Torts Commons^™

An Overview Of The Grossly Inconsistent Definitions Of “Gross Negligence” In American Jurisprudence, 48 J. Marshall L. Rev. 471 (2015), Olga Voinarevich

UIC Law Review

On one side of the spectrum, certain courts, such as New York, define gross negligence as conduct that borders intentional wrongdoing. On the other side of the spectrum, courts continue to recognize the degrees of negligence and differentiate between various degrees of care. Between these two approaches, there is inconsistency. For instance, some Illinois decisions equate gross negligence to recklessness, while others define it as nothing more than “very great negligence.” This Article concludes that the latter may be the proper standard relied upon by a majority of the recent decisions interpreting Illinois law, but advocates for a uniform definition …

Cocktails On Campus: Are Libations A Liability?, Susan S. Bendlin

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Fda Approval Of Drugs And Devices: Preemption Of State Laws For “Parallel” Tort Claims, Marcia Boumil

Journal of Health Care Law and Policy

The U.S. Supreme Court’s important ruling in Mutual Pharmaceutical Co., Inc. v. Bartlett concerns whether the Food and Drug Administration’s (“FDA”) approval of a generic drug insulates the drug manufacturer from liability under state tort laws from claims of injury due to an alleged “design defect.” The Court previously ruled that FDA approval does not preempt state law claims based upon failure-to-warn, at least with respect to brand name products. In contrast, the Court previously ruled that the federal regulatory process leading to FDA approval of generic equivalents of brand drugs—and designation of the drug label—does preempt state law as …

If The Question Is Chocolate-Related, The Answer Is Always Yes: Why Doe V. Nestle Reopens The Door For Corporate Liability Of U.S. Corporations Under The Alien Tort Statute, Amanda A. Humphreville

American University Law Review

No abstract provided.

We Should Use 'Cause Of Action' More Carefully: A Review Of John F. Preis, How The Federal Cause Of Action Relates To Rights, Remedies, And Jurisdiction, Lumen N. Mulligan

Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

I'Ve Got A Beef With You: The Increased Liability Of Animal Producers In Kentucky After The Repudiation Of The Impact Rule, Zachary F. Mattioni

Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law

No abstract provided.

Surviving Preemption In A World Of Comprehensive Regulations, Kyle Anne Piasecki

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform Caveat

The Clean Air Act imposes a federal regulatory regime on a number of sources of air pollution. It does not, however, provide a ready means of relief to individuals harmed by air polluters. Nevertheless, many courts have held that the Clean Air Act preempts state common law tort claims that do provide a means to such relief. The disparate benefits of the Clean Air Act and common law tort claims may indicate different purposes and make court imposed preemption of common law tort claims improper. This Comment argues that the Savings Clause in the Clean Air Act and in parallel …

A No-Fault Remedy For Legal Malpractice?, Melissa Mortazavi

Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Tort As Democracy: Lessons From The Food Wars, Melissa Mortazavi

Faculty Articles

This Article develops alternative emerging theories regarding the function of tort in American civil society. Often, scholars and policymakers evaluate the tort system in terms of compensation, loss allocation, and risk management. This focus overlooks an important modern function of tort; in the context of the modern administrative state, tort is a vital player in the democratic deliberative process. Tort suits bring forth new ideas, force fact-finding, and increase communication amongst public and private institutional actors to develop sound and legitimate law and policy. Perhaps nowhere is this more obvious today than with the current boom of food litigation. Lawsuits …

Exemption From The Common Fate: Refuge For Individual Debtors Trapped By Structured Settlements, Factoring Companies, And The Bankruptcy Code In Georgia, Michael C. Sullivan

Georgia Law Review

While the number of tort filings has been increasing in recent decades, the number of trials resulting from these claims has been steadily declining. Instead of sacrificing time and resources in court, parties choose settlement, frequently in the form of a structured settlement where payments are dispersed over a period of time. These structured settlements provide much-needed security for tort victims, particularly those who unable to work and are especially vulnerable to losing their settlements. But what happens when these victims find that they have expenses that they cannot cover with their deferred payments? Many tort victims wind up facing …

Laissez Fair:The Case For Alternative Litigation Funding And Assignment Of Lawsuit Proceeds In Georgia, David T. Adams

