Torts Commons^™

Purpose, Belief, And Recklessness: Pruning The "Restatement" (Third)'S Definition Of Intent, Anthony J. Sebok

Vanderbilt Law Review

The concept of intent has always been at the root of some of tort law's most basic categories. The primitive action for trespass, for example, assumed that, at the very least, the trespasser intended to perform the act that resulted in the touching about which the plaintiff complains; a man thrown into another's close is not a trespasser. After the development of the modern categories of tort law, trespass helped form the foundation of the category of intentional torts. Sometimes, though, the very fact that a great deal of effort is required to do something is evidence of controversy or …

The Theory Of Enterprise Liability And Common Law Strict Liability, Gregory C. Keating

Vanderbilt Law Review

The fundamental claim that the Restatement (Third) of Torts: General Principles makes about strict liability is striking and bold. The Restatement (Third) claims that there are only special instances of strict liability. Negligence is a general legal principle, but strict liability is a set of particular doctrines. Curiously, however, the Restatement (Third) also takes the position that strict liability is a unified form of liability; it characterizes strict liability as liability for the characteristic risks of an activity.' So the Restatement (Third)'s claim that strict liability is a set of special cases seems to be a claim that strict liability …

The Unexpected Persistence Of Negligence, 1980-2000, G. Edward White

Vanderbilt Law Review

In Tort Law in America: An Intellectual History, I made the general argument that the development of tort law in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries had been more influenced by ideas than previous scholars had suggested.' In making that argument I employed the terms "ideas" and "influence" at multiple levels of generality. The argument would perhaps have been better under- stood if I had more clearly particularized the specificity and generality of my claims about ideas as causal agents.

At the most specific level, I employed the term "ideas" to refer to particular doctrinal and policy proposals for tort law …

Intent And Recklessness In Tort: The Practical Craft Of Restating Law, James A. Henderson Jr., Aaron Twerski

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Restatement (Third) Of Torts: General Principles And The Prescription Of Masculine Order, Anita Bernstein

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Corrective Justice And Constitutional Torts, Bernard P. Dauenhauer, Michael L. Wells

Scholarly Works

Tort liability in the private realm may be understood as "an instrument aimed...at deterrence...[and] a way of achieving corrective justice between the parties." Following the common law model, the Supreme Court has borrowed this normative framework for constitutional torts, ruling that the aims of liability for damages are to vindicate constitutional rights and to deter constitutional violations. A recent article by Daryl Levinson takes issue with this approach. Levinson argues that the superficial similarities between public torts and private torts conceal real differences, to which neither the Court nor scholars have paid adequate attention. The main point of his article, …

Foreword: Symposium Re-Examining First Principles: Deterrence And Corrective Justice In Constitutional Torts, Thomas A. Eaton

Scholarly Works

This Symposium provides a forum for a careful and thoughtful consideration of whether constitutional tort law can deter wrongdoing and is consistent with principles of corrective justice.

Introduction: The Third Restatement Of Torts: General Principles And The John W. Wade Conference, John C.P. Goldberg

Vanderbilt Law Review

The American Law Institute ("ALT") is in the midst of constructing the Restatement (Third) of Torts. Two parts of the project have already been completed and published as, respectively, the Restatement (Third): Products Liability and the Restatement (Third): Apportionment of Liability. The next component, a Restatement of the "General Principles" of tort, is underway. The goal for this facet of the overall project is to provide a coherent and usable account of fundamental tort concepts including intent, negligence, duty, actual and proximate cause, abnormally dangerous activity, and the like.

Lee V. State Farm Mutual Insurance Company: A Partial Exception To Georgia's Impact Rule To Allow Parental Recovery For Emotional Distress From Witnessing The Suffering And Death Of A Child, Joseph I. Marchant

Mercer Law Review

In Lee v. State Farm Mutual Insurance Co., the Georgia Supreme Court created a partial exception to Georgia's impact rule. The court held that when "a parent and child sustain a direct physical impact and physical injuries through the negligence of another, and the child dies as a result of such negligence, the parent may attempt to recover for serious emotional distress from witnessing the child's suffering and death" regardless of whether the emotional distress arises from the physical injury to the parent.

