Law Commons^™

Malpractice In Scandinavia, Vibe Ulfbeck, Mette Hartlev, Mårten Schultz

Chicago-Kent Law Review

The article describes the special Scandinavian patient insurance system which secures compensation for patients in malpractice cases. For all practical purposes, the insurance based systems have replaced ordinary tort law rules in malpractice cases in Scandinavia. Thus, the basic feature of these systems is that proof of fault is not a requirement for obtaining compensation. Other criteria which are more favourable to the patient are applicable. The article concludes that in general the compensations systems have been successful in making it easier for the patients to obtain compensation. However, the systems also face challenges, some of which stem from the …

Blindsight: How We See Disabilities In Tort Litigation, Anne Bloom, Paul Steven Miller

Washington Law Review

Tort litigation operates with a distorted perspective of disability. It suffers from blindsight; it does not see people with disabilities the way they see themselves. Disability advocates emphasize that most people with disabilities lead happy lives. Deeply rooted biases, however, make it difficult for this perspective to be recognized. Tort litigation’s heavy emphasis on medical testimony and its repeated portrayal of plaintiffs as “less than whole” over-emphasize the physical aspects of disability and unfairly depict people with disabilities as tragic. When legal actors embrace these views, they reinforce harmful stereotypes outside the courthouse doors. Newly disabled plaintiffs are also likely …

A Bridge Over Troubled Waters: The Development Of Medical Malpractice Litigation In Brazil, Eduardo Dantas

Chicago-Kent Law Review

This paper aims to demonstrate how medical malpractice litigation is developing in Brazil, and how the Brazilian legal system is dealing with the increase of demands against health care professionals. A brief overlook on the legal structure is provided, highlighting the most important issues being discussed today in Brazilian courts, regarding autonomy, consent, choice, the definition of moral damages, and the influence of the Consumer's Defense Code in litigation regarding health law.

Yangge Dance: The Rhythm Of Liability For Medical Malpractice In The People's Republic Of China, Zhu Wang, Ken Oliphant

Chicago-Kent Law Review

This paper summarises the development of liability for medical malpractice in the People's Republic of China, beginning with the establishment of a formal system of administrative liability in 1987, its refinement in 2002, and the broadly contemporaneous judicial recognition of a concurrent tortious liability under general civil law. All these developments may be said to have furthered the interests of patients. The incorporation of liability for medical malpractice into the Tort Liability Law of 2009, however, arguably marks a step backwards, subordinating the interests of patients in favor of the interests of the medical community, and further reforms in the …

Medical Malpractice: The Italian Experience, Claudia Dimarzo

Chicago-Kent Law Review

Beginning with an investigation into the problematic nature of medical liability, the Article overviews the most significant approaches taken by courts and scholars in order to establish whether the physician's position before the patient is comparable with that of either a tortfeasor or a contractor.

Having explained that the most recent approaches in this regard tend toward the recognition of the contractual nature of medical liability, the Author discusses the implications of such a solution, making specific reference to the following issues: 1) the assignment of the burden of proof (along with the distinction between obligations of means and obligations …

The Law Of Medical Misadventure In Japan, Robert B. Leflar

Chicago-Kent Law Review

This paper offers a comprehensive overview of Japanese law and practice relating to iatrogenic (medically-caused) injury, with comparisons to other nations' medical law systems. The paper addresses criminal sanctions for Japanese physicians' negligent and illegal acts; civil law principles of substantive law and related issues of procedure, practice, and liability insurance; and administrative measures including health ministry programs aimed at expanding and improving the quality of peer review within Japanese medicine, and a recently implemented no-fault compensation system for birth-related injuries.

Among the paper's findings are these. Criminal and civil actions increased rapidly after highly publicized medical error events at …

Medical Malpractice And Compensation In The Uk, Richard Goldberg

Chicago-Kent Law Review

In the first part of this paper, Dr. Goldberg examines the context in which medical malpractice liability is operating in the UK. The fact that the state-run National Health Service (NHS) is the major healthcare provider in the UK has several implications, since funding for medical malpractice compensation in the NHS comes from the taxpayer. The most recent empirical evidence on the incidence and funding of claims in England and Scotland is assessed, to show a trend of expenditure on clinical negligence increasing, particularly in England. This is followed by an examination of the statutory framework for the empowerment of …

Worthy Of Their Name? Addressing Aquatic Nuisance Species With Common Law Public Nuisance Claims, Christopher Grubb

Chicago-Kent Law Review

Aquatic invasive species like the Asian carp and zebra mussel have caused grave ecological and economic harm across the United States, and frequently harm rights common to the public such as boating, fishing, and bathing. Yet, Congress' efforts to address the problem through legislation have been piecemeal and unsuccessful. Historically, the common law of public nuisance served as an important tool to remedy transboundary pollution. More recently, courts have established that such public nuisance claims will be displaced where Congress has comprehensively regulated in a field. This Note explores whether public nuisance claims involving aquatic invasive species should be displaced …

Medical Malpractice And Compensation In Global Perspective: How Does The U.S. Do It?, David A. Hyman, Charles Silver

