Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 6 of 6
Full-Text Articles in Torts
Mass Torts: Dispute Resolution In France And The United States--The Vioxx And Mediator Cases Compared, Fred Einbinder Mr.
Mass Torts: Dispute Resolution In France And The United States--The Vioxx And Mediator Cases Compared, Fred Einbinder Mr.
Washington International Law Journal
Dispute resolution in legal systems has largely been designed for handling issues between small groups of individuals or organizations. Obtaining legal redress for those injured by mass torts and using the law as a means to prevent future occurrences has presented challenges for the development of effective dispute resolution mechanisms to obtain relief for plaintiffs and deter future tortfeasors. A comparison of French and American mass tort law and practice offers a fertile field for useful comparative study given the significant differences in approach taken by each country’s legal system. These differences derive as much from history, politics, the attitudes …
Whose Fault In An Aging World?: Comparing Dementia-Related Tort Liability In Common Law And Civil Law Jurisdictions, Trevor Ryan, Wendy Bonython
Whose Fault In An Aging World?: Comparing Dementia-Related Tort Liability In Common Law And Civil Law Jurisdictions, Trevor Ryan, Wendy Bonython
Washington International Law Journal
Age-related dementias have been identified as a global health priority, based on their rapidly rising incidence and associated economic burden. Behaviors symptomatic of dementias, such as wandering, potentially expose sufferers to increased likelihood of experiencing harm or causing harms to others. Yet what jurisprudence and case law exists on the issue of tortious liability of people with dementia is largely derived from the broader principles governing tortious liability of those with mental illness or otherwise impaired capacity. Those principles are themselves problematic, reflecting absolutist models of either personal liability (common law jurisdictions) or statutory personal immunity accompanied by imposition of …
Rising Seas And Disappearing Islands: Can Island Inhabitants Seek Redress Under The Alient Tort Claims Act?, Rosemary Reed
Rising Seas And Disappearing Islands: Can Island Inhabitants Seek Redress Under The Alient Tort Claims Act?, Rosemary Reed
Washington International Law Journal
Sea levels are rising as a result of increasing greenhouse gas concentrations and global warming. The rising seas threaten to submerge many Pacific Island nations within the next century. The island inhabitants have sought help from the global community, but thus far have been denied assistance. However, the island inhabitants could seek redress in U.S. District Courts against major greenhouse gas emitters under the Alien Tort Claims Act. To satisfy the ATCA's requirement that tort claims must be in violation of international law, the islanders could claim that they are victims of environmental human rights violations and possibly genocide. While …
An Explanation Of Japan's Product Liability Law, Thomas Leo Madden
An Explanation Of Japan's Product Liability Law, Thomas Leo Madden
Washington International Law Journal
Japan has been contemplating the implementation of a product liability system since 1972. After much discussion, the Product Liability Law (Law No. 85 (1994)) was finally promulgated on July 1, 1994. It came into force one year later on July 1, 1995. In Japanese the law is called Seizōbutsu Sekinin Hō. The original article explains the law's historical significance and practical impact. It is commentary in style and is meant to serve as a basic guideline to help both consumers and businesses understand their respective rights and obligations under this new law.
Why Japan's New Products Liability Law Isn't, Andrew Marcuse
Why Japan's New Products Liability Law Isn't, Andrew Marcuse
Washington International Law Journal
The statutory language of Japan's 1994 Products Liability Act envisions a strict liability regime that would replace the previous negligence-based regime. This Comment reviews the development of the previous products liability regime, then analyzes the 1994 Products Liability Act in relation to Civil Code articles 415, 570, and 709 as well as EC Directive 85/374, and the 1975 Draft Model Law on Products Liability. The Comment concludes that because the 1994 Products Liability Act incorporates the Civil Code articles and their judicial interpretations, without addressing any of several structural and procedural barriers to suit, the 1994 Products Liability Act cannot …
Heidi Lindsey, Et Al. V. Dow Corning Corp., Et Al.: The Exclusion Of Claimants From Australian, Ontario And Quebec, Stephanie Alexander
Heidi Lindsey, Et Al. V. Dow Corning Corp., Et Al.: The Exclusion Of Claimants From Australian, Ontario And Quebec, Stephanie Alexander
Washington International Law Journal
In September 1994, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama approved a multi-billion dollar settlement in a global class action for breast implant recipients. The court concluded its opinion by excluding women from Australia, Ontario and Quebec from the settlement. After examining U.S. class action procedural requirements and analyzing the District Court's opinion, this Comment argues that the court improperly applied the procedural requirements for a class action to the detriment of the potentially injured women from Australia, Ontario and Quebec.