Georgia Law Review

This Note discusses the value of alternative litigation funding (ALF) and the legal challenges affecting the ALF industry in Georgia. More specifically, it identifies a way to maximize ALF's benefits for plaintiffs with personal tort and employment discrimination claims. Tort victims who are rendered incapable of working, and employees who have lost jobs because of workplace discrimination or retaliation,face immediate financial burdens-they may be unable to afford food, housing, health care, transportation, and other necessities. This economic pressure often forces plaintiffs to settle quickly for less than the value of the harm inflicted. But ALF companies offer a workable solution …

Hitting A Home Run In Your Writing, David Spratt

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

No abstract provided.

Torts Law: Blurred Elements: The New Nebulous Nature Of Foreseeability, The Confounding Quality Of Misfeasance, And The Minnesota Supreme Court's Decision—Doe 169 V. Brandon, Cara Mcdonald

William Mitchell Law Review

No abstract provided.

Can Dead Soldiers Revive A "Dead" Doctrine? An Argument For The Revitalization Of "Fighting Words" To Protect Grieving Families Post-Snyder V. Phelps, Kevin P. Donoughe

Cleveland State Law Review

This Note avers that speech of the Westboro Baptist Church, in the context of funeral pickets, can be construed as targeted personal attacks on grieving families which have the potential to incite—and indeed have incited—immediate breaches of the peace and violent rebuttals. In light of Snyder, and the inadequacy of time, place, and manner statutes as a protection for grieving families, this Note argues for the revitalization of the “fighting words” doctrine to encompass targeted, ad hominem attacks from organizations like the Westboro Baptist Church, thereby leaving this speech unprotected by the First Amendment and exposing the speakers to tort …

Medical Malpractice Claims In Mississippi: A Preliminary Analysis, Randall K. Johnson

Faculty Works

This essay explains where medical malpractice claims are filed in Mississippi. It initially does so by collecting state circuit court data, which have been recently released by the Administrative Office of Courts. The essay, then, computes summary statistics. Lastly, it examines these statistics: in order to find out which county had the most medical malpractice claims.

Fixing Failure To Warn, Aaron D. Twerski, James A. Henderson Jr.

Indiana Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Re-Examining Reasonableness: Negligence Liability In Adult Defendants With Cognitive Disabilities, Johnny Chriscoe, Lisa Lukasik

Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

Legal And Social Implications Of The 3d Printing Revolution, Alexander J. Mendoza

CMC Senior Theses

ABSTRACT

Emerging 3D printing technologies bring with it the potential to transform everyday consumers into manufacturers of every product imaginable. However, this impending wave of newfound technological capability is bound to crash against our present conventional system of laws and regulations. In this paper, the strengths and weaknesses of our current intellectual property framework are examined, and its ability to tackle the future 3D printing market is assessed. Particular attention is paid to our modern formation of copyright and patent law, including an analysis of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), the Repair-Reconstruction Doctrine and other substantial legal protocol. The …

Examining The Impact Of Florida's Non-Economic Damage Cap On Elderly Populations, Andrew W. Dodds

CMC Senior Theses

In this paper, I use data from the Florida Closed Claims Database to investigate how Florida’s 2003 non-economic damage cap legislation impacted elderly malpractice claimants. More specifically, I measure whether or not non-economic damage caps adversely impact claimants in counties with high elderly densities. To measure the effect of Florida’s non-economic damage caps, I look at multiple metrics that measure both elderly claimants’ monetary gains and their access to the justice system after the reform is passed. I find mildly conclusive evidence that counties with higher elderly density, and assumedly more elderly claimants, are more likely to settle cases before …

The Role Of The Profit Imperative In Risk Management, Christopher French

Faculty Scholarship

Risks in the world abound. Every day there is a chance that each of us could be in a car accident. Or, one of us could be the victim of a tornado, flood or earthquake. Every day someone becomes deathly ill from an insidious disease. Our properties are in constant peril—one’s house could catch fire at any time or a tree could fall on it during a storm. Any one of these events could have devastating financial consequences, and they are just a few of the many risks that impact our daily lives. One of the principal ways we manage …