Chicago-Kent Law Review

This article describes the problem of health care error in the United States of America and the various regulatory, liability, and compensation systems that deal with medical mistakes. In terms of frequency, direct costs, and aggregate social costs, the problem of medical errors is staggering. Millions of patients are killed or injured every year. A large percentage of adverse events could be avoided by the use of reasonable care. Regulators have not dealt with these problems effectively. Regulators specifically appointed to police the medical profession are often lax, whether because of capture, or from a sense of "there but for …

Product Liability, Franklin P. Brannen Jr., Jacob E. Daly

Mercer Law Review

This Article surveys developments in Georgia product liability law between June 1, 2010 and May 31, 2011. It covers noteworthy cases decided during this period by the Georgia appellate courts, the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and the United States district courts located in Georgia.

Torts, Phillip Comer Griffeth, Cash V. Morris

Mercer Law Review

This Article surveys recent developments in Georgia tort law between June 1, 2010 and May 31, 2011.

Virginia Should Abolish The Archaic Tort Defense Of Contributory Negligence And Adopt A Comparative Negligence Defense In Its Place, Peter Nash Swisher

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Splitting The Baby: Standardizing Issue Class Certification, Jenna G. Farleigh

Vanderbilt Law Review

The Bible depicts King Solomon resolving a dispute between two women who claimed to be the mother of the same child. In the pursuit of justice, King Solomon threatened to do the unthinkable- slice the child in two. Although severing children is not a recommended vehicle for justice, severing lawsuits is. In fact, in the class-action context, the "issue class" established by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(c)(4) does just what King Solomon threatened-it severs litigation into pieces, allowing aggregate treatment of only certain issues in a given lawsuit. Residual issues are left to be determined in plaintiff-specific, follow-on suits. …

Tort, Not Contract: An Argument For Reevaluating The Economic Loss Rule And Classifying Building Damage As "Other Property" When It Is Caused By Defective Construction Materials, J. Brandon Sieg

William & Mary Law Review

No abstract provided.

"Academic Concerns"-Caring About Conversation In Canadian Common Law, Karen Crawley, Shauna Van Praagh

Dalhousie Law Journal

The Supreme Court of Canada, in its 2001 decision in Cooper v Hobart, refined the test in Canadian common law for establishing a duty of care in the tort of negligence. Although aware of the complexities and ongoing challenges of the "duty of care" concept, the Supreme Court openly labelled these concerns as "academic." This article confirms these concerns as "academic," but insists that this label underlines their centrality not only to an understanding of the tort of negligence but to the nature and form of common law reasoning. By pointing to errors in the Supreme Court of Canada's judgment-errors …

Owning Hazard, A Tragedy, Barbara Young Welke

UC Irvine Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Business Of Torture: The Domestic Liability Of Private Airlines In The U.S. Extraordinary Rendition Program, Kate Kovarovic

University of Miami Business Law Review

No abstract provided.

Caps Off To Juries: Noneconomic Damage Caps In Medical Malpractice Cases Ruled Unconstitutional, Jennifer W. Terry

Mercer Law Review

In 2005 the Georgia General Assembly (General Assembly) passed a controversial tort reform bill in an effort to reduce the cost of medical liability insurance for health care providers. In this bill, the legislature put a cap of $350,000 on noneconomic damages (pain and suffering) for medical malpractice cases. On March 22, 2010, the Georgia Supreme Court in Atlanta Oculoplastic Surgery, RC. v. Nestlehutt held these caps unconstitutional on grounds that they violate the state constitutional right to jury trial. By ruling on these grounds, the court was able to avoid weighing in on the competing interests of the medical …

Medical Malpractice And Compensation In France, Part Ii: Compensation Based On National Solidarity, Geneviève Helleringer

Chicago-Kent Law Review

In France, distinctively from the compensation process by insurers of liable professionals, compensation of the victim will in certain cases such as medical hazards, hospital-acquired infections, blood-transfusion infections, result from a compensation scheme similar to that available for victims of terrorism and crimes. It is based on national solidarity and dispensed by the National Fund for Compensation of Medical Accidents (ONIAM). The growing importance of such a compensation scheme may appear to be a double-edged evolution. On one hand, it has improved the status of victims of medical harms; they are increasingly integrally compensated more quickly and under more flexible …

Medical Malpractice And Compensation In South Africa, L. C. Coetzee, Pieter Carstens

Chicago-Kent Law Review

This article gives an overview of current medical malpractice law in South Africa. The following aspects are covered: The overall scheme for preventing and redressing medical errors and adverse events, including regulation, criminal and civil liability, and social and private insurance, and the relationships among these various systems; the details of the applicable liability and compensation systems, including criteria defining qualification for compensation, causation and "loss of chance," liability for failure to obtain informed consent, as well as matters of proof and gathering of evidence. The authors note the difficulty they had in obtaining empirical data on medical errors and …