Don't Train Your Employees And Cancel Your "1-800" Harassment Hotline: An Empirical Examination And Correction Of The Flaws In The Affirmative Defense To Sexual Harassment Charges, David Sherwyn, Michael Heise, Zev J. Eigen

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

The Supreme Court's two-pronged affirmative defense limiting employer liability for sexual harassment, articulated in the Faragher and Ellerth decisions, generated substantial scholarly commentary. Many scholars were quick to predict how lower courts would apply the affirmative defense. However, many predictions about the affirmative defense were advanced prior to the emergence of a sufficient number of judicial opinions applying it.

In this article we report results of our empirical study of the first 72 post-Ellerth and Faragher opinions involving employers' summary judgment motions that include affirmative defenses in response to allegations of sexual harassment in the workplace. We find that employer-related …

The Next Century Of Legal Thought?, Steven L. Winter

Cardozo Law Review

No abstract provided.

A Tale Of Two Concurrences: Same-Sex Marriage And Products Liability, John G. Culhane

William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Conjunction And Aggregation, Saul Levmore

Michigan Law Review

This Article begins with the puzzle of why the law avoids the issue of conjunctive probability. Mathematically inclined observers might, for example, employ the "product rule," multiplying the probabilities associated with several events or requirements in order to assess a combined likelihood, but judges and lawyers seem otherwise inclined. Courts and statutes might be explicit about the manner in which multiple requirements should be combined, but they are not. Thus, it is often unclear whether a factfinder should assess if condition A was more likely than not to be present - and then go on to see whether condition B …

The Wide World Of Torts: Reviewing Franklin & Rabin's Tort Law And Alternatives, Bernard W. Bell

Seattle University Law Review

In several respects, Franklin and Rabin's casebook provides a wonderful and effective vehicle for teaching torts, particularly to first-year students. The book develops important overarching themes while effectively presenting a wide variety of specific tort doctrines. The book also offers professors opportunities to sharpen students' legal abilities. In Part I of this review, I will discuss the first case in Franklin and Rabin's book and explain its usefulness in introducing several themes that both are critical to understanding tort law and assume a prominent place throughout the casebook. In Part II, I will focus on Franklin and Rabin's treatment of …

Low-Life-Sleazy-Big-Haired-Trailer-Park Girl V. The President: The Paula Jones Case And The Law Of Sexual Harassment , Barbara Palmer, Judith Baer, Amy Jasperson, Jacqueline Delaat

American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law

No abstract provided.

Federal Preemption Of State Tort Claims, Marin Roger Scordato

Scholarly Articles

This article explores a continuing disagreement among Justices of the United States Supreme Court regarding the proper doctrinal framework for federal preemption jurisprudence. This important difference in views became apparent in the four federal preemption cases that the Supreme Court decided during its 1999-2000 term. The article describes this critical disagreement among the Justices, places it in the larger context of preemption doctrine, and then carefully analyzes a number of possible resolutions.

Federal preemption is an area of enormous practical and theoretical importance. It is a subject that has earned a regular place on the Supreme Court's docket for many …

Faith In Justice: Fiduciaries, Malpractice & Sexual Abuse By Clergy, Zanita E. Fenton

Michigan Journal of Gender & Law

This article argues that perpetrators of sexual misconduct should not be granted refuge from the potential consequences of their actions by mere affiliation with a religious institution. Part I of this article examines the theories of malpractice and breach of fiduciary duty, and determines the appropriate cause of action for sexual misconduct and ascertains their capacities to withstand First Amendment scrutiny. Determining the cause of action is essential to the evaluation of the potential constitutional challenges. Part II demonstrates that sexual misconduct by clergy is well outside First Amendment constraints. It examines both the Free Exercise and Establishment Clauses, and …

The Global Implications Of Defamation Suits And The Internet: The U.S. View, Harvey L. Zuckman

Scholarly Articles

No abstract provided.

Plaintiffs' Fault In Products Liability Cases: Why Are They Getting Away With It In Maryland?, Gardner M. Duvall

University of Baltimore Law Review

No abstract provided.

