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Articles 31 - 60 of 183
Full-Text Articles in Torts
Defamation, Reputation, And The Myth Of Community, Lyissa Barnett Lidsky
Defamation, Reputation, And The Myth Of Community, Lyissa Barnett Lidsky
Washington Law Review
The complex interaction between defamation, reputation, and community values defines the tort of defamation. A defamatory communication tends to harm a plaintiff's reputation in the eyes of the plaintiffs community. Thus, to determine whether a given statement is defamatory, courts must first identify the plaintiff's community and its norms—an inquiry that presents both theoretical and doctrinal difficulties in a heterogeneous and pluralistic society. Current approaches to identifying the plaintiff's community are particularly inadequate in two common types of cases: (1) cases in which the plaintiff belongs to a subcommunity espousing different values than those prevailing generally, and (2) cases in …
Attorney Malpractice Liability To Non-Clients In Washington: Is The New Modified Multi-Factor Balancing Test An Improvement?, Sheryl L.R. Miller
Attorney Malpractice Liability To Non-Clients In Washington: Is The New Modified Multi-Factor Balancing Test An Improvement?, Sheryl L.R. Miller
Washington Law Review
Most jurisdictions recognize a cause of action for legal malpractice against a non-client only where the attorney-client relationship is formed to benefit a third-party nonclient. This rule generally operates to preclude an attorney's potential liability to a client's adversary. Washington departed from the majority in 1992 in Bohn v. Cody, where the Washington Supreme Court found that an attorney did owe a duty to his client's adversary. Two years later, in Trask v. Butler, the supreme court modified Bohn's test for determining attorney malpractice liability to third parties to conform Washington's law with the majority of jurisdictions. …
Taking A Byte Out Of Crime: E-Mail Harassment And The Inefficacy Of Existing Law, Gene Barton
Taking A Byte Out Of Crime: E-Mail Harassment And The Inefficacy Of Existing Law, Gene Barton
Washington Law Review
Computer abuse is advancing as quickly as computer technology. The laws, however, have yet to address computer harassment to a significant degree. Existing law is insufficient, and current efforts fall short of what is needed. This Comment identifies the need for new law, examines the shortcomings of what has been tried to date, and proposes general concepts for a comprehensive computer harassment law. This Comment concludes with a proposal for specific legislation for the state of Washington.
His And Her Tort Reform: Gender Injustice In Disguise, Thomas Koenig, Michael Rustad
His And Her Tort Reform: Gender Injustice In Disguise, Thomas Koenig, Michael Rustad
Washington Law Review
This Article is an inquiry into the gendered nature of tort remedies. Modem tort law provides increased protection for injuries suffered by women. Drawing upon a national study of punitive damages in products liability and medical malpractice, Professors Koenig and Rustad argue that tort remedies are bifurcated into "his" and "her" tort worlds based upon gender roles. Nearly half of the punitive damages verdicts awarded to women stemmed from injuries caused by household consumer products and dangerously defective drugs or medical devices. In contrast, the punitive damages awarded to males arose from accidents involving industrial and farm machinery, asbestos, chemicals, …
Causation And Injury In Corporate Control Transactions: Cede & Co. V. Technicolor, Inc., Jacqueline M. Veneziani
Causation And Injury In Corporate Control Transactions: Cede & Co. V. Technicolor, Inc., Jacqueline M. Veneziani
Washington Law Review
In Cede & Co. v. Technicolor, Inc., the Delaware Supreme Court held that shareholders are not required to prove injury from corporate directors' failure to exercise due care in approving a merger transaction. Tort principles, the court stated, have no role in a business judgment rule analysis. Therefore, once shareholders prove a violation of the directors' duty of care, the burden is shifted to the directors to prove the entire fairness of the transaction despite the absence of a breach of the duty of loyalty. This Note argues that the entire fairness review of a disinterested board transaction is unworkable. …
Insulating Sexual Harassment Grievance Procedures From The Chilling Effect Of Defamation Litigation, Ruth A. Kennedy
Insulating Sexual Harassment Grievance Procedures From The Chilling Effect Of Defamation Litigation, Ruth A. Kennedy
Washington Law Review
The threat of defamation liability may undermine the push to encourage private employers to establish internal grievance procedures for handling sexual harassment complaints. Courts have recognized two defenses to defamation claims arising out of employers' sexual harassment investigations: the qualified privilege and the intracorporate immunity rule. Neither of these defenses adequately balances the need to insulate grievance procedures against the desire to protect the reputation of the employee accused of harassment. This Comment proposes the adoption of a new grievance procedure privilege which would ensure the integrity of grievance procedures while maximizing the protection afforded an accused employee.
