Syllabus - Torts - Fall 2010

Fordham Law School

Torts Fall 2010
Mondays 10:30 - 12:15   Wednesday & Thursday 11:00 - 12:25   Room 303


George W. Conk
Adjunct Professor of Law
Senior Fellow, Stein Center for Law & Ethics
Room 10- garden level
212-636-7446
gconk@law.fordham.edu




Required Casebook:


Franklin, Rabin & Green, Tort Law & Alternatives, 8th Edition, Foundation Press
June 2009 Update on Lexis webcourse.


Suggested reading:


Shapo & Shapo, Law School Without Fear: strategies for success, Foundation Press 




Mark A. Geistfeld, Tort Law: The Essentials,  Aspen/Wolters Kluwer




Course blog:
Torts Today 


Required Readings


August 30, September 1, 2  (estimated times of arrival  - actual times will vary)


Chapter 1 - Introduction to Tort Liability 
Fault-based, vicarious, and strict  liability


Casebook - pages 2 -  30
(Hammontree v. Jenner, Christensen v. Swensen, Roessler v. Novak)


Chapter 2 - The Negligence Principle


Historical Development of fault liability


Casebook pp. 31 - 39 (Brown v. Kendall)


 The Central Concept  - The Standard of Care


Casebook pp. 39-49
(Adams v. Bullock, U.S. v. Carroll Towing)


The Reasonable Person
Ordinary care or “ the utmost care, so far as human skill and foresight can go".


Casebook pp. 50 - 60
(Bethel v. NYCTA) 


 Bolton v. Stone [1951] A C 850 (read extended excerpt on webcourse, Course documents, Ch. 2 or the complete speeches of the Law Lords. 


Monday September 6 - Labor Day - no class


September 8, 9


The Role of Statutes


Casebook pp. 75 -  86 
(Martin v. Herzog; Tedla v. Ellman)


Functions of Judge & Jury
Who decides? Allocating power between judge and jury 


Casebook pp. 60 - 69
(B&O RR v. Goodman; Pokora v. Wabash Rwy. Co.; Andrews v. United Airlines)


The Role of Custom
Is ordinary care what is ordinarily done?


Casebook pp. 69 - 75 (Trimarco v. Klein)
Morris v. West Hartlepool Steam Navigation Co., Ltd.  
1 All ER 385, [1956] (read extended excerpt on webcourse, Ch.2.,




September 13, 15, 16


Proof of Negligence
Casebook pp. 86 - 110 
(Negri v. Stop & Shop; Gordon v. American Museum of Natural History; Byrne v. Boadle; McDougald v. Perry; Ybarra v. Spangard)


Medical Malpractice - the standard of care for professionals


Casebook 110 - 131
(Sheeley v. Memorial Hospital; States v. Lourdes Hospital; Matthies v. Mastromonaco)


Suggested: N.Y. Public Health Law § 2805-d. Limitation of medical, dental or podiatric malpractice action based on lack of informed consent - webcourse


N.J. Model Civil Jury Charge 5.36a, 5.36b, 5.36c - webcourse




September 20, 22, 23, 27


Chapter 3 - The Duty Requirement: Physical Injuries 


Introduction, Duty, No Duty,  and Affirmative obligations to act
Rescue and exceptions to the no duty to rescue rule


Affirmative Duties, Restatement 3rd, Proposed Final Draft No. 1, §§ 7, 37, 40 (webcourse)


Casebook 132 - 148
(Harper v. Herman ;  Farwell v. Keaton, Moch v. Renssalaer)


Misrepresentation


Casebook 148 - 154
(Randi W. v. Maroc Jt. Unified School District) 


Casebook 157 - 168


Duty owed to a third party
(Tarasoff v. Board of Regents)


Policy reasons for invoking no duty of care


Casebook 175 - 194 
(Strauss v. Belle Realty, Reynolds v. Hicks, Vince v. Wilson)


In Re NYC Asbestos Litigation, 840 N.E. 2d 115 (NY 2005 (webcourse)


Olivo v. Owens Illinois, 895 A. 2d 1143 (NJ 2006) (webcourse)


Gipson v. Kasey, 150 P. 2d 228 (Ariz. 2007) (supplement)




September 27, 29


Duties of Landowners and Occupiers


3rd Restatement (draft) §§ 49 - 54 Duty of Land Possessors (webcourse)


Casebook 195  - 216
(Carter v. Kinney, Heins v. Webster County, Posecai v. Walmart)






September 30, October 4


Duty: Governmental Entities 
Casebook 229  - 263 


The Federal Tort Claims Act - Statutory excerpts (webcourse)


(Riss v. City of New York; Lauer v. City of New York, Friedman v.  State of New York, Cope v.Scott)