Medical Malpractice In Austria, Bernhard A. Koch

Chicago-Kent Law Review

This article presents the Austrian law governing compensation for medical malpractice in an overview. After a glimpse at the healthcare and social insurance system, the regulatory framework is outlined, with an obvious particular focus on tort and contract law. Apart from the special case where informed consent is lacking, the various elements of a claim that patients may have mirror the general requirements of tort and contract liability in Austria, which is why the brief sketch may also serve to give at least some basic insight into that part of the legal system in general. Furthermore, peculiar approaches in handling …

Canadian Medical Malpractice Law In 2011: Missing The Mark On Patient Safety, Colleen M. Flood, Bryan Thomas

Chicago-Kent Law Review

This paper surveys the current state of medical malpractice law in Canada, along with current evidence on adverse events in Canadian hospitals, medical clinics, and long-term care facilities. Though there is currently no "burning platform" to reform Canadian medical malpractice law, the authors raise concerns about the law's failure to deter medical malpractice, as well as concerns about access to justice issues facing victims of medical malpractice. Federal and provincial governments have tried to promote patient safety through various prevention strategies—for example, through the creation of Health Quality Councils, the dissemination of information on best practices, and tighter regulation of …

Medical Malpractice And Compensation In France, Part I: The French Rules Of Medical Liability Since The Patients' Rights Law Of March 4, 2002, Florence G'Sell-Macrez

Chicago-Kent Law Review

While the French Law of medical malpractice had been mainly based on the Civil Code provisions related to contract law, the Patients Rights' Law of March 4, 2002 set forth general principles regarding the responsibility of health professionals and health institutions which are now in the Code of Public Health. The relatively new Law has modified the legal basis for medical liability, which is now regarded as a "legal regime" that is neither contractual nor tortious. The Patients' Rights Law of March 4, 2002 not only has reaffirmed the principle of fault-based liability in medical malpractice cases, but also allows …

Medical Malpractice And Compensation In Germany, Marc S. Stauch

Chicago-Kent Law Review

This paper offers an overview of the rules under German law for securing accountability and redress in cases of medical injury. It is divided into three main parts. Part I looks at the various legal consequences that may apply in such circumstances, including criminal and professional liability of the doctor, the bases for a private law claim by the patient, and the existence of pockets of non-fault based liability for injury from medical products. Part II then considers in greater detail the elements to be satisfied in respect to the two key forms of private law malpractice claim, namely faulty …

Treatment Injury In New Zealand, Stephen Todd

Chicago-Kent Law Review

The New Zealand accident compensation scheme makes provision for the payment of compensation to the victims of personal injury that is caused by medical treatment, but at the same time it bars actions for damages based upon such injury. This article gives a brief overview of the scheme as a whole and its relation- ship with the common law, and then focuses on the particular provisions governing medical injury. It includes discussion of the extent of the statutory cover, problems of causation, the operation of the medical scheme in practice, costs and funding, and issues of accountability. It ends with …

Medical Malpractice And Compensation In Poland, Kinga Bączyk-Rozwadowska

Chicago-Kent Law Review

Civil liability for medical malpractice in Poland can be either contractual or tortious. In practice, provisions of ex delicto liability are applied. Since June 2010, liability insurance is obligatory for all health care providers that render medical services in Poland. Tortious liability may be attributed to a doctor or a hospital when either's faulty acts or omissions result in the damage. A hospital may also have vicarious liability for injuries caused by its doctors and other medical staff. Fault usually consists of negligence, which is defined as failure to work with due care and diligence while treating a patient. Burden …

Fear-Based Standing: Cognizing An Injury-In-Fact, Brian Calabrese

Washington and Lee Law Review

No abstract provided.

Measurement Of Restitution: Coordinating Restitution With Compensatory Damages And Punitive Damages, Doug Rendleman

Washington and Lee Law Review

No abstract provided.

Eastwood'S Answer To Alejandre'S Open Question: The Economic Loss Rule Should Not Bar Fraud Claims, Katherine Heaton

Washington Law Review

The economic loss rule is a judicially created doctrine that bars plaintiffs from suing in tort for purely economic losses when the entitlement to recovery arises only from a contract. In Alejandre v. Bull, the Washington State Supreme Court acknowledged that there are exceptions to the rule but explicitly declined to say whether it would recognize an exception for fraud. Washington’s appellate courts answered Alejandre’s open question, holding that the economic loss rule barred all fraud claims except for the narrow tort of fraudulent concealment. The appellate courts interpreted Alejandre broadly to apply the economic loss rule whenever the …

Clearing The Air: Ordinary Negligence In Take-Home Asbestos Exposure Litigation, Rebecca Leah Levine

Washington Law Review

Since 2005, take-home asbestos exposure claims have constituted a new wave of asbestos litigation. In contrast to employees exposed to asbestos at a worksite, take-home exposure occurred among those affected by employees who inadvertently carried asbestos home on their clothing or their tools. While some jurisdictions have rejected these claims on the basis that the defendant did not owe a legal duty to the plaintiff, the Washington Court of Appeals recently recognized the potential validity of a household member’s claim for relief for the harm he or she suffered as a result of asbestos exposure. In doing so, the court …