Torts Commons^™

Intuition And Technology In Product Design Litigation: An Essay On Proximate Causation, James A. Henderson Jr., Aaron Twerski

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Intervention In Public Law Litigation: The Environmental Paradigm, Peter A. Appel

Scholarly Works

Litigation which Chayes labeled “public law litigation” grew especially quickly in the decade immediately before Chayes wrote his article. This growth was due, in no small part, to the 1966 amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. These amendments introduced a more transactional approach to litigation and made the rules concerning party structure more flexible. In particular, the amendments modified Rule 19, which governs joinder of nonparties by the parties to the suit; Rule 23, which governs class action lawsuits; and Rule 24, which governs intervention by nonparties into ongoing litigation. Using the jurisprudence that has developed concerning intervention …

Another Brick In The Wall: An Empirical Look At Georgia Tort Litigation In The 1990s, Thomas A. Eaton, Susette M. Talarico, Richard E. Dunn

Scholarly Works

It has been four years since we prepared our first profile of tort litigation in Georgia.

It is against this backdrop that we undertook to update and expand upon our original research. We have updated our study by collecting data from tort cases filed in the superior courts of Bibb, Gwinnett, Irwin, and Oconee counties between 1994 and 1997. Thus, for these four counties we now have data regarding the filing and disposition of tort cases for an eight-year period. We also have collected data from tort cases filed in Cobb and Fulton County superior courts between 1994 and 1997. …

"Are We There Yet?": Towards A New Rule For Choice Of Law In Tort, Janet Walker

Osgoode Hall Law Journal

The Supreme Court's effort to establish certainty in this area by basing a firm rule on a clear theory has failed. The intention was laudable but the proposed theory bore little relation to the courts' adjudicative concerns; and the rule sometimes produced injustice, prompting courts to circumvent it. This article considers the brief history of choice of law in tort and recent developments in common law and civil law jurisdictions, and suggests a new theory and a new rule (based on principles of tort law rather than public international law) which are likely to increase certainty by promoting fairness.

A Psychological Approach To Understanding The Legal Basis Of The No Duty To Rescue Rule, David N. Kelley

Brigham Young University Journal of Public Law

No abstract provided.

Seay V. Cleveland: Resolution Of The Ministerial Discretionary Dichotomy, Franklin D. Guerrero Jr.

Mercer Law Review

In 1992 the Georgia State Legislature passed the Georgia State Tort Claims Act ("GTCA") which waived the state's sovereign immunity. The GTCA defines "state" as the "State of Georgia and any of its offices, agencies, authorities, departments, commissions, boards, divisions, instrumentalities, and institutions" but the statute specifically excludes "counties, municipalities, school districts, other units of local government, hospital authorities, or housing and other local authorities." Under the GTCA a discretionary function or duty is specifically defined by statue. However, the common law distinction between ministerial and discretionary functions still applies to all entities exempted from the GTCA.

Three Arguments Against Mt. Healthy: Tort Theory, Constitutional Torts, And Freedom Of Speech, Michael Wells

Mercer Law Review

Mt. Healthy City School District Board of Education v. Doyle is among the most important, and least discussed, cases in constitutional tort law. It stands for the abstract principle that the "but-for" rule of causation, which is the usual test in common-law torts, applies in constitutional tort suits as well. To understand the principle and its implications, it is helpful to have in mind a concrete example of its application, and Mt. Healthy provides as good an illustration as any other case. Doyle, a nontenured school teacher, quarreled with another teacher, with school employees, and with students. Two specific incidents …

Mt. Healthy And Causation-In-Fact: The Court Still Doesn't Get It!, Sheldon Nahmod

Mercer Law Review

Over fifteen years ago, I argued in a prior edition of my section 1983 treatise that the second burden-shift part of the Mt. Healthy test, articulated by the Supreme Court in 1977, should go only to damages and not to liability. I also argued that this causation-in-fact rule should not be limited to Mt. Healthy-type First Amendment employment cases, but should apply to constitutional damages actions generally and equal protection cases in particular. I remain convinced that both aspects of this position are normatively sound, even if no longer good law, in light of the Court's end-of-the-millennium decision in …

Mt. Healthy, Causation And Affirmative Defenses, Joseph Z. Fleming

Mercer Law Review

In Mt. Healthy City School District Board of Education v. Doyle, the Supreme Court established a rule of causation to distinguish between a result caused by a constitutional violation and one not so caused by establishing "the proper test ... which likewise protects against invasion of constitutional rights without commanding undesirable consequences not necessary to the assurance of those rights." Reconciling such inconsistencies is similar to the type of situation that has confounded physicists trying to achieve a unified field theory-a theory capable of describing nature's forces within a single, all-encompassing, coherent framework. Physicists since Einstein have sought such …

