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Full-Text Articles in Law

The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund: The Answer To Victim Relief?, Joe Ward Mar 2012

The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund: The Answer To Victim Relief?, Joe Ward

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

The events of September 11, 2001 shook America to its core. The world was forever changed as the horrific tragedy unfolded on live television. Families were destroyed as loved ones were severely injured or killed, leaving spouses and children in need of aid. In response, the United States government established the September 11th Victims' Compensation Fund in an effort to provide the necessary reparations to victims of the terrorist attacks. This article will analyze the September 11th Victims' Compensation Fund (hereafter "Fund") as a way of compensating victims while preserving the financial stability of the United States economy. This Fund …


Preparations For A Storm: A Proposal For Managing The Litigation Stemming From September 11th, 2001 , A. David E. Balahadia Mar 2012

Preparations For A Storm: A Proposal For Managing The Litigation Stemming From September 11th, 2001 , A. David E. Balahadia

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

After the attacks, the United States government immediately began to address the exorbitant number of problems and issues that resulted. One of the first issues the government addressed was victim compensation. The creation of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund by virtue of the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act was the first step towards victim compensation. The VCF would help relatives and families of those killed in the attacks. However, the VCF has several limitations that narrow the scope of those eligible for compensation. The limitations of the VCF are indirectly creating a new two-pronged problem: the first …


Mediating Multi-Party Disputes: Reflections On Leadership In Mediation, Elizabeth "Wendy" Trachte-Huber Mar 2012

Mediating Multi-Party Disputes: Reflections On Leadership In Mediation, Elizabeth "Wendy" Trachte-Huber

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

Leadership in mediating multi-party matters is imperative. In my work as Claims Administrator for one of the largest ever personal injury/bankruptcy settlements ($2.3 billion, net present value), I am charged with four primary areas of responsibility: (1) the efficient and fair evaluation of claims consistent with provisions of the Joint Plan of Reorganization; (2) the efficient delivery of payments to all approved claimants pursuant to the provisions of the Joint Plan; (3) the management and custody of the assets paid to the Settlement Facility; and finally (4) the faithful execution of the provisions of the Joint Plan in all respects. …


Forgive And Forget: Recognition Of Error And Use Of Apology As Preemptive Steps To Adr Or Litigation In Medical Malpractice Cases , Ashley A. Davenport Mar 2012

Forgive And Forget: Recognition Of Error And Use Of Apology As Preemptive Steps To Adr Or Litigation In Medical Malpractice Cases , Ashley A. Davenport

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

Medical malpractice cases are a special breed within the field of tort jurisprudence as mistakes in the medical field are regrettably inevitable. Medical universities use some of the greatest hospitals in this country as interactive classrooms to teach future physicians. A vast number of people are treated in hospitals throughout the United States every day, and of those treated, a number are neglected under the confines of the law. The American public expects infallible care from our health care system and any deviation from perfection may result in legal action. Those wronged seek litigation primarily as a means to punish …


Mediation In The Health Care System: Creative Problem Solving , Sheea Sybblis Mar 2012

Mediation In The Health Care System: Creative Problem Solving , Sheea Sybblis

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

Part I of this paper provides a comparison of the use of litigation and mediation in the health care context. Part II explores how mediation can be used to improve many of the often criticized aspects of adjudication systems and alleviate tension between parties in health care disputes. Part III provides an evaluation of current mediation programs and studies in health care, as well as the expanding role of mediators. Part IV incorporates assessments of the potential success of mediation to resolve health care disputes in the future and provides suggestions to strengthen the process.


Brushing Off Lawsuits: Dental Peer Review Examined , Lisa C. Markarian Mar 2012

Brushing Off Lawsuits: Dental Peer Review Examined , Lisa C. Markarian

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

For all contractual and legal intents and purposes, a dentist is a provider of services, while the patient who consents to treatment is a consumer. A dentist's fees reflect, in part, the cost of malpractice insurance protection. Dentists can also calculate into their fees any refunds they may pay back to patients who suffer adverse results.8 An injured patient on the other hand has limited means of protection against damages resulting from the wrongful acts of dentists. The options open to patients include: (1) filing a complaint in civil court, (2) reporting the incident to a government agency such as …


Mass Disaster Mediation: Innovative, Adr, Or A Lion's Den?, Elizabeth Baker Murrill Mar 2012

Mass Disaster Mediation: Innovative, Adr, Or A Lion's Den?, Elizabeth Baker Murrill

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

Mass torts and other mass claims are becoming an ever more popular forum for the use of alternative dispute resolution to resolve parties' claims in the wake of events that produce thousands of conflicts overnight. Mediation, in particular, has been used in several high-profile mass disaster events in an effort to resolve individual claims efficiently and quickly. This paper evaluates special risks posed in this kind of mediation that can go to the heart and the integrity of the mediation process. The thesis of this paper is that the potential imbalance in the parties' experience, education, and individual situation can …


The Clinton-Obama Approach To Medical Malpractice Reform: Reviving The Most Meaningful Features Of Alternative Dispute Resolution, Grant Wood Geckeler Feb 2012

The Clinton-Obama Approach To Medical Malpractice Reform: Reviving The Most Meaningful Features Of Alternative Dispute Resolution, Grant Wood Geckeler

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

An introduction to medical malpractice reform would be incomplete without mentioning the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) 1999 report, To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System, which lists medical errors as the eighth leading cause of death in the United States. While much attention premiums, the media's recent interest in the application of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) tactics in medical malpractice cases has increased. The quest for a one-size-fits-all fix to rising health care costs has turned to ADR for guidance in the past, with hopes that binding arbitration and voluntary mediation would resolve the crisis. Recently, the …


An Unnecessary Consternation: An Analysis Of The Future Of Eu Arbitration In The Wake Of The West Tankers Decision, Mark G. Materna Feb 2012

An Unnecessary Consternation: An Analysis Of The Future Of Eu Arbitration In The Wake Of The West Tankers Decision, Mark G. Materna

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

This article proposes that, despite the West Tankers decision, parties are still not free to breach the terms of an arbitration agreement. On the contrary, there has been a strong trend by English courts to find ways of preventing parties from breaching such agreements. In short, this article serves to quell the panic and elucidate that the West Tankers decision is not a nail in the coffin, but rather a mechanism to reiterate European courts' dedication to ensuring that arbitration provisions remain a potent force against economic infidelity. Part II of this article will provide a brief background of anti-suit …


The Assault Of Jamie Leigh Jones: How One Woman's Horror Story Is Changing Arbitration In America, Jeffrey Adams Feb 2012

The Assault Of Jamie Leigh Jones: How One Woman's Horror Story Is Changing Arbitration In America, Jeffrey Adams

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

This article examines Jones v. Halliburton Co., the "Al Franken Amendment" to the 2010 U.S. Defense Department Budget (Franken Amendment) that was created in response to Jones, and the impact that both could have on mandatory arbitration clauses in employment contracts in the future. Part II recounts the troubling events that led to Jones and the inclusion of the Franken Amendment in the 2010 Defense Department Budget. Part III details the arguments made for and against the inclusion of the Franken Amendment. Part IV analyzes the impact that the Franken Amendment could have on mandatory arbitration clauses in contacts in …