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TORTS
Professor Hackney
Fall Semester, 2004
COURSE OUTLINE & READING ASSIGNMENTS
Course materials: (1) Casebook [abbrev.: CB]: Franklin
& Rabin, TORT LAW AND ALTERNATIVES: CASES AND MATERIALS, 7th.
edn., 2001; (2) TORTS SUPPLEMENT [abbrev.: Supp.]; and (3)Robin & Sugarman,
TORTS STORIES. (Please note that all
Supp. Page references are to the numbers at the top of the pages.) Unless otherwise noted, all listed readings
are required.
Call the bookstore (617/373-2286) or Gnomon Copy
(617/536-4600) to determine if the course materials are available in advance.
I.
COURSE INTRODUCTION
A. General introduction to tort
law; goals of tort law; fault-based liability vs. no-fault liability; the role
of insurance; the nature of legal argument; "holding" of a case
(i) Background and
Hammontree case, CB, 1 - 6
CB, 6 - 9 (read only notes 1, 6, and 10)
Procedural aspects and parties, CB, 9 - 18 (not to be
discussed in class)
Memo, Holding of a Case, Supp. 1
(ii) Menu of Legal
Arguments, Supp. 2 - 4
Bierman, Supp. 300
Bierman appeal, Supp. 302
II. AN INTRODUCTION TO NEGLIGENCE
A. The idea of the "prima
facie case"; the fault principal; historical background; the duty of due
care
Memo, Prima Facie Case, Supp. 5
Chart, Negligence PFC, Supp. 6
Brown, CB, 29 and CB, 33 - 37 (through note 4)
Losee, CB, 504 - 505 (note 4)
CB, 37 (from B) - 41
Exercise (do before reading next item):
write out two
sentences stating, respectively, narrow and broad versions of the holding of
Memo, Holding of
News clipping, dog biting incident, Supp. 302a
III. ESTABLISHING
THE ELEMENT OF REASONABLENESS
A. The Reasonable Person
CB, 47 (from sec. 2) - 58
Holmes, Supp. 306a-306c
Cordas, Supp. 303 - 306
Prosser, "The Reasonable Man [sic],"
Supp. 307 - 311
Hasseneyer, Supp. 311a - 311b
Finley, "Reasonable Person," Supp. 312 - 314
B. Cost/benefit analysis; the
Carroll Towing or Learned Hand formula; introduction to the concepts of
"enterprise liability" and "market deterrence"; the role of
punitive damages
(i) CB, 41 - 44 (through
note 1)
CB, 7 (note 2)
CB, 46 - 47 (note 7)
CB, 44 (note 3) - 45 (note 4)
Gregory excerpt, Supp. 315
Allocation vs. Distribution, Supp. 10 - 11a
Grimshaw, Supp. 316 - 323
Posner, Pinto Case, Supp. 324
C. Custom; the locality rule
CB, 67 - 71 (through note 5); 72 - 73 (notes 7 & 8)
CB, 109-129
D. Negligence Per Se
CB, 73 - 83 (through note 11)
Chart, Negligence Per Se, Supp. 12
Note and exercise on Tedla, Supp. 12a
E. Res Ipsa Loquitur
CB, 85 - 86 (Sec. D, just the two introductory
paragraphs)
Byrne, CB, 91 - 93 (through note 1)
Review Bierman appeal, Supp. 302
Memo, Evidence & Proof, Supp. 13 - 14b
Memo, Res Ipsa Loquitur, Supp. 15 - 18a
Chart, Evidentiary Effect of Proofs of Negligence,
A Summary, Supp. 19
Ybarra, CB, 101 - 108 (through note 5)
CB, 108 - 109 (notes 5 through 8)
CB, 99 (note 7)
IV.
