Law Commons^™

Holt V. Grange Mut. Cas. Co. Children Not "Insureds" Under Policy Are Entitled To Death, Barbara Tyler, Thomas S. Tyler

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

The recent Ohio Supreme Court decision of Holt v. Grange Mutual Casualty Co., is a consumer friendly decision and represents both an equitable and sound interpretation and application of Ohio law to consumer insurance contracts.The decision in Holt favors insurance consumers but has alarmed the insurance industry. The industry perceives the decision as bringing into question what language of an insurance policy will be upheld under the freedom of contract and what will be stricken as against public policy. First, the industry would argue that Holt seems to denigrate and abrogate the rights of an uninsurance/underinsurance provider to craft its …

The Myth Of The Matching Principle As A Tax Value, Deborah A. Geier

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

This 1998 article explores why the "matching principle" in financial accounting should be considered irrelevant to federal income taxation, where its application can result effectively in consumption taxation (as opposed to income taxation).

Spiritual Equality, The Black Codes, And The Americanization Of The Freedmen, David F. Forte

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

The notion of spiritual equality grew from the abolitionist movement - the precursor for the political ideology of the radical Republicans. The radical Republicans did not think one could achieve the acceptance of spiritual equality through forced material equality. [I]t was a religious revival that brought our country to confront the reality of slavery. It was a theological doctrine from which we derived our notion of equality in the Reconstruction Amendments. And in that era, the free-thinkers - the secularists of the age - were temporizers on the issue. They were simply of no use in the raising to liberty …

State Securities Litigation May No Longer Be A Class Act: Federal Preemption Looms On The Horizon, Susan J. Becker

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

State courhouse doors may soon be closed to class actions by shareholders of nationally traded stocks seeking redress for alleged misstatements and omissions in the issuer's financial forecasts.

Supreme Court Revises Amicus Rules, Susan J. Becker

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

Last year the U.S. Supreme Court and the Seventh Circuit both reacted against the growing use of "friend of the court" briefs to advocate litigants' positions rather than to assist the court. Now several federal and state appellate courts are reviewing their rules on amicus submissions because of their own experiences and the Supreme Court and Seventh Circuit actions.

Will New Legislation Preempt State Court Class Actions?, Susan J. Becker

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

Proponents of 1995's federal securities litigation reform are proposing new legislation to prevent plaintiffs from using state court class actions to circumvent the restrictive federal rules. This article reviews these legislative proposals.

Adea Claimant Can Retain Severance Payments And Sue Former Employer, Susan J. Becker

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

Former employees can maintain claims under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) without first repaying the consideration received for an invalid release of claims. The Supreme Court's pronouncement, Oubre v. Entergy Operations, Inc., 1988 U.S. Lexis 646 (Jan. 26, 1998), may change the way many employers negotiate and execute severance packages and settlements with terminated employees.

Courts' Evolving Roles In Daubert Decisions, Susan J. Becker

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

In Daubert, the Supreme Court interpreted Federal Rule of Evidence 702 to permit an arguably more-relaxed standard for the admission of expert scientific evidence than previously allowed under the popular Frye test.

The Admissibility Of Medical Testimony In Ohio: Daubert, Joiner And Ohio's Relevance-Reliability Standard, Gerald J. Todaro

Cleveland State Law Review

This article specifically examines the reliability standard imposed under Rule 702 of the Ohio Rules of Evidence and its application to medical expert testimony in Ohio. Section II reviews Daubert, its progeny, and Ohio law. This analysis reveals tension between Ohio's flexible relevance/reliability standard and the more exacting demands of Daubert. Section III examines the scientific basis of clinical diagnosis and treatment of illness and disease. This section argues that judges should take judicial notice of the conventional methodology underlying the clinical practice of medicine, and thus the preliminary question of reliability of medical expert testimony should rarely require a …

