Contents. I. Negligence: A Brief Overview 47 A. Elements of the Prima Facie Case 47 B. The Injury Element 48 C. Focusing on Physical Harms 50

Transcription

1 Preface to the Fourth Edition Preface to the Third Edition Preface to the Second Edition Preface to the First Edition Acknowledgments Notes on the Text xxi xxiii xxv xxvii xxix xxxiii PART I: OVERVIEW 1 CHAPTER 1 AN INTRODUCTION TO TORTS 3 I. What Is a Tort? 3 II. An Example of a Tort Suit 5 Walter v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. 6 A. Common Law and Statute 12 B. Responsibilities in Tort 16 C. The Role of Lawyers 18 D. Proceeding Through Court 22 III. Tort Law in Context 31 A. Tort Contrasted with Other Areas of Law 31 B. The Politics of Tort Law 37 C. Some Statistics Concerning the Tort System 40 IV. Using This Book 42 References/Further Reading 42 PART II: NEGLIGENCE: LIABILITY FOR PHYSICAL HARMS 45 CHAPTER 2 THE DUTY ELEMENT 47 I. Negligence: A Brief Overview 47 A. Elements of the Prima Facie Case 47 B. The Injury Element 48 C. Focusing on Physical Harms 50 xi

2 xii Contents II. The Duty Element and the General Duty of Reasonable Care 51 A. Easy Cases: The Unqualified Duty to Conduct Oneself with Reasonable Care for the Person and Property of Others 51 B. A Sampling of Easy Duty Cases Drawn from English Law 52 C. The Evolution of Duty Rules 55 MacPherson v. Buick Motor Co. 60 Mussivand v. David 68 III. Qualified Duties of Care 74 A. Affirmative Duties to Rescue and Protect 75 Osterlind v. Hill 77 Baker v. Fenneman & Brown Properties, LLC 78 B. Premises Liability 90 Leffler v. Sharp 90 C. Pure Economic Loss 101 Aikens v. Debow 101 IV. Rowland, Tarasoff, and the Meaning of Duty 115 Rowland v. Christian 115 Tarasoff v. The Regents of the University of California 125 References/Further Reading 140 CHAPTER 3 THE BREACH ELEMENT 143 I. Duty, Breach, and the Meaning of Negligence 143 Myers v. Heritage Enters., Inc. 144 Martin v. Evans 149 Pingaro v. Rossi 154 Jones v. Port Authority of Allegheny County 155 Campbell v. Kovich 156 Adams v. Bullock 158 II. Defining the Person of Ordinary Prudence 165 Vaughan v. Menlove 166 Appelhans v. McFall 168 III. Industry and Professional Custom 178 The T.J. Hooper 178 Johnson v. Riverdale Anesthesia Associates 182 Condra v. Atlanta Orthopaedic Group 185 Largey v. Rothman 189 IV. Reasonableness, Balancing, and Cost-Benefit Analysis 201 United States v. Carroll Towing Co. 201 Hand, Hooper, and Carroll Towing 206 Rhode Island Hosp. Trust Nat l Bank v. Zapata Corp. 206

3 xiii V. Proving Breach: Res Ipsa Loquitur 215 Byrne v. Boadle 216 Kambat v. St. Francis Hosp. 218 References/Further Reading 225 CHAPTER 4 THE CAUSATION ELEMENT 229 I. Key Terms and Concepts 229 A. Actual and Proximate Cause 229 B. Actual Cause, the Jury, the But-For Test, and Substantial Factor 231 C. Two Meanings of Caused 232 D. A Cause, Not The Cause 233 II. Proving Actual Causation Under the Preponderance Standard 234 Muckler v. Buchl 234 Butts v. Weisz 238 Jones v. LA Fitness Int l, LLC 243 Falcon v. Memorial Hospital 252 III. Multiple Necessary and Multiple Sufficient Causes 260 McDonald v. Robinson 260 Ford Motor Co. v. Boomer 263 Wannall v. Honeywell International, Inc. 272 IV. Causation and Tortfeasor Identification 288 A. Alternative Causation 288 Summers v. Tice 288 B. Market Share Liability 293 Sindell v. Abbott Labs. 293 References/Further Reading 305 CHAPTER 5 ALIGNING THE ELEMENTS: PROXIMATE CAUSE AND PALSGRAF 309 I. Proximate Cause 310 Union Pump Co. v. Allbritton 311 Jolley v. Sutton London Borough Council 319 II. The Relational Aspect of Breach of Duty: Palsgraf 330 Palsgraf v. Long Island Railroad Co. 331 Petitions of the Kinsman Transit Co. 345 III. Superseding Cause and Affirmative Duties 355 A. Intervening Wrongdoing: Superseding Cause as a Special Case of Proximate Cause 355

