Law Commons^™

Law Of Products Liability In West Virginia, Thomas C. Cady

West Virginia Law Review

We are now all well-accustomed to rapid change. Alvin Toffler writes in his book, aptly titled Future Shock, that the rate of change in society today is accelerating and has become a major challenge to the individual's capacity to adapt and cope. In striking similarity, the change in products liability law has been so rapid that it presents one of the most fascinating examples of the common law's flexibility and its leadership role in social change. The purpose of this article is to detect, hopefully, the current state of the law of products liability in West Virginia and to make …

The Injury Industry And The Remedy Of No-Fault Insurance, By Jeffrey O'Connell, Leonard E. Eilbacher

Indiana Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Recent Development, Law Review Staff

Vanderbilt Law Review

This Comment will explore the origin, evolution, and refinement of the common-law classifications, with particular focus upon recent decisions abrogating these distinctions in favor of a broader standard of ordinary care under the circumstances.

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The problem of defining a landowner's' responsibility toward persons who come upon his premises has been the subject of longstanding controversy. While some commentators have argued that the limited responsibility placed by the common law on landowners does not comport with modern principles of negligence liability proponents of the common-law standards have urged that the common-law scheme of entrant classes--trespasser, licensee, invitee--provides a workable approach …

Torts--Wrongful Death--Unborn Child--The Estate Of An Unborn Child Has A Cause Of Action For Wrongful Death--O'Neill V. Morse, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

The attitude of the law toward the unborn child has differed according to the area involved and its underlying concepts and policy. It has been settled en ventre sa mere be to his benefit. Legal recognition was accorded "for the purpose of providing for and protecting the child, in the hope and expectation that it will be born alive and be capable of enjoying those rights which are thus preserved for it in anticipation." In this context, the live-birth requirement is not surprising. The injustice of depriving a posthumous child of an inheritance is apparent only if the child is …

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 - Damage Suits Against Pharmacists And Physicians Based On Negligence In Birth Control Treatments. Troppi V. Scarf, 187 N.W.2d 511 (Mich. 1971), Robert L. Winikoff

William & Mary Law Review

No abstract provided.

Torts - The Illinois Wrongful Death Act Held Inapplicable To A Viable Fetus, William D. Brejcha

Loyola University Chicago Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Counsel Fees In Stockholders' Derivative And Class Actions-Hornstein Revisited, Douglas G. Cole

University of Richmond Law Review

In 1939, the first in a series of four comprehensive law review articles by Professor George D. Hornstein was published on the subject of the award of counsel fees in stockholders' derivative suits and corporate class actions. These articles highlighted equitable principles peculiar to such actions, previously not fully understood by either attorneys or the courts, which have made derivative and class actions extremely effective weapons in the battle for corporate democracy. Three very basic questions were posed and answered: 1) Who will pay for the attorneys fees and expenses incurred in such litigation? 2) What factors govern the award …

Compensation For Passengers Of Hijacked Aircraft, Abraham Abramovsky

Buffalo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Torts—Specific Intent To Indemnify Indemnitee For His Active Negligence Found Despite Equivocal Contract Language, James D. Donovan

Buffalo Law Review

Levine v. Shell Oil Co., 28 N.Y.2d 205, 269 N.E.2d 799, 321 N.Y.S.2d 81 (1971).

Mr. Wade And Wade Torts, James H. Wildman

Vanderbilt Law Review

We, his students, have never called him "Mr. Wade;" nor have we called him "Professor Wade." These words do not sound even faintly familiar. Yet Mr. Wade can rightfully claim major responsibility for the causal connection between Vanderbilt law student and Vanderbilt lawyer. Indeed, in this connection, the sine qua non rule applies to Mr. Wade. To the older of us, much of the detail of his visage and style have doubtless been lost--the jabbing hand, the lanky, angular figure, the Abe Lincoln face, the outstretched arms with fingers intertwined, the hands thrust deeply into pockets jingling change, and the …

No-Fault Automobile Insurance In Pennsylvania - A Constitutional Analysis, Joel M. Martel

Villanova Law Review (1956 - )

No abstract provided.