CAUSATION
A. Causation-in-fact; the
"but for" test; the "substantial factor" test; causal
uncertainty; introduction to mass torts and toxic torts
Review Negligence PFC, Supp. 6
CB, 341 - 342 (just introductory material)
Grimstad, Supp. 325
Stubbs, CB, 342 - 349 (through note 9)
Memo, Causation-In-Fact, Supp. 20 - 21
Allen excerpt, Supp. 353 - 367
Memo, Causal Uncertainty, Supp. 26
B. Causal uncertainty, continued
CB, 349 - 368 (through note 7)
Malone
excerpt, Supp. 326 - 329
CB, 374 - 378 (through note 9)
Memo, Joint Causation Analysis, Supp. 22 - 25
C. Causal uncertainty, continued; DES cases
Memo on DES, Supp. 334 - 337
Glance at Federal Rule of Civil
Procedure 23
CB, 378 - 399, through note 7
Brown, Supp. 338 (at this time, read only the introduction
before sec. I, pp. 338 - 339, and section IIB, pp. 345 - 348; the remainder of
the opinion will be assigned later in the course)
D. Proximate cause; Polemis;
Palsgraf
The speeding-to-the-accident
problem - CB, 411-412 (note 10)
Review definition of cause-in-fact, Supp. 20 - 21
The Polemis "directness" test - CB, 404-405
The reasonable foreseeability test - Wagon Mound, CB,
405 - 409 (through
note 1); CB, 410-411 (note 9); Palsgraf, CB, 419 - 427 (through note 1)
E. Proximate cause, continued;
(note: this looks like a lot more than it really is; many excerpts are quite
short)
Larrimore, Supp. 368
(review and bring to class the the chart on NPS, Supp. 12)
Recurring or "stereotyped" cases:
rescue - CB, 428 - 429 (note 11a);
CB, 488 (note 7)
the
further excerpt from Ryan, CB, 757 – 759
(note 5: “Fire Cases”)
dangerous conduct of third parties - CB, 189 - 190
(note 7); Hines, CB, 417 (note 4)
suicide - CB, 403 (note 6)
the eggshell skull rule - Memo, Supp. 29;
CB, 409 (note 4)
The Kinsman test - CB, 431 - 434
Memo, Causation Analysis, Supp. 30
V. DUTY
A. Introduction to duty; general
conception of duty of care (Heaven v. Pender) vs. specialized categories of no
duty, diminished duty, or enhanced duty; nonfeasance vs. misfeasance; the
privity doctrine; duty to rescue?; exceptions to the no-duty categories
Review Negligence PFC, Supp. 6
CB, 130 - 131 (sec. A)
MacPherson, CB, 540 - 545 (through note 6)
Hurley, Supp. 372
Childs, Supp. 373 - 376
Memo, Emergency
Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (1986), Supp. 377
Depue, Supp. 378 - 379
Yania, Supp. 380
Memo, Analyzing Duty Problems, Supp. 31 - 33
CB, 131 - 144 (through note 6)
B. Special duty problems; police
and other governmental entities; police response to domestic violence cases
CB, 225 - 234 (through note 8)
C. Premises liability; duties of
possessors of land; the traditional status distinctions - trespasser, licensee,
invitee; child trespassers; attractive nuisance; the breakdown of the status
distinctions (Rowland)
CB, 190 - 214 (through note 6)
Memo, Premises Liability (I), Supp. 34 - 38
Memo, Premises Liability (II), Supp. 39 - 40
United Zinc, Supp. 403 - 405
VI. LEGAL INJURY
A. Negligent infliction of
emotional harm; the physical impact rule; "direct" infliction
Review Negligence PFC, Supp. 6
Mitchell, Supp. 418
CB, 261 - 282 (through note 6)
CB, 291 - 297 (through note 12)
Finley, Gender Bias, Supp. 419 - 420
B. "Indirect
infliction": witness recovery; the
zone of danger test vs. the Dillon test
CB, 282 - 291 (through note 9)
VII. NEGLIGENCE; THE AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSES
A. Contributory negligence; last
clear chance; imputed negligence; avoidable consequences; comparative
negligence; comparative fault; the Uniform Comparative Fault Act
CB, 435 - 436 (through second full paragraph)
Harper, James, & Gray excerpt,
