see the tort crisis and the stimulus for reform as somehow uniquely American. This Article shows instead that many advanced, industrialized societies are discussing tort reform initiatives actively. The precise nature of the problems, the reasons for reform, and the shape of solutions will be fashioned by indigenous culture, tradition, and the uncertainties of politics. In the common-law world, however, a …