Brief Amicus Curiae Of Ohio Psychological Association, National Association Of Social Workers And Ohio Chapter, American Academy Of Child And Adolescent Psychiatry, Ohio Human Rights Bar Association And The Lesbian/Gay Community Service Center Of Greater Cleveland In Support Of Appellants, In Re Adoption Of Jane Doe, Ohio Ninth District Case No. 19017, Susan J. Becker

Law Faculty Briefs and Court Documents

I. THE BEST INTERESTS OF CHILDREN ARE PROMOTED BY ALLOWING UNMARKED COUPLES TO BE ABLE TO PETITION TO ADOPT CHILDREN.

II. CHILDREN RAISED BY GAY AND LESBIAN PARENTS ARE AS HAPPY AND HEALTHY AS OTHER CHILDREN AND ARE NOT ADVERSELY AFFECTED BY THEIR PARENTS' SEXUAL ORIENTATION.

III. SECURING A HAPPY AND STABLE HOME LIFE FOR THE CHILD, NOT FALSE ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT LESBIAN AND GAY FAMILIES, SHOULD BE THE COURT'S DETERMINING CONSIDERATION.

A Proposal To Recognize A Legal Obligation On Physicians To Provide Adequate Medication To Alleviate Pain, Tonya Eippert

Journal of Law and Health

This note seeks to show how the current practice among medical practitioners in the United States, by treating pain retroactively after it begins, is inadequate. Administering narcotics to patients on an "as needed" basis unnecessarily prolongs pain and suffering. A more effective approach, which is advocated by the Agency for Health Care Policy & Research (AHCPR), is to treat pain preventatively rather than retroactively. The myth that pain medication is addictive, and that physicians should therefore prescribe as little pain medication as possible, is just that, a myth. Patients are suffering pain in today's hospitals and at home unnecessarily. Given …

Battered Women Syndrome As A Tort Cause Of Action, Heather Tonsing

Journal of Law and Health

The focus of this Note is the upcoming development of a new tort cause of action which would afford battered women full recovery and also help alleviate a growing public health epidemic. This Note argues that battered women syndrome is a valid psychological theory which has a place in civil litigation as a recognized cause of action. Although the theory is criticized by feminist scholars who believe that the testimony may perpetuate gender bias in criminal trials, the syndrome is still advantageous for women seeking redress in civil courts. Part I examines the phenomenon of battered women syndrome and its …

What We're Not Telling Law Students - And Lawyers - That They Really Need To Know: Some Thoughts-In-Action Toward Revitalizing The Profession From Its Roots, Lawrence S. Krieger

Journal of Law and Health

Part I of this article sets forth a generally encouraging set of propositions about student and attorney life that I have found to be true. If they are, law students and lawyers need to hear them repeatedly. They collectively represent an approach to life and law which, to the extent it is internalized, can increase life satisfaction, raise standards of professional behavior, and relieve many of the kinds of distress that law students and lawyers are prone to experience. Some students seem to bring much of this information with them to law school years and after, do not lose sight …

International Response To Dolly: Will Scientific Freedom Get Sheared , Melissa K. Cantrell

Journal of Law and Health

This Comment will discuss the current threat to scientific freedom posed by absolute bans on human cloning. Parts II and III discuss the response of the United States and the international community to Dolly. Part IV discusses the legal position of scientific freedom in the U.S. and abroad. Finally, Part V will posit that a total ban on human cloning infringes on the freedom of scientific inquiry, and endangers the public by encouraging the establishment of black market cloning clinics.

Standards And Procedures For Determining Whether A Defendant Is Competent To Make The Ultimate Choice - Death; Ohio's New Precedent For Death Row Volunteers, Matthew T. Norman

Journal of Law and Health

Despite the fact that many states will allow a death row defendant to waive his legal appeals in order to hasten his execution date, there are inadequate standards and procedures for determining whether the "volunteer" is first competent to make this ultimate decision of life versus death. To provide background for this issue, this Note will discuss the events initially leading up to the nation's first death row "volunteer", then it will introduce subsequent volunteers of the present day. This Note then will look at what the United States Supreme Court has said about the standards and procedures that are …