Looking Out For Mary Carter: Collusive Settlement Agreements In Washington Tort Litigation, J. Michael Philips
Looking Out For Mary Carter: Collusive Settlement Agreements In Washington Tort Litigation, J. Michael Philips
Washington Law Review
Courts and commentators disagree as to the propriety of Mary Carter agreements, pseudo-settlement devices used in multiparty litigation that unite the interests of a plaintiff and a cooperating defendant, and maintain that defendant's presence at trial. Most courts tolerate these arrangements provided that they are disclosed, while a distinct minority render them void. Washington courts have not espoused a definite position, although recent decisions suggest a tolerant stance. This Comment argues that the use of Mary Carters is inconsistent with Washington tort law, and that Washington courts should therefore prohibit them entirely. This may be accomplished by treating all Mary …
A Minor Hazard: Social Hosts Liability In Washington After Hansen V. Friend, Laura Hoexter
A Minor Hazard: Social Hosts Liability In Washington After Hansen V. Friend, Laura Hoexter
Washington Law Review
In Hansen v. Friend, the Washington Supreme Court held that a host who furnishes alcohol to a minor in a social setting is liable for all resulting injuries to the minor. In reaching this result, the court limited the cause of action to minors, denying all third parties injured by intoxicated minors a claim against social hosts. Additionally, the court allowed intoxicated minors to bring an action for injuries resulting from any type of hazard they encountered while intoxicated. This Note examines the Hansen decision and proposes that, given the court's decision to impose civil liability upon hosts, the court …
Direct Actions For Emotional Harm: Is Compromise Possible?, Julie A. Davies
Direct Actions For Emotional Harm: Is Compromise Possible?, Julie A. Davies
Washington Law Review
While most courts and commentators acknowledge that emotional injury resulting from negligence may merit compensation, they share the conviction that some limits must be placed on such claims. They identify two basic policy rationales as the justifications for limiting claims for emotional harm: (1) the desire to ensure that a defendant's liability for negligence is not disproportionate to his or her fault, and (2) the desire to prevent litigation of trivial or fraudulent claims. This Article argues that the two rules most frequently applied by courts to effectuate limitations on recovery—the "zone-of-danger" rule and the "foreseeability-plus-serious-injury" rule—suffer from serious deficiencies. …
Constructing A New Action For Negligent Infliction Of Economic Loss: Building On Cardozo And Coase, Michael D. Lieder
Constructing A New Action For Negligent Infliction Of Economic Loss: Building On Cardozo And Coase, Michael D. Lieder
Washington Law Review
This Article proposes the creation of a new tort of negligent infliction of economic loss, a hybrid of negligence, negligent representation, and breach of contract. An action in this new tort would permit an injured party to recover for economic loss caused by a person with whom the party is not in contractual privity. This Article focuses on the infliction of economic loss by negligent construction, where courts have applied various doctrines and arrived at six distinct and inconsistent approaches to liability issues. This Article provides a solution applicable to litigation for negligent construction. Any action should protect an injured …
Washington's Special Relationship Exception To The Public Duty Doctrine, Jenifer Kay Marcus
Washington's Special Relationship Exception To The Public Duty Doctrine, Jenifer Kay Marcus
Washington Law Review
The public duty doctrine states that in order for a person to recover tort damages from a governmental entity, the individual must prove that the governmental entity breached a duty owed to him or her particularly, and not just a breach of a duty owed to the public. The "special relationship" exception to the doctrine provides a mechanism for proving a particularized duty. The Washington Supreme Court has now restricted this exception. By restricting the exception, the court may inappropriately bar certain injured plaintiffs from recovery. The restriction may also violate Washington statutes abrogating governmental immunity by giving government defendants …
"Respondent Inferior": The Rule Of Vanderpool V. Grange Insurance Association, 110 Wash. 2d 483, 756 P.2d 111 (1998)?, Karen P. Clark
"Respondent Inferior": The Rule Of Vanderpool V. Grange Insurance Association, 110 Wash. 2d 483, 756 P.2d 111 (1998)?, Karen P. Clark
Washington Law Review
At common law, the majority of states held that a tort claimant's release of either an employer whose sole liability was vicarious or the employee who had committed the tort operated to release the other. Washington follows this position for releases of an employee, but Vanderpool v. Grange Insurance Association announces a different rule for releases of an employer. This Note examines Vanderpool in view of relevant public policies, statutes, and prior case law and recommends adopting a rule that the release of a solvent employer operate to release its employee-tortfeasor.
