Law Commons^™

Sticks And Stones: An Analysis Of The Impact Doctrine In Florida, Carmen Cuza

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Within the last few decades, public opinion has greatly shaped the justice system to prevent "slippery slopes". This is most evident in the common law doctrine that restricts an alleged victim for recovering damages of emotional distress without notable physical manifestation in the eyes of a layperson—The Impact Doctrine. However, emotional distress is manifested in many psychological illnesses that do not require physical injury that are recognized as legitimate in psychology. This research explores the history of the rule and how it is inconsistent with not only areas of science; but also, other areas of the law.

The purpose of …

Newsroom: Logan On Drone Law, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Life of the Law School (1993- )

No abstract provided.

Administering Ohio's Newly Recognized Tort: The Negligent Infliction Of Serious Emotional Distress, Dan A. Morrell Jr.

Akron Law Review

Before examining the standards set forth by the Ohio Supreme Court in Paugh v. Hanks, a brief overview of the history and treatment of emotional distress in other jurisdictions is necessary because Ohio has borrowed from the experiences and illustrations of several states in delineating the standards for administration of this new tort.

Falwell V. Flynt: Lampooning Or Liability; The Realization Of A Three-Pronged Tort Approach For Establishing Media Liability For Fictional Defamation, Christopher C. Patterson

Akron Law Review

This article will discuss the appellate court's interpretation and application of the three tort theories of liability. It will also analyze the potential floodgate effect this case may have on future defamation actions against the media for publishing fictional publications, including political cartoons.

Eastern Airlines V. Floyd: Airline Passengers Denied Recovery For Emotional Distress Under The Warsaw Convention, Lisa M. Fromm

Akron Law Review

This Note reviews prior district court and appellate court decisions regarding the translation and scope of "bodily injury." Next, the Note discusses the Court's analysis in Floyd, including the arguments for and against allowing recovery for emotional distress under the Warsaw Convention. Finally, the Note examines the ramifications of the Floyd Court's interpretation and the uncertainties which remain in this area of the law.

Recovery For Mental Injuries That Are Accompanied By Physical Injuries Under Article 17 Of The Warsaw Convention: The Progeny Of Eastern Airlines, Inc. V. Floyd, Jean-Paul Boulee

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

On Business Torts And The First Amendment, Richard J. Peltz-Steele

Faculty Publications

A gaping question in free speech law surrounds the application of the First Amendment defense in business torts. The pervasiveness of communication technologies, the flourishing of privacy law, and the mere passage of time have precipitated an escalation in tort cases in which communication, and what the defendant may allege is free speech, lies at the heart of the matter.

An Analysis Of New York State’S Flawed Recovery Scheme In Prenatal Malpractice Actions: Why A Claim Of Nied Should Be Available To Plaintiffs, Amanda Campo

Pace Law Review

Prior to 2006 mothers could not bring a wrongful death action on behalf of their stillborn child, nor could they bring any personal cause of action, absent a physical injury independent from the unsuccessful birth itself. In 2006, the New York Court of Appeals attempted to fill this gap in the case of Broadnax v. Gonzalez. This Note will analyze whether Broadnax successfully filled this recovery gap. Parts II, III, and IV will discuss the history of a mother’s failed attempts to gain recovery for the death of her stillborn child. Part V will discuss Broadnax. I will argue that …

The Eggshell Skull Rule And Related Problems In Recovery For Mental Harm In The Law Of Torts, Dr. J. Stanley Mcquade

J. Stanley McQuade

The theme of this article is the place, actual and proposed, of the "thin skull" rule in relation to mental harm.

Free Speech At What Cost?: Snyder V. Phelps And Speech-Based Tort Liability, Jeffrey Shulman

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

It is always a hard case when fundamental interests collide, but the Fourth Circuit’s decision in Snyder v. Phelps, 580 F.3d 206 (4th Cir. 2009), cert. granted, 130 S. Ct. 1737 (2010), tilts doctrine too far in the direction of free speech, upsetting the Supreme Court’s careful weighing of interests that takes into account both the need for robust political debate and the need to protect private individuals from personal abuse. Where speech is directed at a private individual, especially one unwilling to hear but unable to escape the speaker’s message, the elements of the emotional distress claim more than …

When Is Religious Speech Outrageous?: Snyder V. Phelps And The Limits Of Religious Advocacy, Jeffrey Shulman

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

The Constitution affords great protection to religiously motivated speech. Religious liberty would mean little if it did not mean the right to profess and practice as well as to believe. But are there limits beyond which religious speech loses its constitutional shield? Would it violate the First Amendment to subject a religious entity to tort liability if its religious profession causes emotional distress? When is religious speech outrageous?

