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Tort Law Reform: Strict Liability And The Collateral Source Rule Do Not Mix, Victor E. Schwartz

Vanderbilt Law Review

The imposition of strict liability and the simultaneous application of the collateral source rule to innocent defendants represent unfair and unsound public policy. Strict liability and the collateral source rule should not be mixed; nevertheless, our courts inadvertently blend them. A fundamental reform that would help stabilize the American tort law system is to abolish the collateral source rule in to whenever a claimant relies on a strict liability theory.The collateral source rule is appropriate only when a claimant proves that the defendant was at fault in causing an injury. There is a broad view in the United States that …