Comments: Taking Remedial Measures To Amend Maryland Rule Of Evidence 5-407 To Explicitly Apply To Products Liability Actions, Jaime A. Walker

University of Baltimore Law Review

No abstract provided.

Valentine V. On Target, Inc.: It Is Time To Hold Gun Dealers Accountable For The Negligent Storage Of Firearms, Michael T. Pedone

Maryland Law Review

No abstract provided.

Lessons From Abroad: Complexity And Convergence, Linda S. Mullenix

Villanova Law Review (1956 - )

No abstract provided.

The Bitter Pill Of Empiricism: Health Maintenance Organizations, Informed Consent And The Reasonable Psychotherapist Standard Of Care, Geoffrey R. Marczyk, Ellen Wertheimer

Villanova Law Review (1956 - )

No abstract provided.

More Than Just Bad Blood: Reasonably Assessing Fear Of Aids Claims, Alexander Santee

Villanova Law Review (1956 - )

No abstract provided.

The Liability Of The Press For Trespass And Invasion Of Privacy In Gathering The News-A Call For The Recognition Of A Newsgathering Tort Privilege, James A. Albert

NYLS Law Review

No abstract provided.

What's In A Name? Law's Identity Under The Tort Of Appropriation, Jonathan Kahn

Faculty Scholarship

This article is divided into three parts. In Part I, the article explores the notion that under the tort of appropriation, a person’s name is understood to implicate critical aspects of her identity. This notion is explored in relation to specific historical cases raising the issues of whether a woman who adopts her husband’s name has a property right in that name and whether a person who adopts a professional or stage name has separate rights in that name apart from his legal name. Second, Part II focuses on a person’s right to maintain the integrity of his physical image. …

Epsteinian Torts: Richard A. Epstein, Cases And Materials On Torts, Allison H. Eid

Seattle University Law Review

A fascinating aspect of Epstein's scholarly work is his exploration of the apparent tension between libertarian principles and utilitarian thought—an exploration that comes alive in his casebook. To Epstein, these two competing principles often coalesce to yield a single "correct" answer to a problem. In other words, the answer that arises from a desire to protect a pre-determined set of individual rights-for example, private property rights, or the right of personal autonomy often produces an outcome that is also beneficial to the overall common good. Some scholars have critiqued Epstein's work by suggesting that there is more disharmony than harmony …

When Torts Is More Than A Series Of Accidents: Epstein On Torts, Victor Flatt

Seattle University Law Review

By using the Epstein book, the students learn the basics of torts in a way that is not frustrating, but in which they are still challenged by legal theory and pushed to think. Coupled with the interest and entertainment that are behind the choice of cases, I find the Epstein book to be very appropriate for our students. Of course, no book will fit everyone's needs or styles of teaching. But if you can determine what it is you wish to emphasize, both substantively and doctrinally, you can use this information to assist in selection. If, like me, you want …

Ohio: A Microcosm Of Tort Reform Versus State Constitutional Mandates, Stephen J. Werber

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

Tort reform emanates, for our purposes, from two primary bodies: state judicial and legislative branches. The vast panoply of congressional and regulatory federal action that bears on the protections afforded and rights to recover for persons within their ambit is a subject for another day. Similarly, the rare areas in which the Supreme Court of the United States establishes federal common law are subjects for another day. On a national scale, the impetus for state legislative reform action can be found in a series of landmark decisions that were soon adopted, in largely similar form, by almost all state supreme …

Lindsey V. Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department: Cipollone Revisited, Billboards, State Law Tort Damages Actions, Federal Preemption And The Federal Cigarette Labeling And Advertising Act, Harold C. Reeder

Seattle University Law Review

The Article evaluates Lindsey and other recent cases dealing with local regulations restricting tobacco advertising; it also examines their respective preemption analyses, suggesting that the use of the FCLAA's preemption provision against such regulations is unwarranted. The article argues that in Lindsey, the Ninth Circuit misconstrued the Supreme Court's discussion of the preemptive scope of the FCLAA by failing to read it in the proper contex and that the FCLAA's preemption provision was not intended to prevent the particular types of regulations involved in Lindsey and these other cases. It argues that the preemption provision was only meant to …