The Role of Suggestibility in Personal Injury Claims

Interrogative suggestibility and other psychological vulnerabilities are often assessed in the forensic criminal context in disputed confession cases. Such an assessment may also be relevant in disputing the validity of a confession by a plaintiff in a tort claim. This paper will outline the relevancy of suggestibility in the personal injury context, the reasons why an individual may falsely confess, how interrogative techniques may increase the likelihood of a false confession, false confession and suggestibility research, and methodology to be used in assessing vulnerability to falsely confessing.     

人身损害鉴定制度的重构

我国现行人身损害鉴定制度存在鉴定主体繁多杂乱、鉴定程序不够规范、鉴定意见质证认证规则不够完善等弊端,造成此状况的深层原因在于,人身损害鉴定制度的价值取向不明。重构我国人身损害鉴定制度应当从价值取向、制度设计和具体措施三个方面着手。在价值取向上,以公开、公平和公正原则为指导,以提供具有较强证明力的证据为目标;在制度设计上,应当确立客观中立且具有专门科学和医学知识的鉴定主体,完善中立规范的鉴定程序,建立有效的鉴定意见质证认证机制;在工作措施上,应当调整现有鉴定机构,规范鉴定机构和鉴定人,同时打造专业化的司法队伍。     

Ontario Psychological Association Guidelines for Assessment and Treatment in Auto Insurance Claims

The Ontario Psychological Association Guidelines for Assessment and Treatment in Auto Insurance Claims was published on the Ontario Psychological Association website in July, 2010 (Smith, A., and OPA Auto Task Force, 2010, Ontario Psychological Association Guidelines for Assessment and Treatment in Auto Insurance Claims. Ontario Psychological Association, Toronto, Ontario. Retrieved from http://www.psych.on.ca/files/members/OPA_Auto_Practice_Guidelines_July292010_July_30_2010.pdf). Excerpts are reproduced in the journal because of the comprehensive nature of the document. To our knowledge, this is the first time that state or provincial guidelines have included all the major psychological diagnoses in rehabilitation work with motor vehicle accident survivors (chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, depression). Space limitations preclude publishing of the full document, but it should be consulted. The present excerpt focuses on the nature of the psychological injuries and the best practices in treating them, along with cautions for assessment, comorbidities and polytrauma, litigation distress and barriers and complications in recovery.     

我国人身损害赔偿制度的困境与超越

当代侵权行为法面临的危机在我国人身损害赔偿制度的困境中得到充分的体现,突出表现在制度功能、当事人心理和司法裁判方面,根源在于固守传统道德机理的人身损害赔偿制度无法应对现代复杂的侵权关系。解决的途径在于重新审视我国人身损害赔偿制度的功能体系、检讨精神损害和物质损害赔偿的操作方略,寻求解决危机的有效路径。     

The 4 Ds of Forensic Mental Health Assessments of Personal Injury

The field of psychiatric/psychological injury and law concerns tort and other legal claims for injuries sustained in events at issue, such as in motor vehicle accidents (MVAs), worker compensation, or the veteran affairs (VA). The 4 Ds refer to the requirement that legal action in these types of cases can proceed when there is a duty, the duty has been discharged with dereliction, the resultant act has caused directly tortious harm, and damages are applicable. In contrast, the related 4 Cs refer to the conditions of effective forensic testimony. The principles of forensic mental health assessment (FMHA; Heilbrun et al., 2009) underscore the scientific requirements in forensic assessments, as do the American Psychological Association’s (APA, 2013) forensic specialty guidelines. For example, Brodsky’s maxims for effective work in court (Brodsky & Gutheil, 2016) cover a broad spectrum of ethical and practice guidelines for the profession. Similarly, Young (2016 a, b, c) has specified the parameters of admissible evidence in court, functioning ethically for the court, and the need to be comprehensive, scientifically informed, and impartial in forensic mental health assessments. All these sources lead to an integrated set of the principles for effective and ethical practice in the forensic arena of mental health work, referred here as the 4 Ds for the field of psychiatric/psychological injury and law. These revised 4 D principles involve Dignity, Distance, Data, and Determinations.     

工伤案件赔偿请求权竞合问题研究

工伤案件往往同时涉及工伤保险待遇和人身损害赔偿两种不同的请求权,在这两种请求权竞合时如何处理,我国现有法律显得很不完善.通过对工伤保险待遇和人身损害赔偿两种不同的请求权进行比较,分析我国现有法律规范关于工伤案件赔偿请求权竞合时如何处理的相关规定及其存在的问题,介绍国外处理工伤案件赔偿请求权竞合问题的四种不同模式,提出解决工伤案件赔偿请求权竞合问题的建议.     