These are vexing questions, to say the least; but the United States Supreme Court will take them up next term—and it will do so in a factual context that has generated as …

The Eggshell Skull Rule And Related Problems In Recovery For Mental Harm In The Law Of Torts, Dr. J. Stanley Mcquade

Campbell Law Review

The theme of this article is the place, actual and proposed, of the "thin skull" rule in relation to mental harm.

Child Witnesses Of Domestic Violence: Third Party Recovery For Intentional Infliction Of Emotional Distress, Mary Kate Kearney

Mary Kate Kearney

No abstract provided.

The Constitutionality Of Taxing Compensatory Damages For Mental Distress When There Was No Accompanying Physical Injury, Douglas A. Kahn

Articles

Since 1919, statutory tax law has excluded from gross income compensatory damages received on account of a personal injury or sickness.1 The current version of that exclusion is set forth in section 104 (a) (2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.2 The construction of that exclusion, both by the courts and by the Commissioner, underwent significant alterations over the 80-year period that the provision has existed.3 The statute itself was amended several times, most recently in 1996.4 It is the 1996 amendment that has raised a constitutional issue concerning the validity of a portion of the statute.5

Tort Law (Symposium: The Supreme Court And State And Local Government Law: The 1996-97 Term), Leon D. Lazer

Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

Taxation Of Damages After Schleier - Where Are We And Where Do We Go From Here?, Douglas A. Kahn

Articles

This article will examine the reasoning of the Schleier decision and speculate as to how taxation of pre-1996 damages will likely apply in light of Schleier. First, the article will set forth a very brief history of the judicial and administrative constructions of the statutory exclusion, and explore tax policy justifications for providing an exclusion from gross income for certain damages. These latter two items (set forth in Parts II and III of this article) are areas that have been extensively addressed previously by several commentators, including the author of this article.' The reason for exploring tax policy issues is …

Scared To Death: A Cause Of Action For Aids Phobia, Harris J. Zakarin

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Compensatory And Punitive Damages For A Personal Injury: To Tax Or Not To Tax, Douglas A. Kahn

Articles

Since the adoption in 1919 of the Revenue Act of 1918, damages received on account of personal injuries or sickness have been excluded by statute from gross income.1 This exclusion, which does not apply to reimbursements for medical expenses for which the taxpayer was previously allowed a tax deduction,2 is presently set forth in section 104(a)(2). One might expect that a provision having recently attained the ripe age of 75 years without change in its basic language would have a settled meaning. However, recent litigation under section 104(a)(2) bristles with unsettled issues. Does the exclusion apply to punitive damages? To …

Discriminatory Speech And The Tort Of Intentional Infliction Of Emotional Distress, Jean C. Love

Washington and Lee Law Review

No abstract provided.

Damages For Emotional Distress In Fraud Litigation: Dignitary Torts In A Commercial Society, Andrew L. Merritt

Vanderbilt Law Review

One of the most dynamic developments in modern tort law has been the increased focus on damages for emotional distress. During the past few decades courts have fashioned several new tort theories to allow recovery of emotional distress damages as independent causes of action. At the same time, lobbyists and legislators have attacked these damages for contributing to "runaway" jury verdicts. As a result of these attacks, a growing number of states are enacting statutes that limit recovery of emotional distress damages in traditional tort are as such as medical malpractice. Thus, damages for emotional distress are at a crossroads …

Hiring Ruled Contractual, Bill Gore, Douglas A. Kahn, Stan Shields

Articles

On December 29, 1988, the California Supreme Court decided Foley vs. Interactive Data Corp., perhaps the most eagerly awaited state supreme court decision in years. The Foley ruling, which immediately was hailed as a tremendous victory for California employers, eliminated punitive damage awards for many wrongfully terminated employees. That was good news for the employers. The decision, however, also provided employers with sobering news. Most significantly, the court ruled that employment relationships essentially are contracts, with terms created by the reasonable expectation of the parties. Thus, the majority of California employees now have a right to sue for breach …

