Factual causation in medical negligence

The conventional approach to causation in negligence is the "but for" test, decided on the balance of probabilities. Even when supplemented by the "material contribution" principle, satisfying the onus of proof of causation can be an insuperable obstacle for plaintiffs, particularly in medical cases. Yet, having found a breach of duty, a court's sympathies may gravitate toward the plaintiff at this point in the case. Accordingly, courts have sometimes accepted a relaxation of strict causation principles. The judicial devices are described: a special principle of causation in particular duties of care; a shifting burden of proof; "bridging the evidentiary gap" by drawing a robust inference of causation; treating a material increase in risk as sufficient proof of causation; and permitting causation to be established on the basis of the loss of a material chance of achieving a better outcome and discounting damages. In Accident Compensation Corp v Ambros [2007] NZCA 304 the New Zealand Court of Appeal recognised the need for a legal device to ameliorate the injustice sometimes caused by the strict rules of causation, and preferred the "inferential reasoning" approach favoured by the Canadian common law for use in the context of the accident compensation scheme. It is hoped that the New Zealand Supreme Court approves Ambros if the opportunity arises.     

上转换发光材料显现指纹技术的研发与应用展望

上转换发光,是指长波长的光辐射转换为短波长的光辐射的过程,对非渗透性客体上背景有荧光或图案花纹干扰的手印显现,是实际案件中经常遇到的难题,常规荧光显现方法效果较差,而上转换发光对此有巨大的潜力。本文对上转换发光材料在疑难背景上手印显现的原理、条件、现状以及未来发展方向进行了系统的阐述。     

中国海事仲裁发展初探

伦敦是名副其实的国际海事仲裁中心,其成功经验值得学习和借鉴。以中国海事仲裁委员会为代表的中国海事仲裁发展现状不容乐观。海事仲裁是国际航运中心的重要元素,中国有必要发展海事仲裁。分析内外因素,提出中国海事仲裁发展的措施建议。     

论仲裁第三人

一、概述 仲裁在解决国际民商事争议中发挥着越来越重要的作用,是越来越受欢迎的解决争议的方式。然而,由于国际交易变得越来越复杂,跨国多方当事人合同争议的增多,仲裁中的某些程序性问题正变得日益突出。…….     

浅析《鹿特丹规则》中的仲裁问题

2008年12月11日,历时数年的《联合国全程或部分海上国际货物运输合同公约》（又称《鹿特丹规则》）尘埃落定。其兼顾先进性与实用性的制度设计,旨在统一现行国际货物运输法律体系,重新调整《海牙-维斯比规则》所确立的船货双方利益分配法律制度,顺应了国际贸易和航运实践发展的新趋势。第15章＂仲裁＂的规定,以平衡国际运输关系各方的仲裁选择权与世界各国的司法管辖权为立法精神,起到衔接现有国际仲裁公约和便利航运贸易纠纷解决的积极作用,将有力推动国际商事海事仲裁制度的发展。中国应充分借鉴吸收新公约的优秀制度,立足于完善《仲裁法》和《海商法》中的仲裁规定,不断在立法和司法上健全仲裁法律体系。     

船舶碰撞及其碰撞过失研究

大力发展海洋经济将是21世纪经济发展的重要战略,人们将更多地关注海洋环境与海上安全航行.船舶碰撞是一种发生在海上的侵权行为,会在当事人之间引发损害与赔偿的法律关系.海洋航行的特殊风险及海上经济的特殊性,决定了碰撞法中存在一系列有别于民法中侵权行为的制度.确定碰撞的责任方,首先需要对碰撞行为的构成及其过失进行研究.     

Welfare improving ignorance and negligence rule

The literature considers that the ignorance of activity levels by the courts is a major source of inefficiency to minimize the social costs of accidents. In this paper, we show that the inefficiency of the negligence rule based on a standard of care (and correlatively ignoring the activity level) is not established if certain dimensions of care are not verifiable. In other words, if care and activity levels are the only relevant variables of the injurer's set of actions to reduce the risk of accident, it is true that inefficiency arises when the court ignores one element of this set. But, considering that some dimensions of care are in practice not verifiable, it can be efficient for the judge not to take into account the activity level of the defendant. We propose a simple model with three variables: observable and unobservable precautionary measures and activity level.