Race For Perfection: Children's Rights And Enhancement Drugs, Therese Powers

Journal of Law and Health

This Note will address the question of what are a child's rights when the child's views differ from his or her parents regarding the child's use or refusal of enhancement drugs such as Ritalin and Human Growth Hormone. This Note will begin with a description of Ritalin and Human Growth Hormone along with the uses and abuses of each drug. It will then discuss the evolution of children's rights dealing with situations such as civil commitment, abortion, and medical treatment over religious objection. Furthermore, it will draw comparisons from the case law in these situations to a child's right to …

Ozone Transport And The Clean Air Act: The Answers Are Blowin' In The Wind, Shari R. Desalvo

Cleveland State Law Review

This Note addresses the major provisions of the Clean Air Act that deal with the transport of ozone from one state to another. After an overview of the Act and specific sections dealing with ozone transport, the Note discusses the Environmental Protection Agency's (the "EPA") inconsistent interpretation and application of the Act, as exposed through the limited case law addressing this issue to date. Next, using the illustrative cases of Pennsylvania and Ohio, the Note discusses how Northeastern states are suffering economically and physically due to Midwestern pollution. This Note concludes that it is time for the EPA to stop …

The Unauthorized Dissemination Of Celebrity Images On The Internet ... In The Flesh, Navin Katyal

Cleveland State Law Review

This paper will explore and analyze the unauthorized use and dissemination of celebrity images over the Internet as a violation of the copyrights of either the celebrity themselves, or the cinematographic' rights of the film production studio(s). The analysis will focus on the Copyright Act of both Canada and the United States and will be covered in three parts. Part I will define the basic nomenclature of the Internet and explain the applicability of copyright law to the Internet. Part II will focus on methods in which the celebrity and film studio can protect their copyright 'On-line' through the American-defined …

The Future Of Affirmative Action: The Legal Imperative Nationally And The Ohio Experience, Jack P. Desario, Thomas L. Colaluca, Gina A. Kuhlman

Cleveland State Law Review

This presentation of the legal future of affirmative action will be divided into five sections. The introductory material serves as a general introduction to the issues. The second section will review the origins and evolution of affirmative action. This section will also attempt to provide a definition of this complex concept. The third will provide a detailed analysis of Regents of the University of California v. Bakke. Bakke represents the Supreme Court's first attempt to resolve the legal complexities of affirmative action. The Court's holdings in Bakke have shaped the debate for over 20 years. The fourth segment of this …

Year 2000 Hurdles And Controversies, Michael D. Schindler

Cleveland State Law Review

This article examines the hurdles and controversies of the Year 2000 problem. First, some background on the "Millennium Bug" explains the nature of the problem, how to fix it, and what it will cost. Next, the article discusses recent Year 2000 litigation. Then the article suggests that companies should implement a legal strategy to avoid potential liability by performing a legal audit of the Year 2000 problem. Additionally, the UCC and case law analysis are used to explain possible causes of action and who the plaintiffs and defendants will be. Other key legal issues analyzed are SEC disclosure requirements, insurance …

Grandparent Visitation Rights In Ohio After Grandchild Adoption: Is It Time To Move In A New Direction , Genevieve Louise Adamo

Cleveland State Law Review

This note will explain why the Ohio legislature should change the current law regarding grandparent visitation following the adoption of their grandchildren. This note will first explore the way that Ohio looked at the issue of grandparent visitation following the adoption of their grandchildren prior to the Ohio Supreme Court decisions in Ridenour and Martin. Then this note will examine the decisions in Ridenour and Martin. Next this note will discuss other states' laws which allow grandparent visitation following a stepparent adoption. Finally, this note will examine some of the studies and commentaries which suggest that grandparent visitation following stepparent …

Methods For Teaching Environmental Law: Some Thoughts On Providing Access To The Environmental Law System, Heidi Gorovitz Robertson