论潜伏性人身损害的赔偿

随着科学技术的发展和疾病知识的普及,潜伏性人身损害的赔偿问题日益引起重视。既有立法基本不对损害进行界定,潜伏性人身损害更不会在立法文本中得到体现,但是既有损害概念的学理解释可以为潜伏性人身损害的赔偿提供认识基础。对潜伏性人身损害予以赔偿有其必要性,但是也会对传统侵权法带来挑战。虽然如此,既有司法实践还是积极回应受害人的赔偿诉求,从概念扩张和利益平衡等角度进行了大胆探索。为了有效解决潜伏性人身损害的赔偿问题,既需要从损害概念的更新方面做出努力,又需要从诉讼中的证明责任、证明能力等角度进行变革。     

高校学生人身伤害事故责任认定探究

近年来,高等院校学生人身伤害事故不时见诸报端,高校频频坐在被告席上。学生安全事故发生后各方责任难以认定,对此很多人认为只要学生在学校遭受伤害,学校就应该负责任。本文立足于这些难题,通过分析高校学生人身伤害事故的特点,探究校方对学生的安全保障义务及违反不同义务所引发的责任,依据不同的归责原则适用范围,提出了高校因安全保障义务来源的不同分别选用不同的归责原则。     

论人身损害赔偿请求权与继承

自然人的人身遭受侵害导致其死亡时,加害人应对被害人及其近亲属做出赔偿,其主要内容可区分为财产上的利益及非财产上的利益。然而,由于被害人已经死亡,因此如何考虑人身伤害赔偿中的请求权之产生,以及其与继承关系的整合性,将成为人身损害赔偿理论中的核心问题。     

婚内人身损害赔偿问题研究

现行法律制度无法提供非离婚条件下配偶间民事损害赔偿救济,从而置家庭暴力受害者于尴尬境地,应当加以解决。本文剖析了导致婚内损害赔偿受阻的立法,司法解释等法律症结,厘清了婚内人身损害赔偿制度与家庭财产制度及离婚损害赔偿制度之间的关系,提出了增加非常财产制度、修改有关司法解释等解决婚内损害赔偿问题的具体思路。     

人身侵权债权在破产清偿顺位中优先受偿之思辩

在调整人身侵权债权的各种制度中,为人身侵权债权在破产清偿顺位中找寻优先清偿点是次优制度选择,因为无论人身侵权债权定位在哪一个清偿层面都是后序债权人为破产企业的非法行为买单。为此,在其他法律制度足以保护人身侵权债权人权益的前提下,在破产清偿顺位中为人身侵权债权人设置优先受偿权实属不必要。但是其他法律制度不足以保护人身侵权债权人的权益时,我们可以考虑在破产清偿顺位中采用将人身侵权债权与劳动者债权同序的方式来保护人身侵权债权人的合法权益。     

The Aftermath of the Macondo Discovery Well Spill: The Interplay of Claims to the Gulf Coast Claims Facility and Insurance Claims

The processing of claims for compensation arising from the April 20, 2010, explosion of the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig and its environmental and economic aftermath has proceeded simultaneously before the Gulf Coast Claims Facility and insurers. The criteria for recovery between these two recipients of claims differ significantly. Compensation from the facility has included claims for purely economic injury, whereas compensation from insurance generally requires, inter alia, a closer geographic or causal nexus to property damage. The resolution of compensation issues both by the facility and insurers will impact whether further disputes arise in the courts. Based upon similar experiences from September 11 and Hurricane Katrina, these issues are likely to continue for several years before they are fully resolved.     

论人身损害赔偿之债在破产程序中的优先受偿

在三鹿集团破产程序中,法院最终裁定结石患儿的赔偿率为零。在社会转型期的中国,三鹿集团的破产并不是大规模侵权案件发生的终点,而是探索人身损害赔偿之债在企业破产法中的立法定位问题的起点。本文的主要目的在于探讨因企业大规模侵权而导致破产的情形下,如何通过制度设计来实现受害人人身损害赔偿之债的优先受偿问题,这对于构建和谐社会具有重要意义。     

The Contingency Legal Aid Fund: A Third Way to Finance Personal Injury Litigation

Northern Ireland missed out on all the major reforms to civil justice which took place in England and Wales during the 1980s and 1990s. However the reform movement is now gathering pace and a Legal Services Commission is due to start work in the spring of 2003. This article considers how personal injury claims might be funded. The government wants to introduce conditional fee agreements (CFAs) but widespread hostility expressed by many interested parties led to the consideration of an alternative funding system, the Contingency Legal Aid Fund (CLAF). The relative merits of CFAs and CLAF are considered in the following pages.     

人身损害赔偿金在婚姻财产中的界定

婚姻关系中的受害人所取得的人身损害赔偿金,应该属于夫妻一方的个人财产,还是应归属夫妻共同财产。从我国现有的有关法律规定看,人身损害赔偿金笼统地划归为夫妻的个人财产,其缺陷甚为明显。美国的立法和司法实践经验,在这一问题上无疑为我们提供了很好的参考借鉴。根据权利义务相一致原则,人身损害赔偿金除与受害人人身紧密相关的精神抚慰金、伤痛补偿金、残疾赔偿金外,其余赔偿费用如误工费、护理费、交通费、住宿费、住院伙食补助费、必要的营养费、医疗费、残疾辅助器具费等应该为夫妻的共同财产。     

Philip Corboy and the Construction of the Plaintiffs' Personal Injury Bar

Drawing on the career of Philip Corboy, this article examines the construction of the plaintiffs' personal injury bar in the second half of the 20th century. Through a relational biography based on Mr. Corboy's career, we look at the development of this subprofession in the context of the sociopolitical environment within which Mr. Corboy and his peers operated, the social capital they possessed, and the particular strategies they used as they worked to establish both a professional and market niche. This analysis shows how and why Mr. Corboy and his peers constructed a thriving subprofession that is characterized by a unique blend of working-class ideology, trial craft, professional bar leadership, Democratic politics, local philanthropy, and a market referral system — all of which reinforce the dominance and prestige of its own elite .