Medical negligence in drug associated deaths

According to epidemiological studies adverse drug events are one of the most frequently encountered complications during medical treatment, a leading cause of hospitalisation and frequent cause of death. However, medical malpractice claims due to medication errors seem to be relatively rare. Based on a retrospective multicentre study on medical malpractice cases with lethal outcome (n = 4450), drug related cases (n = 575) were further evaluated. In 50% of cases a causal connection between drug therapy and death could be ruled out already after autopsy. In 232 cases a causal connection between drug therapy and death could be approved (drug allergies, relative overdose, wrong application, mix-up of drugs and sepsis after injection abscess). However, within the legal context only in 70 cases a medication error was approved which was in 42 cases causal for death, in 28 not. Administration of contraindicated drugs, incorrect application and relative overdose in renal insufficiency are the prevalent mistakes. Concerning the frequency of ADE in epidemiological studies medication errors are underreported in all data sources on medical malpractice; this seems to be due to the fact that even doctors and attending physicians rarely recognize an ADE; furthermore approving the connection between drug effect and death is extremely difficult for the expert witness.     

试析民商事仲裁中的证据制度

证据制度是仲裁活动的核心和基础,本文在分析仲裁证据制度与诉讼证据制度差异性的基础上,详细阐述了仲裁证据的种类、仲裁举证程序、质证程序及认证程序规则,并对我国现行的仲裁证据制度的完善提出了建议。     

质疑仲裁裁决的理由及撤销仲裁裁决后的救济方法

英国和香港的仲裁法都为仲裁当事方在获得仲裁裁决后提供了三种类型的救济方式,从而能够以适当的方式对仲裁裁决进行修改、变更、发回重审,甚至在某些情况下撤销仲裁裁决或宣告仲裁裁决无效。在修改或变更裁决时,相关修改或变更将作为仲裁庭裁决的一部分而生效。当裁决被法院发回仲裁庭要求重新考虑时,仲裁庭就有责任在一定期限内就所发回的事项作出一个新的裁决。但是,由于在裁决被部分或全部地撤销或者宣告无效时,相关裁决就如同从未作出一样,也就使得原本需要仲裁的纠纷或争议处在待决状态。在这种情况下,仲裁双方当事人就需要更进一步的救济方式来继续解决相关纠纷或争议。从英国及香港仲裁法的视角,对质疑仲裁裁决的理由及撤销仲裁裁决后的救济方法加以解读,并尝试就中国法下的相关问题提供立法建议。     

Determinations of negligence and the hindsight bias

Examined the hindsight bias in determinations of negligence inTarasoff-type cases. The sample of 297 community residents was asked to read clinical case scenarios involving treatment of potentially dangerous patients. Scenarios varied by outcome: (1) the patient became violent, (2) the patient did not become violent, and (3) no outcome was specified. Respondents rated the foreseeability of violence, the reasonableness of therapist actions, and negligence. It was hypothesized that respondents who were informed that the patient became violent would be more likely to find the therapist negligent than respondents in the other two outcome conditions. Findings supported this, and respondents in the violent outcome condition rated the violence as more foreseeable and therapist actions as less reasonable. Implications for mental health and legal professionals are discussed and future research ideas are suggested.     

国际海事仲裁协议及仲裁员选择

仲裁员在整个仲裁程序中举足轻重,因此,指定的仲裁员是否符合仲裁条款约定且能否履行公正行事的责任就显得至关重要,而仲裁当事方也可以仲裁员不符合仲裁条款约定或未能公正行事为由向法院申请撤换仲裁员。从英国仲裁法律与实务的角度分析仲裁条款与仲裁员选择之间的关系以及选择仲裁员时应予考虑的因素,讨论仲裁员的公正与不偏私的标准,并解释在英国法下撤换仲裁员的理由。     

Reforming Chinese arbitration law and practices in the global economy

In the last 50 years Chinese arbitration law and practices has made significant contributions to the international commercial arbitration and strides to manage the rapidly increasing caseload associated with a period of amazing growth in economic interactions between Chinese and non-Chinese parties. In the global economy there are rooms for further improvement. The paper proposed some ideas on reforming the Chinese arbitration law and practices on the arbitration system regarding the ad hoc arbitration, panel system and tribunal jurisdiction, interim measures of protection, as well as standards for the judicial review on the arbitral awards.