Supp. 425 - 426
CB, 436 (continue) - 438 (through first
full
paragraph)
Restatement secs. 479 & 480, Supp. 427
CB, 438 (continue) - 440
Memo, Undermining Contributory Negligence,
Supp. 62
CB, 440 - 444 (through note 1); CB, 448 - 450
(note 9)
Avoidable consequences rule, CB, 457 - 460
B. Assumption of risk; express
AR; implied AR
CB, 460 – 469
Memo, Tickets/receipts, Supp. 64B
Release form, Supp. 428
Baseball ticket, Supp. 429
CB, 469 - 476 (through note 6)
VIII. AN
INTRODUCTION TO THE INTENTIONAL TORTS:
EMOTIONAL DISTRESS
A. PFC of the tort of battery;
the legally protected interest; meaning of "the person"; intent;
injury
Elements of
Vosburg, Supp. 430 – 432
Review exercise on
holdings of a case (do the exercise before reading the next item): in one
sentence, state a narrow version of the holding of Vosburg; in a second
sentence reformulate the holding at a broad level
Memo, Holding of Vosburg, Supp. 66
Background, CB, 864
CB, 872 - 876
Memo on intent, Supp. 67 - 70
Fisher, Supp. 433 - 434
B. Affirmative defenses;
consent; self-defense and defense of property; mistaken self-defense
CB, 910 – 922 (through c)
O'Brien, Supp. 435
Exercise (do before reading the next item): in one
sentence each, state
the holding of O'Brien in narrow and broad formulations
Memo, Holding of O'Brien, Supp. 71
Mohr, Supp. 436 - 437
Barbara A, Supp. 437a - 437c
Courvoisier, Supp. 438-439
Mistaken self-defense, Supp. 72 - 73
C. Intentional infliction of
emotional distress; harassment; abusive speech; constitutional considerations
Agis, Supp. 460-463
Harris, Supp. 465-467
CB, 888 (from sec. 4) - 899 (through note 10)
Wiggs and memo, Supp. 468 -472
Finley excerpt, "Reasonable Person," Supp. 477 -
479
First Amendment, Supp. 480
CB, 905 (from const. def.) - 910 (through note 5)
Esposito-Hilder, Supp. 481-485
IX.
TRADITIONAL STRICT LIABILITY
A. The Rylands doctrine;
ultrahazardous or abnormally dangerous activities (
CB, 498 – 506
CB, 506 - 520
CB, 842 - 844 (Section II (A) of Rabin)
CB, 785 - 792
X. THE TORTS OF
TRESPASS AND NUISANCE
A. Trespass; public nuisance;
private nuisance
Statement of Coase Theorem, Supp. 91a
Chart,
PFC's of Trespass & Nuisance, Supp. 87
Review Memo on Intent, Supp. 67 - 70
Restatement, 2d., section 165, Supp. 88 - 89
CB, 652 - 658
Shack, Supp. 578 – 582
Cohen, Property and Sovereignty, Supp. 583 - 584
CB, 658- 663
B. Private nuisance, continued;
the problem of remedies for nuisance (Boomer); reciprocal or joint causation in
conflicting land use situations; defenses
CB, 663 - 672 (through note 7); CB, 677 (from note 17)
- 678 (through note 19)
CB, 673 (from note 11) - 677 (through note 16)
LeRoy Fibre, Supp. 587 - 588
News clippings, Racism and environmental degradation,
Supp. 588a - 588d
XI. STRICT
LIABILITY: THEORETICAL UNDERPINNINGS
A. Cost-spreading, enterprise
liability, and market deterrence; market failure; externalities
Escola, CB, 546 - 550 (through note 4)
Harper, James and Gray, Social Insurance,
Supp. 589 - 592
Memo, Theories of
Definition of "externality," Supp. 91
XII. STRICT PRODUCTS LIABILITY: DOCTRINE
A. Section 402A and the basic elements of
plaintiff's SPL case; eligible defendants; causation; defect; Cronin;
manufacturing defect; design defect; risk/benefit test
CB, 551 (from note 5) - 556 (through note 9)
Chart, SPL Basic Framework, Supp. 92
CB, 556 - 559
Section 402A, Comments g, h, i, l, and m, Supp. 93 - 96
CB, 559 – 572
B. Risk/benefit test, continued; warning defect
CB, 572 - 581
Comment j, Supp. 94
CB, 581 - 605
C. Defenses to SPL; comparative fault; Daly
CB, 605 - 614
Hawk Aviation, Supp. 627 - 629
Chart, Effect of Plaintiff's Misconduct,
Supp. 63