The Duty To Rescue, Don M. Reckseen

Indiana Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Applying Concepts Of Indemnification Between Active And Passive Tort-Feasors To Actions Brought Under The Illinois Dram Shop Act, M. Kathryn Sheehan

Loyola University Chicago Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Damages For Wrongful Birth, Joyce E. Barrett

Cleveland State Law Review

While recovery of damages for wrongful death was sanctioned in England as early as 1846 and is now available by statute in every state, the law has been loathe to afford a remedy for wrongful birth. Plaintiffs who have attempted to cope with the problem of people- pollution by various birth control methods, only to have their ecolog- ical efforts stymied by the negligence of a physician performing a sterilization operation or a pharmacist dispensing birth control pills, have been denied a remedy for what, in this writer's view, is the "wrongful birth" of the resulting child. This paper will …

Constitutional Mandate Of Lex In Foro Loci Delicti, Maurice R. Franks

Cleveland State Law Review

It is the writer's hypothesis that a state is constitutionally required to apply its own law to a travel tort which has occurred within its territorial jurisdiction and which is sued upon in its courts. In other words, the interest analysis test - application of the law of the state having the strongest interest in a particular issue - may not be used in foro loci delicti (in the forum of the place of the tort).

Legal Malpractice: Improper Representation Of Conflicting Interests, Marshall J. Nachbar

Cleveland State Law Review

When an attorney, for whatever reason-sloth, over zealous conduct, or personal greed-represents a client without being completely loyal to the client's interests there are several things that may occur. The attorney may be subject to disciplinary or disbarment proceedings. He may be disqualified from further representing his client. If the attorney's actions have resulted in damage to his client the attorney may find himself the defendant in a malpractice action. If the cause of the damage is alleged to be the result of an attorney representing dual interests or improperly representing adverse interests then the cause of action will be …

Lawyers' Professional Liability Insurance, Donald J. Ladanyi

Cleveland State Law Review

Due to the nature of his profession, the practicing lawyer is invariably confronted with significant financial risks. Because of the growing number of claims for professional negligence, coupled with the fact that the monetary risk of claims is largely unmeasurable, a constantly increasing proportion of lawyers is considering the feasibility of professional liability insurance protection. This type of insurance offers not only financial security, but also a means for the advantageous and efficient settlement of just claims without damaging notoriety.

Sovereign Immunity Abrogated In Ohio: Krause V. State, James B. Wilkens

Cleveland State Law Review

The decision thus promulgates three principal rulings: (1) that sovereign immunity does not provide a bar to bringing an action against the State of Ohio, (2) that the state is liable by virtue of the doctrine of respondeat superior for the authorized activities of its officers, employees and other agents, and (3) that freedom of individual agents from civil liability arising out of authorized activities for the state is retained. The effects of these rulings are far from obvious, in large part because of the confused prior state of the law upon which they are engrafted. Furthermore, the grounds given …

Contributory Negligence In Medical Malpractice, Diane Shelby

Cleveland State Law Review

The best and most complete defense to a charge of malpractice is the allegation and proof of the absence of negligence. It is also the most often used defense. Of the less popular defenses, contributory negligence on the part of the patient is probably the least attractive and the most difficult to maintain, even though it has been held to be a complete bar to recovery in several cases difficult to categorize.

Hospital Liability: Implications Of Recent Physician's Assistant Statutes, Daniel W. Coyne

Cleveland State Law Review

New methods must be devised to increase the efficient use of the available supply of physicians. "Among the innovations being tried with physicians is the development of new disciplines involving assistants to physicians." Increasing utilization of returning medics from the armed forces is being undertaken to help relieve the civilian manpower shortage. The legal implications of these developments range from problems of licensure to considerations of vicarious liability for an assistant's negligence (malpractice) or for the negligence of the assistant's supervising physician. It is with a species of this latter problem that this paper will be concerned. But one ought …

Aged Or Disabled Physicians, Peter P. Zawaly Jr.