State Constitutional Remedy Provisions And Article I, Section 10 Of The Washington State Constitution: The Possibility Of Greater Judicial Protection Of Established Tort Causes Of Action And Remedies, Janice Sue Wang
Washington Law Review
Several state courts interpret their states' constitutional remedy provisions as justifying heightened judicial scrutiny of legislative alterations in tort law. This confers greater protection of tort causes of action and remedies established at the time of the state constitution's adoption. This Comment considers whether article I, section 10 of the Washington constitution can support such an interpretation. Additionally, the author discusses the existing interpretations of other states' remedy provisions and suggests a heightened scrutiny model that best balances the interest in retaining already recognized tort remedies against the interest in fostering positive change.
When Should The Trier Of Fact Determine The Validity Of Personal Injury Releases?—Bennett V. Shinoda Floral, Inc., 108 Wash. 2d 386, 739 P.2d 648 (1987), Robert A. Radcliffe
When Should The Trier Of Fact Determine The Validity Of Personal Injury Releases?—Bennett V. Shinoda Floral, Inc., 108 Wash. 2d 386, 739 P.2d 648 (1987), Robert A. Radcliffe
Washington Law Review
In Bennett v. Shinoda Floral, Inc., the Washington Supreme Court departed from a national trend toward flexibility in permitting avoidance of personal injury releases. The plaintiffs in Bennett had signed releases of all claims, known and unknown. The plaintiffs were unaware of the extent or consequences of their injuries, but they had signed knowing that the injuries were not yet healed. The court held that the releases were binding because the plaintiffs had assumed the risk of any unforeseen consequences. The Bennett opinion followed two lines of analysis. First, the court held that the validity of a release is an …
When Should The Trier Of Fact Determine The Validity Of Personal Injury Releases?—Bennett V. Shinoda Floral, Inc., 108 Wash. 2d 386, 739 P.2d 648 (1987), Robert A. Radcliffe
When Should The Trier Of Fact Determine The Validity Of Personal Injury Releases?—Bennett V. Shinoda Floral, Inc., 108 Wash. 2d 386, 739 P.2d 648 (1987), Robert A. Radcliffe
Washington Law Review
In Bennett v. Shinoda Floral, Inc., the Washington Supreme Court departed from a national trend toward flexibility in permitting avoidance of personal injury releases. The plaintiffs in Bennett had signed releases of all claims, known and unknown. The plaintiffs were unaware of the extent or consequences of their injuries, but they had signed knowing that the injuries were not yet healed. The court held that the releases were binding because the plaintiffs had assumed the risk of any unforeseen consequences. The Bennett opinion followed two lines of analysis. First, the court held that the validity of a release is …
The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act Of 1986: A Solution To The Vaccine Liability Crisis?, Mary Beth Neraas
The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act Of 1986: A Solution To The Vaccine Liability Crisis?, Mary Beth Neraas
Washington Law Review
This Comment addresses the role of the tort system in the vaccine liability crisis and analyzes the probable success of the Act in resolving the crisis. This Comment recommends that the Act be amended to prohibit all actions against vaccine manufacturers based on failure to warn theories. Even though failure to warn is not a proper basis for finding civil liability, this Comment suggests that the Food and Drug Administration establish guidelines, enforceable under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, to require that each vaccinee receives an adequate warning of the risks associated with vaccination.
The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act Of 1986: A Solution To The Vaccine Liability Crisis?, Mary Beth Neraas
The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act Of 1986: A Solution To The Vaccine Liability Crisis?, Mary Beth Neraas
Washington Law Review
This Comment addresses the role of the tort system in the vaccine liability crisis and analyzes the probable success of the Act in resolving the crisis. This Comment recommends that the Act be amended to prohibit all actions against vaccine manufacturers based on failure to warn theories. Even though failure to warn is not a proper basis for finding civil liability, this Comment suggests that the Food and Drug Administration establish guidelines, enforceable under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, to require that each vaccinee receives an adequate warning of the risks associated with vaccination.