Tort Law - The Expansion Of The Viable Fetus Wrongful Death Action - Parents' Individual Claim For Negligent Infliction Of Emotional Distress Caused By Concern For A Third Party: The Viable Fetus - Johnson V. Ruark Obstetrics, Bruce Batchelor

Campbell Law Review

This Note will examine the rationale of the Johnson decision and illustrate how a parent's claim for negligent infliction of emotional distress is a natural extension of a viable fetus wrongful death action. Also, the Note addresses why the Johnson case provides a concrete example for the policy that the business of the courts is to make precedent where a wrong calls for redress, even if lawsuits must be multiplied.

Did Falwell Hustle Hustler? Allowing Public Figures To Recover Emotional Distress Damages For Nonlibelous Satire

Washington and Lee Law Review

No abstract provided.

When Circumstances Provide A Guarantee Of Genuineness: Permitting Recovery For Pre-Impact Emotional Distress, Kathleen M. Turezyn

Kathleen M. Turezyn

No abstract provided.

Admiralty--Torts--Recovery Permitted For Mental Suffering Of Surviving Spouse In Death Action Under General Maritime Law--In Re Sincere Navigation Corp., Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

A recent federal district court decision, In re Sincere Navigation Corp. allowed recovery for the emotional distress of the spouse and the children of a seaman killed in a collision on the Mississippi River ·within the territorial waters of Louisiana. The action for ·wrongful death was brought under general maritime law through a new federal remedy first announced in Moragne v. States Marine Lines, lnc. Moragne did not specifically enumerate the elements of damage for which recovery would be allowed; instead it left the question open for consideration in later decisions. Whether any recovery was permitted under general maritime law …

Torts - Mental Distress - Defendant Is Liable For Negligently Inflicted Emotional Distress Suffered By A Foreseeable Plaintiff Who Is Outside The Zone Of Danger. Dillon V. Legg (Cal. 1968), Richard Alan Berman

San Diego Law Review

This recent case discusses Dillon v. Legg (Cal. 1968).

Slumlordism As A Tort, Joseph L. Sax, Fred J. Hiestand

Michigan Law Review

The war against poverty has been fought with rather more vigor than its initiators contemplated. Thus far, however, the major engagements have taken place in the streets of Watts and Chicago, which is not quite what they had in mind. Some, who think it odd that as we pass more laws we get more lawlessness, will perhaps content themselves by observing that the feeding hand is always bitten. Those less easily satisfied have begun to see the need for adopting some legal solutions as far reaching as the problems they are designed to abate; the following article is addressed to …

Traumatic Neurosis As A Distinct Cause Of Action, David S. Lake

Cleveland State Law Review

The purpose of this article is: (1) To define traumatic neurosis on a medico-legal basis. (2) To determine when damages may be recovered for traumatic neurosis through a review of recent cases.

Psychosomatic Injury, Traumatic Psychoneurosis, And Law, Paul David Cantor

Cleveland State Law Review

This paper deals with court decisions on liability claims for injuries to the mind rather than for broken bones alone. This subject now is as important to practitioners and students of the law as it long has been to medical men. Much medical knowledge is now reflected in new interpretations by the courts, so that today the legal fact is established that a person's emotional security as well as his physical security must be protected and compensated. The author's purpose is to focus attention on the developments of recent years as well as those of earlier times, and to demonstrate …

Negligence - Liability For Emotional Disturbance, William K. Jackson

Michigan Law Review

Defendant negligently sold unlabeled poisoned bran, thereby causing the death of or permanent injury to the buyer's cows, and the loss of his dairy business. As a result of this calamity, the buyer died from a decompensated heart caused by emotional distress and nervous shock. The buyer had commenced action for damages and it is continued here by his wife as administratrix of his estate. Held, recovery may be had for the buyer's death. Rasmussen v. Benson, (Neb. 1938) 280 N. W. 890.