An Essay On Texas V. Lesage, Christina B. Whitman

Mercer Law Review

When I was invited to participate in this symposium, I was asked to discuss whether the causation defense developed in Mt. Healthy City School District Board of Education v. Doyle applied to cases challenging state action under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. As I argue below, it seems clear that Mt. Healthy does apply to equal protection cases. The Supreme Court explicitly so held last November in Texas v. Lesage. But the implications of Lesage go beyond questions of causation. The opinion suggests that the Court may be rethinking (or ignoring) its promise in Carey v. …

To Have And Not Hold: Applying The Discovery Rule To Loss Of Consortium Claims Stemming From Premarital, Latent Injuries, Paul D. Fancher

Vanderbilt Law Review

Joel Friedman had a slow growing tumor on his thoracic spine. Unfortunately, his doctors negligently failed to diagnose or treat it. Joel then married his wife, Jihane, with whom he initially had a fulfilling physical relationship.! As his illness progressed, however, Joel began experiencing erectile dysfunction.' Ultimately, he became completely impotent. When later testing disclosed Joel's undiagnosed tumor, the Friedmans became aware of their cause of action for medical malpractice.

Fortunately, our legal system provides some redress to Joel. The discovery rule protects his claim from the statute of limitations.8 Joel, however, is not the only victim in this case. …

Florida's Tort Reform Act: Keeping The Faith With The Promise Of Hoffman V. Jones, George N. Meros, Jr., Chanta Hundley

Florida State University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Tort Reform 1999: A Building Without A Foundation, Robert S. Peck, Richard Marshall, Kenneth D. Kranz

Florida State University Law Review

No abstract provided.

At The Crossroads Of Environmental And Human Rights Standards: Aguinda V. Texaco, Inc. Using The Alien Tort Claims Act To Hold Multinational Corporate Violators Of International Laws Accountable In U.S. Courts, Lisa Lambert

Florida State University Journal of Transnational Law & Policy

No abstract provided.

Taming Terrorists But Not "Natural Born Killers", S. Elizabeth Malloy

Faculty Articles and Other Publications

This Article will explore the possibility of shifting or sharing the liability
stemming from criminal activities to those who provide detailed directions on
how to commit those acts, when the publication in question has no other
redeeming value. This Article concludes that in some limited circumstances, the First Amendment should not preclude the imposition of civil liability for those who write and distribute speech that both advocates and facilitates harm to others.

Part I of this Article reviews the First Amendment and discusses the Brandenburg test and its potential application to situations involving speech
advocating socially harmful activity. Part II …

Fashionable Genetic Explanations In The Courtroom: Litigating Personal Injuries Based On Genetic Risk, Jennifer Wriggins

Faculty Publications

New developments in molecular genetics hold much promise for society. Gene therapy research is underway with the aim of helping to fight, and perhaps even eliminate some diseases. DNA data can be used as evidence to help free innocent people and put guilty ones in jail. Agricultural biotechnology can make crops and pesticides more productive. And cloning may offer exciting potential. There is little doubt that further· developments in the areas of genetics and biotechnology will change our lives in unanticipated ways.

Despite the potential benefits to society, there exist valid and serious I concerns about the potential for misuse …

(Re)Defining Public Officials And Public Figures: A Washington State Primer, Kate M. Adams

Seattle University Law Review

This Comment reflects an attempt to distill the Supreme Court's thematic intent from over thirty years of defamation case law. The Comment then evaluates current definitions of public officials and public figures to determine whether they are consistent with the theme. Washington courts have already addressed these definitions, but this Comment posits that Washington law on public officials and public figures is inconsistent with the Supreme Court's intent and suggests alternative defining tests for public officials and public figures.

Cigar Warnings: Proceed With Caution, 33 J. Marshall L. Rev. 521 (2000), Patricia A. Davidson

UIC Law Review

No abstract provided.

You Can Teach An Old Dog New Tricks: The Application Of Common Law In Present-Day Environmental Disputes, Joseph F. Falcone Iii, Daniel Utain

Villanova Environmental Law Journal (1991 - )

No abstract provided.