Constitutional Challenges To The Partial Rejection And Modification Of The Common Law Rule Of Joint And Several Liability Made By The 1986 Washington Tort Reform Act, Cornelius J. Peck
Constitutional Challenges To The Partial Rejection And Modification Of The Common Law Rule Of Joint And Several Liability Made By The 1986 Washington Tort Reform Act, Cornelius J. Peck
Washington Law Review
The procedural due process questions raised by Section 401 differ in substantial ways from questions in traditional procedural due process cases. In most of the decided cases a governmental body or a private individual was attempting to harm the interests of the person claiming due process protection. Due process requirements were established as protections for the defendant. Only a few of the cases involved a claim of due process in access to a judicial remedy. Persons contesting the constitutionality of Section 401 will argue that the limitations imposed and the procedures required by that Section fail to meet the requirements …
Washington's Partial Rejection And Modification Of The Common Law Rule Of Joint And Several Liability, Cornelius J. Peck
Washington's Partial Rejection And Modification Of The Common Law Rule Of Joint And Several Liability, Cornelius J. Peck
Washington Law Review
In this discussion of the 1986 rejection and modification of the joint and several liability rule, an abbreviated account of that rule's operation prior to the statute's enactment is followed by an analysis of how the adoption of comparative negligence provided the basis for a successful attack on joint and several liability. Comparable developments in other states will be reviewed. Attention will then be given to the provision in the Washington statute which requires allocating fault to an "entity" even though that "entity" has not been, or cannot be, joined as a defendant, reducing the recoveries of plaintiffs who are …
Enhanced Injury: A Direction For Washington, Stanton Phillip Beck
Enhanced Injury: A Direction For Washington, Stanton Phillip Beck
Washington Law Review
This Comment emphasizes automotive design. This is for two reasons. Most enhanced injury cases arise in this context, and, more significantly, no other product is associated with stronger public policy considerations nor affects society more broadly than the automobile. When faced with a case of first impression involving enhanced injury, courts can and should draw from many sources in developing an approach to the apportionment problem. First, the courts should look to the treatment enhanced injury cases have received in other jurisdictions. Second, they should seek guidance and analogize, if possible, from established tort doctrines. Finally, and most importantly, they …
Increased Risk Of Disease From Hazardous Waste: A Proposal For Judicial Relief, Brent Carson
Increased Risk Of Disease From Hazardous Waste: A Proposal For Judicial Relief, Brent Carson
Washington Law Review
This Comment addresses the need to provide adequate and present remedies for individuals exposed to toxic wastes. Part I describes the prevailing "reasonable medical certainty" rule and shows how it unjustly prevents recovery by plaintiffs exposed to hazardous waste. Part II examines one method of avoiding the injustice of the "reasonable medical certainty" rule. The adoption of an "extent of the injury" rule would allow courts to recognize genetic or cellular damage as injury, and provide some hazardous waste victims with a remedy for their increased risk of disease. In Part III a better solution is proposed—accepting increased risk as …
Recognizing The Liability Of Social Hosts Who Knowingly Allow Intoxicated Guests To Drive: Limits To Socially Acceptable Behavior, Robert W. Gomulkiewicz
Recognizing The Liability Of Social Hosts Who Knowingly Allow Intoxicated Guests To Drive: Limits To Socially Acceptable Behavior, Robert W. Gomulkiewicz
Washington Law Review
Gradually, courts have joined these efforts to alleviate the harm caused by the intoxicated driver. A few courts have recognized an action in tort against those who contribute to drunken driving by serving intoxicating liquor. These courts have acted, in part, to relieve victims of the costs of drunken driving and to distribute the costs among those responsible for its occurrence. Washington courts should recognize the liability of a negligent social purveyor of alcoholic beverages. Courts need not be constrained from recognizing a common law cause of action because of competing social interests or legislative inaction. Washington courts should rule …
Washington Adopts Market Share Liability For Des Producers—Martin V. Abbott Laboratories, 102 Wn. 2d 581, 689 P.2d 368 (1984), Mark Reeve
Washington Law Review
In Martin v. Abbott Laboratories, the Washington Supreme Court adopted a narrow exception in DES cases to tort law's traditional requirement of causation. The court fashioned a liability-apportionment scheme based upon each defendant's contribution to the plaintiff's risk of harm: its "market share." The decision correctly refused to require joinder of a "substantial share" of the producers in the relevant market, and limited recovery to the percentage of the market actually joined. The court also decided to impose corporate successor liability on one drug manufacturer, drawing a dissent on the issue from three justices.