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

This article surveys methods that could improve the effectiveness of environmental legal education. I propose that approaches to teaching environmental law be viewed in two ways; first, as a substantive course in which students gain access to a complex system of law, and second, as a substantive base for teaching students skills of legal process. Within both possibilities, I focus on the value of teaching students to understand the environmental law system. Instructors can introduce students to the environmental law system by looking at a few of the major environmental statutes in relative depth, or as they apply to specific …

New Criticisms Of The Libel-Proof Plaintiff Doctrine , Wayne M. Serra

Cleveland State Law Review

This paper will explore the libel-proof plaintiff doctrine and examine it in light of traditional standing and jurisdictional principles. Part II of this paper discusses the origin of the libel-proof doctrine and its application. Part III explores the general requirements for diversity actions in the federal district courts, the application of state law to those actions, and the impact of the First Amendment on state libel law. Part IV discusses standing to sue principles and analyzes the libel-proof plaintiff doctrine in light of those principles. Part V discusses some criticisms of the libel-proof plaintiff doctrine. Finally, Part VI concludes that …

State V. Lovejoy: Hung Juries And Retrial Vs. Double Jeopardy And Collateral Estoppel, Nicole M. Ellis

Cleveland State Law Review

This article argues that the Supreme Court of Ohio's decision in Lovejoy helps to preserve the purpose of our criminal laws, which is to protect society. The article starts by recapping the events leading up to trial, then it breaks down the court decisions on appeal. The analysis of these decisions arrives at the conclusion that allowing a defendant to be retried on charges in which the accused was not previously acquitted, but rather the jury was hung or there was a mistrial, does not frustrate justice but instead greatly increases the opportunities for justice. In addition, the accused is …

On Seeking Controlling Law And Re-Seeking Death Under Section 2929.06 Of The Ohio Revised Code , Margery B. Koosed

Cleveland State Law Review

This article explores and analyzes the two-pronged legal dilemma that confronted the court in State v. Marshall: in Ohio, finding the correct sentencing law is often difficult; and a recent amendment to the resentencing portion of that law, S.B. 258, destroys the efficiency that was characteristic of Ohio's previous resentencing framework. Consequently, Part II of this article examines the facts and holding of State v. Marshall and suggests that finding the applicable law must be simplified. Practitioner handbooks are often confusing and incomplete, in part as the Ohio legislature generates an ever-changing body of law. Justice and the lives of …

The Cy Pres Doctrine In The United States: From Extreme Reluctance To Affirmative Action, Frances Howell Rudko

Cleveland State Law Review

Perhaps no legal principle illustrates the use of Fourteenth Amendment equal protection jurisprudence more poignantly than the relatively obscure cy pres doctrine. The ancient doctrine which allowed both courts and the Crown in England to change trust purposes when the original trust purposes proved no longer viable was adopted belatedly, sporadically and partially by jurisdictions in the United States. In Part I, the author illustrates how the United States jurisdictions differ from England in the requirement for charitable intent. Earlier cases reveal the United States, unlike England, has resisted relaxation of the requirement. In Part II, the author uses the …

Shaken Baby Syndrome: Who Are The True Experts, Joseph D. Hatina

Cleveland State Law Review

Shaken baby syndrome is a serious form of child maltreatment, often involving infants younger than six months of age. It commonly occurs, yet it is frequently overlooked in its most chronic form and underdiagnosed in its most serious expression. Section II of this article will discuss the symptoms, presentation, and clinical findings of shaken baby syndrome. It will conclude by looking at recommendations from the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect. Section III delves into the history, function and statistics of Child Death Review Teams on a national level. The discussion ends by examining Ohio's proposed legislation concerning …

What Is A Vessel - A Three Prong Approach, Jeff Nemerofsky

Cleveland State Law Review

In the context of United States admiralty law, the definition of the word "vessel" has different meanings depending upon which statute has jurisdiction, the nature of the circumstances, and the characteristics of the person involved. There is no settled definition of the word. The Jones Act is a statute designed to cover seamen injured by the negligent acts of their employer, and is indicative of other admiralty statutes which, by their lack of a specific definition of the word "vessel," have created controversy in the judicial system. This comment proposes a three prong test that suggests several criteria to be …