Cleveland State Law Review

This article will not concern itself, per se, with the recently much written about subject of medical professional liability. "The concept of professional liability should never be equated with the concept of incompetence", for the former is a malperformance at a given time, whereas the latter is the lack of ability to perform at all. Those illnesses, whereby a physician is rendered incompetent, that will be treated in the following text with particular attention, are senility, drug addiction, and alcoholism. Once establishing the scope of the problem, a brief examination of the disciplinary measures available within the profession and their …

Malicious Prosecution Suits As Counterbalance To Medical Malpractice Suits, Allen P. Adler

Cleveland State Law Review

A few years ago medical malpractice suits were something of a rarity in the United States. They now appear to be a major national problem. The magnitude of this ever increasing problem can be illustrated by the fact that a Senate subcommittee, chaired by Sen. Abraham Ribicoff, has investigated the increase in malpractice litigation and that President Nixon has ordered the establishment of a Commission on Medical Malpractice, under the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, to research the problem and report a possible solution by March 1, 1972.

Uninsured Motorist Coverage, Company Insolvency, And The Ohio Insurance Guaranty Association Act, Mario C. Ciano

Cleveland State Law Review

It is not often that a legislative event and a happenstance of life converge almost simultaneously upon a specific and narrow issue of law. This is precisely what occurred in Ohio in the latter part of 1970. In that year, the legislature amended the Ohio Uninsured Motorist Statute to declare, in effect, that a vehicle would be considered "uninsured" when the company insuring that vehicle for some reason became financially insolvent. The amendment became effective October 1, 1970. That same year the legislature enacted legislation to provide a fund from which claims could be paid in the eventuality that an …

Visitors' Refusal To Leave Premises, Joseph Gibson

Cleveland State Law Review

Many factors have been blamed for this new, brazen attitude of remaining on another's property. Some fault the Supreme Court's rulings in Brown v. Louisiana, where court conviction of sit-in demonstrators at a public library, was reversed by holding that the conviction was a violation of the fourteenth amendment rights, and Cox v. Louisiana' where the Court decided that a state statute which regulated picketing was improper because of the discretion which it gave to local officials. Others lay the blame on a more permissive society which is breeding contempt for the power structure. The most logical explanation is a …

Damages For Loss Of Trees, Evelyn Stebbins, Charles G. Sabo

Cleveland State Law Review

The purpose of damages is to compensate an individual for an injury or wrong, where the loss or diminution is proximately caused by the negligent or wrongful act or omission of another. The purpose of a measure of damages is to ascertain what compensation to award the injured person. The courts have held that the general measure for damage to real property is the difference between the market value of the property before the injury and its value after the injury. Although there is no fixed, arbitrable, or absolute rule regarding damages for the loss of trees to realty, the …

Lawyers' Malpractice In Litigation, Nathaniel Rothstein

Cleveland State Law Review

Until recently, when we spoke of malpractice we invariably meant medical malpractice. Less than 20 years ago only a handful of lawyers carried professional liability (malpractice) insurance. This is no longer true. Attorneys who practice in large metropolitan areas are now keenly aware of the importance and necessity of having this insurance coverage; and in no segment of the legal profession is this more urgent than amongst trial lawyers-for much like surgeons in the medical field, trial lawyers are the most vulnerable in attorney-malpractice lawsuits.

Commencement Of Statute Of Limitations For Malpractice Of An Attorney, James Gordon Joseph

Cleveland State Law Review

In almost all jurisdictions the statute of limitations for the malpractice of an attorney is between one and three years. Although some argue that this is too short a period, the main problem is not in the statute but in its application. Difficulty arises when a court must decide at what point the statute of limitations begins to run. To appreciate a court's problem, the nature and reasons behind statutes of limitations must be understood

Civil Procedure—In Wrongful Death Action Administratrix Not Collaterally Estopped By Prior Decision Against Absentee Owner, James W. Gresens

Buffalo Law Review

Molino v. County of Putnam, 29 N.Y.2d 44, 272 N.E.2d 323, 323 N.Y.S.2d 817 (1971).

Workmen's Compensation: Toward A Stricter Liability For Enterprise, John A. Payne Jr.

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This article considers the situation in which an employee injured by a defective product in the course of his employment can proceed both against his employer insured by a workmen's compensation program and against a manufacturer of the employer's equipment who is strictly liable under a claim of products liability. The focus is not on the manufacturer as employer but on the manufacturer as supplier of defective equipment which causes injury. This is the best situation for analyzing the problems arising from the present system for distributing losses because, where the negligence of the employer has been an independent cause …