4 xiv Contents B. Intervening Wrongdoing, Superseding Cause, and Affirmative Duty 360 Port Authority of New York & New Jersey v. Arcadian Corp. 360 Fast Eddie s v. Hall 370 References/Further Reading 381 CHAPTER 6 STATUTORY SUPPLEMENTS: NEGLIGENCE PER SE, WRONGFUL DEATH ACTS, AND IMPLIED RIGHTS OF ACTION 383 I. Negligence Per Se 384 Dalal v. City of New York 384 Bayne v. Todd Shipyards Corp. 385 Victor v. Hedges 388 II. Wrongful Death Acts 400 A. Historical Background 400 B. Lord Campbell s Act and American Statutes 402 Nelson v. Dolan 405 III. Implied Rights of Action 416 Tex. & Pac. Ry. Co. v. Rigsby 416 J. I. Case Co. v. Borak 418 Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents of Federal Bureau of Narcotics 425 References/Further Reading 433 CHAPTER 7 DEFENSES 435 I. Contributory Negligence and Comparative Responsibility 436 A. Contributory Negligence 436 B. Comparative Fault in Action 440 United States v. Reliable Transfer Co. 441 Hunt v. Ohio Dept. of Rehabilitation & Correction 443 II. Assumption of Risk 452 A. Express Assumption of Risk 452 Jones v. Dressel 452 Dalury v. S-K-I, Ltd. 458 B. Implied Assumption of Risk 463 Smollett v. Skayting Dev. Corp. 463 III. Statutes of Limitations and Repose 474 Ranney v. Parawax Co. 475 IV. Immunities and Exemptions from Liability 482 A. Intra-familial and Charitable Immunities 483

5 xv B. Sovereign Immunity 488 Riley v. United States 488 C. Liability Exemptions: No-Duty Rules for Local Government and Private Entities 494 Riss v. City of New York 494 Strauss v. Belle Realty Co. 504 References/Further Reading 511 CHAPTER 8 DAMAGES AND APPORTIONMENT 513 I. Elements and Availability of Damages 513 A. Compensatory Damages 513 Smith v. Leech Brain & Co. Ltd. 513 Kenton v. Hyatt Hotels Corp. 521 B. Punitive Damages 536 National By-Products, Inc. v. Searcy House Moving Co. 537 Mathias v. Accor Economy Lodging, Inc. 541 II. Vicarious Liability 555 Taber v. Maine 556 III. Joint Liability and Contribution 567 Ravo v. Rogatnick 567 Bencivenga v. J.J.A.M.M., Inc. 574 IV. Indemnification and Liability Insurance 580 Interinsurance Exch. of the Automobile Club v. Flores 580 V. Enforcing Judgments: Getting to Assets 593 References/Further Reading 595 PART III: BATTERY, ASSAULT, FALSE IMPRISONMENT, AND INFLICTION OF EMOTIONAL DISTRESS 599 CHAPTER 9 BATTERY, ASSAULT, AND FALSE IMPRISONMENT 601 I. Introduction 601 II. Battery and Assault: Elements 602 A. Battery 603 Cecarelli v. Maher 604 Paul v. Holbrook 605 Vosburg v. Putney 614 Cole v. Hibberd 617 Wagner v. State 623