Bystanders' Negligent Infliction Of Emotional Distress Claims In Washington State: Must You Be Present To Win?, Patrick F.X. Santel

Seattle University Law Review

This Comment examines the route taken by the Supreme Court of Washington to afford plaintiffs their day in court while potentially forcing certain tortfeasors to pay for plaintiffs' emotional distress claims. This Comment will also examine the framework that claimants and Washington courts need for evaluating a bystander's claims of negligent infliction of emotional distress. The framework should be free of artificial, vague, and inconsistent rules, and should allow plaintiffs to recover for negligently inflicted severe emotional distress while protecting tortfeasors from spurious claims, including claims concerning minor psychic and emotional shocks, and from liability disproportionate to culpability. Moreover, the …

First Amendment On Trial-The Libel Lawyer's Perspective, David M. Skover

Seattle University Law Review

In several significant ways, this event is a first. It is the first symposium to be held in Seattle University School of Law since the recent dedication of our magnificent new building. It is the first symposium of its kind ever to be held in the great Northwest. Furthermore, law school and law review symposia typically focus more on free speech theory than they do on the First Amendment in practice. As the Seattle University Law Review will be transcribing and publishing an account of this event, I thought it would be interesting to do a quick electronic search for …

Direct-To-Consumer Advertising Of Prescription Drugs: After A Decade Of Speculation, Courts Consider Another Exception To The Learned Intermediary Rule, Mae Joanne Rosok

Seattle University Law Review

This Comment will explore whether Washington courts should recognize direct-to-consumer advertising as an exception to the learned intermediary rule. With the ultimate goal of advocating the best protection for the consumer, the discussion will suggest that Washington courts should not create an exception. A review of other exceptions to the learned intermediary rule does not support abandoning the doctrine when a drug company advertises its product directly to consumers. Nevertheless, advertising does affect consumer purchases and does influence consumer choices, and drug companies should accept the responsibility to present balanced information. This responsibility should encompass more than meeting the minimum …

The Impact Of "Exceptional" Statutes On Civil Litigation In Minnesota, Michael K. Steenson

Faculty Scholarship

This article examines the treatment of “exceptional” statutes--statutes intended to protect a specific class of persons against their own inability to protect themselves--by the Minnesota appellate courts. After an analysis of the origins of the negligence per se doctrine in Minnesota, the article briefly examines the relationship between negligence per se and common law negligence. Then, following a brief historical background discussion of earlier cases involving exceptional statutes, the article focuses on individual cases in which the exceptional statutes are implicated. The goal of the article is to determine whether the law the supreme court developed has been consistently adhered …

Discrimination After Death, Mark E. Wojcik

Oklahoma Law Review

No abstract provided.

Foreword: "Products Liability In The 21st Century Substantive U.S. And Foreign Product Liability Law", Michael K. Steenson

Faculty Scholarship

The idea for this William Mitchell Law Review Symposium on products liability law belongs to Ken Ross, who currently is Of Counsel to Bowman & Brooke. He specializes in products liability law and, as a preventive law specialist representing both domestic and foreign clients, he sees products liability law from a broad prospective that necessitates an understanding of products liability law from both a domestic and international perspective that takes into consideration legislative, regulatory, and common law shifts and trends in the law. This symposium is shaped around those broad interests.

The Futures Problem, Geoffrey C. Hazard Jr.

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Tort Suits For Injuries Sustained During Illegal Abortions: The Effects Of Judicial Bias, Gail D. Hollister

Villanova Law Review (1956 - )

No abstract provided.

Defamation Per Se: Defamation By Mistake?, Michael K. Steenson

Faculty Scholarship

Defamation is a complicated tort, due in part to the differing rules that govern libel and slander, the two branches of the tort. The focus of this essay is on “defamation per se,” its origins in Minnesota, and the consequences of its misapplication. The essay opens with a short statement of standard defamation principles, followed by a short statement of the prevailing United States Supreme Court decisions, imposing First Amendment limitations on common law defamation claims, and the Minnesota cases that follow them. The next part analyzes a string of Minnesota cases that establish the foundation for Minnesota defamation law, …

The Quiet Demise Of Deference To Custom: Malpractice Law At The Millenium, Philip G. Peters Jr.

Faculty Publications

According to conventional wisdom, tort law allows physicians to set their own standard of care. While defendants in ordinary tort actions are expected to exercise reasonable care under the circumstances, physicians traditionally have needed only to conform to the customs of their peers. However, judicial deference to physician customs is eroding. Gradually, quietly and relentlessly, state courts are withdrawing this legal privilege. Already, a dozen states have expressly rejected deference to medical customs and another nine, although not directly addressing the role of custom, have rephrased their standard of care in terms of the reasonable physician, rather than compliance with …

Biotechnology And The Legal Constitution Of The Self: Managing Identity In Science, The Market, And Society, Jonathan Kahn

Faculty Scholarship

This article considers how certain ideas underlying the tort of appropriation may enable use more effectively to deal with the problems presented by a case such Moore v. Regents of the University of California which dealt with property rights of Moore’s spleen cells. First, the author explores how the tort of appropriation of identity opens up new approaches to inform and perhaps supplement principles of property law as a guide to managing genetic information or other materials that seem intimately bound up with a particular human subject. Secondly, the author analyzes how the various opinions produced by the Supreme Court …