Business Torts - Syllabus - Spring 2011
Prof. George Conk
Adjunct Professor of Law & Senior Fellow
Stein Center for Law & Ethics
gconk@law.fordham.edu
Room 409 (by appointment)
Except for the assigned treatise - Restatement of Torts, 3rd, Unfair Competition - course materials will be posted on TWEN and/or on my Torts Today blog.
Note that some material will be on pages (right hand side) and some will be in blog posts. As I refine and develop the syllabus or as there are new developments I will update the syllabus page or the topic page - or do a post on Torts Today. I suggest you select the RSS feed so that you get notice of new posts.
Generally I will post on TWEN edited cases (some of them selected and excerpted by Prof. Jay Feinman, Rutgers-Camden whose course design I am loosely tracking and from whose excellent editing we will benefit).
The assignments for the first two weeks are on TWEN. The edited versions of the case and the Bustamonte problem are by Prof. Feinman).
Weeks 3 and 4 we will discuss the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Those materials are on Torts Today.
Week 4 I also hope to discuss fiduciary liability. That material is on TWEN.
Weeks 5 & 6 we will look at liability for fraud. That material is on TWEN.
The balance of the syllabus I still consider to be tentative.
Week 1
Introduction
Bustamonte Problem (JF)
Channel Master v. Aluminum Limited Sales 4 NY 2d 403 (1958)
Imperial Ice Co. V. Rossier, 18 Cal. 2d 33 (1941)
Doliner v. Brown, 21 Mass. App. Ct. 692 (1986)
Ely-Norris Safe Co. V. Mosler Safe Co. 7 F. 2d 603 (2d Cir. 1925)
Mosler Safe Co. V. Ely Norris Safe Co., 273 U.S. 132 (1927)
Week II
The Economic Loss Rule
Bustamonte Problem (JF)
Alloway v. General Marine Industries, 149 N.J. 620 (1997)
People Express Airlines, Inc. V. Consolidated Rail Corp., 100 N.J. 246 (1985)
Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. V. Eaton metal Proudcts Co., 256 F.Supp. 329 (E.D. Pa. 2003)
Southwestern Bell Tel. V. Delanney, 809 S.W. 2d 493 (TX 1991)
DCR, Inc. V. Peak Alarm 663 P. 2d 433 (UT 1983)
Week III & IV
Limits of recovery of economic loss in tort: the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
see BP Deepwater Oil Spill page on Torts Today.
Read:
Oil Pollution Liability Act of 1990 key provisions
Gulf Coast Claims Facility Protocol For Interim and Final Claims
Memorandum by Prof. John Goldberg to Kenneth Feinberg
Suggested: Federal Judicial Center - Reference Guide on Estimation of Economic Losses in Damages Awards, by Robert E. Hall and Victoria A. Lazear http://www.fjc.gov/public/home.nsf/autoframe?openform&url_l=/public/home.nsf/inavgeneral?openpage&url_r=/public/home.nsf/pages/610
Week IV
Fiduciary Duty
Problems: Carrasco; Texas School Bus Tragedy (GWC)
Restatement of Torts 2d, § 874 Violation of fiduciary duty
Restatement, 3rd - Agency - excerpts
Restatement 3rd - Law Governing Lawyers § 51 duty to certain non-clients
Meinhard v. Salmon, 249 N.Y. 458 (1928) - fragment
Promises Broken, Promises Betrayed, Scallen, 1993 U. Ill. L. Rev. 897
A Cognitive Theory of Fiduciary Relationships, Gregory S. Alexander - fragment
Beyond Metaphor: An Analysis of Fiduciary Obligation , Deborah De Mott, Duke L.J. 1988 - excerpt
Third Party Liability
Week V
Ultramares Corp. v. Touche, 255 NY 170, 182-3 (1931)
Credit Alliance v. Arthur Andersen & Co., 65 N.Y.2d 536 (1985)
Oster v. Kirschner, 905 N.Y.S.2d 69 (1st Dept. 2010)
Accountant Liability Act, N.J.S.A. 2A:53A-25
Cast-Art Industries v. KPMG, LLC, 416 N.J. Super. 76 (App. Div. 2010), certification granted
Problem: Bustamonte and Brown (JF)
Week VI
Third party liability: Aiding & abetting/Imputation of Liability for Fraud
Restatement 2d, Torts § 875, 876
N.J.S.A. 49:3-71(a)
Cases:
Kirschner/Trustee of Refco Litigation Trust v. KPMG, LLC (N.Y. October 21, 2010)
NCP Litigation Trust v. KPMG, 187 NJ 353 (2006)
Official Comm. of Unsecured Creditors of Allegheny Health Education and Research Foundation v PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, 989 A2d 313 [Pa 2010] [AHERF]
Week VII & VIII
Misrepresentation and Deceptive Marketing
Problem: Bustamonte and Brown (JF)
Misrepresentation - introductory outline (JF)
Channel Master Corp. V. Aluminum Ltd. Sales, 4 N.Y. 2d 403 (1958)
United Jersey Bank and S.H. Mortgage Acquisitions, LLC v. Kensey, 306 N.J. Super. 540 (N.J. A.D. 1997)
Excerpts from New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act
Cona v. Merck, 401 N.J. Super. 10 (N.J.A.D. 2008)
Lee v. Carter Reed, 203 N.J. 496 (2010)
IUOE Local 68 Welfare Fund v. Merck, 192 N.J. 372 (2007)
Merck v. Reynolds, U.S. (2009)http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/09pdf/08-905.pdf
Week IX
Legal Malpractice
New Jersey Model Civil Jury Charge 5.51A, 5.51B
NY Pattern Jury Instructions 2:152
Conklin v. Hannoch Weissman, 145 N.J. 395(1996)
Viner v. Sweet, 30 Cal. 4th 1232 (2003)
Restatement of the Law Governing Lawyers, - Lawyers' Civil Liability (excerpts)
Saffer v. Willoughby, 143 N.J. 256 (1996)
Week X, XI
Trademark
Introduction to subject matter
Lanham Act - Statutory Excerpts
Restatement of Unfair Competition §§ 20 - 32 (black letter)
Restatement, 3rd - Unfair Competition (TWEN)
Acquisition, Infringement
Problem: Weber, Inc. (JF)
Restatement: Defenses and Remedies
Problem: Alumet Supply v. Alumet Mfg. (Attorneys fees) (TWEN)
Week XII
Misappropriation
Cases and materials on TWEN
Restatement, 3rd, Unfair Competition §§ 38 - 45
Problem: MC (JF)
Week XIII
Trade Secret
Restatement of Unfair Competition (TWEN)
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