Wilson v. City of Jersey City, NJ App. Div. (2010) (webcourse)




October 6, 7, Tuesday October 12
Columbus Day, October 11 - no class


Chapter 4 - The Duty Requirement: Nonphysical Harm


Emotional Harm
Casebook 264 - 278
(Falzone v. Busch,  Metro North v. Buckley)


Casebook 286 - 298)
(Portee v. Jaffe, Johnson v. Jamaica Hospital)


Suggested reading: Chapter 8, 3rd Restatement, §§ 45, 46, 47 -Liability for Emotional Disturbance (webcourse)


October 13, 14, 18, 20, 21, 25


Chapter 5 Causation


Cause in Fact
But-for causation and admissibility of evidence


Casebook 339 - 356
(Stubbs v. City of Rochester; Zuchowicz v. U.S)




McDarby v. Merck, 949 A. 2d 223 (NJ App. Div. 2008) (webcourse) (read failure to warn and medical causation - omit punitive damages and preemption discussions)


Multiple defendants


Casebook 375 - 392
(Summers v. Tice; Hymowitz v. Eli Lilly & Co.)




Proximate Cause and the Scope of Liability
Scope of Liability: Unexpected harm


Casebook 401 - 414
(Benn v. Thomas; Polemis; The Wagon Mound)


Superseding causes


Casebook 416 - 425
(Doe v. Manheimer)


Hinojo v. New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Company, 353 N.J. Super 261 (App. Div. 2002) (webcourse)


Suggested reading:  Restatement 2d - §§ 440 - 452; 3rd Restatement §§  33 - 34 (webcourse)




Unexpected victim


Casebook 425 - 439
(Palsgraf v. LIRR; The Kinsman Cases)


Suggested reading: Restatement (3rd) of Torts, Proposed Final Draft No. 1, Chapter 6, §§ 29 - 36 (webcourse)




October 27


Chapter 6  Defenses


Plaintiff’s fault 
Contributory negligence, comparative fault, avoidable consequences, assumption of risk


Casebook 440 - 475
(Fritts v. McKinne, Dalury v. SKI)


October 28


Federal Preemption
McDarby v. Merck, 949 A. 2d 223 (NJ App. Div. 2008) (webcourse)
Wyeth v. Levine, 129 S. Ct. 1187 (2009) (webcourse)


November 1


Chapter 7 Strict Liability


Casebook 506 - 512, Notes 512- 514
(Fletcher v. Rylands, Rylands v. Fletcher, Notes)




November 3, 4, 8, 10, 11, 15


Chapter 8  Liability for defective products
The privity obstacle, strict products liability, manufacturing, design, and information defects; defenses; work-related injuries


Casebook 550 -  595


Introduction and manufacturing defects


(MacPherson v. Buick Motor Co.; Escola v. Coca Cola Bottling Co.)


Restatement 2d, Section 402 A (webcourse)


Design Defects
(Soule v. GM, Camacho v. Honda)


Hinojo v. NJM, 353 N.J. Super 261 (App. Div. 2002) (reasonable alternative design)


Halliday v. Sturm & Ruger, 368 Md. 186 (2002) (consumer expectations)




Warnings


Casebook 595-620
(Hood v. Ryobi, Vassallo v. Baxter)


Defenses & Work Related Injuries


Casebook 620-644
(GM v. Sanchez, Jones v. Ryobi, Liriano v. Hobart)


Crippen v. N.J. Central Concrete, 176 N.J. 397 (2003) (webcourse) 



November 17


Chapter IX Trespass & Nuisance


Casebook 669-697
(Martin v. Reynolds, Boomer v. Atlantic Cement)




November 18, 22, 29, December 1


Chapter X Damages and Insurance


Compensatory damages


Casebook 698 - 706, 726 - 732


(Seffert v. LA Transit Lines; Death Damages)


NY & NJ Jury instructions (webcourse)


Wage Loss
Madeira v. Affordable Housing Foundation, 469 F 3d 219 (2d Cir. 2006)


Proving economic loss
Sample economists reports (web course - Daniel v. Eckerd)


Caps, Remittitur, Additur, Collateral sources


(Arrington v. ER Physicians, 2006 La. App. LEXIS 2164) (webcourse)
Harvard/Rand Factsheet on impact of limits on non-economic damages


Wrongful Death cases
(jury instructions and statutes) (webcourse)


Sample economic report (Daniel Jones) (webcourse)




Thanksgiving break Wednesday November 24 to Sunday November 28




December 1, 2


The Federal Civil Rights Action and Liability of Federal Officials


Casebook 949-971
(Wilson v. Layne) 
Ashcroft v. Iqbal, U.S. Supreme Court (2009)  

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