6 xvi Contents B. Assault 638 Beach v. Hancock 639 Brooker v. Silverthorne 640 Vetter v. Morgan 643 C. Intent Revisited: Transferred Intent 648 In re White 648 III. Standard Defenses to Battery and Assault 654 A. Consent 655 Koffman v. Garnett 656 B. Self-Defense and Defense of Others 665 Haeussler v. De Loretto 666 C. Defense and Recapture of Property 670 Katko v. Briney 670 IV. False Imprisonment 676 A. Elements 677 Fojtik v. Charter Med. Corp. 677 B. The Defense of Investigative Detention and Arrest 685 Grant v. Stop-N-Go Market of Texas, Inc. 685 References/Further Reading 693 CHAPTER 10 INFLICTION OF EMOTIONAL DISTRESS 695 I. Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress 695 A. The Emergence of IIED 695 B. Elements 699 Dickens v. Puryear 699 Littlefield v. McGuffey 705 Hunt v. State 711 C. IIED Applied: Employment Discrimination 727 Wilson v. Monarch Paper Co. 728 Stockett v. Tolin 735 II. Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress 747 A. From No Injury to the Zone of Danger 748 Wyman v. Leavitt 748 Robb v. Pennsylvania R.R. Co. 749 Consolidated Rail Corp. v. Gottshall 753 B. Special Relationships and Undertakings to Be Vigilant of Another s Emotional Well-Being 768 Beul v. ASSE Int l, Inc. 769

7 xvii C. Bystander NIED 778 Waube v. Warrington 778 Dillon v. Legg 781 Thing v. La Chusa 788 References/Further Reading 801 PART IV: LIABILITY WITHOUT FAULT AND PRODUCTS LIABILITY 803 CHAPTER 11 PROPERTY TORTS AND ULTRAHAZARDOUS ACTIVITIES 805 I. Introduction 805 Brown v. Kendall 806 N.Y. Central R.R. Co. v. White 813 II. Property Torts 822 A. Trespass to Land: Prima Facie Case 822 Burns Philp Food, Inc. v. Cavalea Cont l Freight, Inc. 822 B. Trespass and Necessity 831 Vincent v. Lake Erie Transp. Co. 833 C. Conversion and Trespass to Chattel 839 Thyroff v. Nationwide Mut. Ins. Co. 839 D. Consent (With Notes on Media Trespass and on Defenses Other Than Consent) 847 Copeland v. Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc. 847 E. Nuisance 851 Sturges v. Bridgman 851 Penland v. Redwood Sanitary Sewer Serv. Dist. 860 Boomer v. Atlantic Cement Co. 866 III. Ultrahazardous (Abnormally Dangerous) Activities 873 Rylands v. Fletcher 873 Klein v. Pyrodyne Corp. 875 References/Further Reading 891 CHAPTER 12 PRODUCTS LIABILITY 893 I. Introduction 893 A. Precursors 895 Escola v. Coca Cola Bottling Co. of Fresno 895 B. The Emergence of Strict Products Liability 905 Greenman v. Yuba Power Prods., Inc. 905

8 xviii Contents II. Basics of a Products Liability Claim 913 A. What Counts as an Injury? 913 B. What Is a Product? 914 C. Who or What Is a Seller? 915 D. The Key to Products Liability: Defect 919 Gower v. Savage Arms, Inc. 921 III. Design Defect 928 A. The Risk-Utility Test 929 Chow v. Reckitt & Colman, Inc. 929 B. The Contest Between the Consumer Expectations Test and the Risk-Utility Test 937 Wilson Sporting Goods Co. v. Hickox 942 Genie Industries, Inc. v. Matak 949 C. Standards of Defectiveness for Prescription Drugs 969 Freeman v. Hoffman-La Roche, Inc. 971 IV. Failure to Warn or Instruct 984 A. Which Risks Require Warning? 984 Anderson v. Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp. 984 B. Proving Actual Causation in a Failure-to-Warn Case 994 Motus v. Pfizer Inc. 996 References/Further Reading 1008 PART V: TORTS AT THE SUPREME COURT 1013 CHAPTER 13 TORTS AT THE SUPREME COURT 1015 I. Introduction 1015 II. Torts and Evidence: Guidelines for Expert Testimony in Personal Injury Cases 1017 Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc III. Torts and Punishment (and Deterrence): Constitutional Limits on Punitive Damages 1026 BMW of North America, Inc. v. Gore 1027 Philip Morris USA v. Williams 1037 IV. Torts Without Injuries? Unripened Physical Harm and Medical Monitoring Claims 1051 Metro-North Commuter R.R. Co. v. Buckley 1054

9 xix V. Tort Law and the Administrative State: Preemption 1066 Wyeth v. Levine 1069 Pliva, Inc. v. Mensing 1088 References/Further Reading 1106 Appendix: Materials Concerning Walter v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc Table of Cases 1155 Index 1171