LAW 948: Mass Torts Seminar
This seminar focuses upon the phenomenon of mass torts, a term understood to encompass tortious conduct that affects large numbers of people and that gives rise to recurring patterns of injury that may remain latent for extended periods of time. This course considers whether conventional processes of tort adjudication represent either a practical or a desirable mode, in whole or in part, for the resolution of mass tort disputes. In parsing these overarching questions, students will compare conventional tort adjudication to other institutional alternatives, including action by regulatory agencies, privately initiated settlements through the vehicle of class actions, national legislation, and corporate reorganizations in bankruptcy. Several significant examples of mass tort litigation will be discussed, including lawsuits over asbestos, silicone gel breast implants, tobacco, firearms, and the diet drug combination know as fen-phen. Enrollment limited. [3 credit hours]