Relevance Of Industry Custom In Strict Product Liability, Kathleen M. Doyle
Relevance Of Industry Custom In Strict Product Liability, Kathleen M. Doyle
Washington Law Review
In Lenhardt v. Ford Motor Co., the Supreme Court of Washington held that evidence of industry custom is inadmissible in a strict product liability case. The Washington court held that the custom of the industry is not always a relevant factor in determining the reasonable expectations of the ordinary consumer. The court reasoned that admitting evidence of industry or manufacturers' customs and practices would improperly shift the inquiry from the reasonableness of the buyer's expectations to the reasonableness of the seller's conduct. The court recognized that this shift in focus would introduce concepts of fault that are relevant in a …
Recovery For "Loss Of Chance" In A Wrongful Death Action—Herskovits V. Group Health, 99 Wn. 2d 609, 664 P.2d 474 (1983), Linda M. Roubik
Recovery For "Loss Of Chance" In A Wrongful Death Action—Herskovits V. Group Health, 99 Wn. 2d 609, 664 P.2d 474 (1983), Linda M. Roubik
Washington Law Review
In Herskovits v. Group Health, the Washington Supreme Court held that loss of a less-than-50% chance of survival is a compensable injury under the Washington wrongful death statute. The court did not agree, however, on the proper method for determining causation in a loss of chance case. Neither of the two methods of causation analysis proposed by the court is satisfactory. Recovery for loss of a less-than-50% chance of survival is not possible under traditional causation principles, and should be allowed only if a court is willing to adopt a possibility standard of proof and adjust damages to reflect the …
Autopsy Of A Plain English Insurance Contract: Can Plain English Survive Proximate Cause?—Graham V. Public Employees Mut. Ins. Co., 98 Wn. 2d 533, 656 P.2d 1077 (1983), Lynn B. Squires
Washington Law Review
This Note first analyzes the majority's introduction of a tort concept of proximate cause for deciding insurance cases-and for covertly making public policy. Second, the Note analyzes the dissent's failure to modify its traditional contract analysis to meet the needs of consumers who purchase standard form contracts. The Note recommends the use of an adhesion contract analysis and a common sense test of causation for deciding consumer insurance cases. The Note considers the insurance industry's dilemma as it attempts to respond to plain language legislation while still controlling its exposure to liability. The Note considers as well the public in …
A Unified Approach To State And Municipal Tort Liability In Washington, Mark Mclean Myers
A Unified Approach To State And Municipal Tort Liability In Washington, Mark Mclean Myers
Washington Law Review
This Comment examines and analyzes the two judicially created limitations on governmental tort liability in Washington. It concludes that the discretionary governmental acts immunity is a proper limitation on governmental tort liability, but that the public duty doctrine should be abandoned.
The Warranty Of Merchantability And Computer Software Contracts: A Square Peg Won't Fit In A Round Hole, Edward G. Durney
The Warranty Of Merchantability And Computer Software Contracts: A Square Peg Won't Fit In A Round Hole, Edward G. Durney
Washington Law Review
Courts have consistently held that Article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code (U.C.C.) governs transactions involving computer hardware. Treatment of computer software transactions has been less consistent. This Comment contends that computer software, an intangible, is not within the scope of Article 2. It further contends that the warranty of merchantability cannot meaningfully be applied by analogy in computer software contracts. Finally, this Comment concludes that existing tort and contract causes of action provide software users with sufficient protection.
A Fresh Look At Premises Liability As Affected By The Warranty Of Habitability, Michael J. Davis, Phillip E. Delatorrre
A Fresh Look At Premises Liability As Affected By The Warranty Of Habitability, Michael J. Davis, Phillip E. Delatorrre
Washington Law Review
This article will present the different positions that courts have taken during these recent years of experimentation in landlord premises liability, discuss how courts have become muddled in sorting out the various theories, and propose a system of liability that would be fair and soundly based on modem policy considerations. We shall first place the question in context by considering the traditional theories of liability. We will then discuss the statutory impact on landlord responsibility and consider the recent tort and warranty theories that set the stage for the period of experimentation. Our ultimate objective is to arrive at ,a …
Washington Recognizes Wrongful Birth And Wrongful Life—A Critical Analysis—Harbeson V. Parke-Davis, 98 Wn. 2d 460, 656 P.2d 483 (1983), Philip J. Vanderhoef
Washington Recognizes Wrongful Birth And Wrongful Life—A Critical Analysis—Harbeson V. Parke-Davis, 98 Wn. 2d 460, 656 P.2d 483 (1983), Philip J. Vanderhoef
Washington Law Review
The Washington Supreme Court recently recognized both wrongful birth and wrongful life causes of action in Harbeson v. Parke-Davis, Inc. The court joined a growing number of jurisdictions that grant a wrongful birth claim. In recognizing the wrongful life claim, however, the court broke with the great weight of authority. This Note briefly examines the facts of the Harbeson case. Then, in separate sections, the Note reviews the legal background for the wrongful birth and wrongful life causes of action and analyzes and criticizes the court's reasoning on each claim. The analysis and criticism of the wrongful birth claim is …