Preconception tort liability: recognizing a strict liability cause of action for DES grandchildren.

Over the past decade more than 1,000 "DES daughters" have filed lawsuits against the manufacturers of DES, alleging that their in utero exposure to the drug caused various reproductive tract abnormalities, including cancer. Plaintiffs now allege that their grandmothers' use of DES during pregnancy caused genetic damage leading to cancer in third generations. This Note addresses the validity of preconception tort liability in the context of third-generation DES cases. Plaintiffs in preconception tort liability cases have sought recovery under both negligence and strict liability causes of action. Courts should recognize the validity of preconception tort liability and allow a strict liability cause of action in third-generation cases.     

Products liability issues in school asbestos litigation

The hazards posed by deteriorating friable asbestos in the nation's schools are causing serious concerns for public health officials, school boards, parents and school employees. Reports by both the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Attorney General's Office agree that both school children and school employees stand a substantially increased risk of contracting some form of asbestos-related disease as a result of exposure to deteriorating asbestos materials in school buildings. School systems plagued by the asbestos hazards are now filing suits against asbestos manufacturers alleging causes of action in breach of warranty, negligence and strict products liability in tort. Some plaintiffs in school asbestos litigation seek to recover the costs of EPA-mandated asbestos inspection and abatement programs which have already been completed. Still others request injunctions to compel the manufacturers themselves to conduct inspections and finance abatement. This Note examines the school asbestos situation from a legal perspective and focuses primarily on whether the schools' claims should be considered as economic losses or as property damage. It examines the impact of statutes of limitations on these cases under both contract and tort theories. The Note argues that school asbestos claims should be decided under a strict products liability standard.     

Let's Get Physical: Civil Liability and the Perception of Risk

The article aims to explore the place of perceptions of riskwithin the law of tort. It examines both property-related, ‘stigmadamages’ cases and also personal injury-related ‘fearof disease’ cases. A finding of some form of physicaldamage or injury seems to be required by the courts in orderto establish liability in both instances. Having explored thecontentious issue of the precise contours of such damage orinjury, the article concludes with a suggestion for a quantifiability-basedapproach to establishing liability in the area.     

Tort Reform and Physician Sanctioning

This article examines the relationship between changes in tort rules and the sanctioning of physicians by state medical boards. It compares the sanctioning rates for doctors in states that have passed tort reforms with the rates in states that have not made legislative changes. It concludes that alterations to the joint liability rule may have increased sanctioning, while the addition of pre–trial screening panels and regulation of attorney fees may have limited the number of physicians who receive punishment.     

风险社会下的大规模侵权与责任保险的适用

人类自身活动已成为现代社会风险的根本性来源,大规模侵权是风险社会的极端表现,传统侵权责任法的单一赔偿机制已不足以救助大规模侵权中的众多受害者,将责任保险运用于大规模侵权损害救济中,对于维护社会经济秩序稳定,构建和谐社会具有重要意义。大规模侵权责任保险的构建应在模式选择、责任保险范围、责任限额、保险费率以及风险防范等问题上进行合理设计。     

Technology and torts: Memory costs, nondurable precautions and interference effects

This article examines the influence of nondurable precaution technologies on the expansion of tort awards. We provide four contributions to the literature. First, we present a general, formal model on durable and non-durable precaution technology that focuses on memory costs. Second, because liability exposure creates interference, we argue that tort law perpetuates the expansion of awards. Third, because plaintiffs do not consider the social costs of interference effects, private litigation induces socially excessive suits. Fourth, while new harm-reducing technologies likely increase accident rates, such technologies also raise the ratio of trial costs to harm, leaving undetermined the overall effect of new technologies on the rate of litigation.     

民法典编纂视域下的大规模侵权定位

风险社会中泛滥的大规模侵权事件严重侵害了不特定多数人的生命权、健康权、财产权等民事权益,而沿用传统侵权类型的救济模式却抑或由于过错要件、因果关系要件的难以证明,抑或囿于致害者的责任财产不足,难以给予被侵权者妥帖而有效的保护。为了缓解大规模侵权类型在侵权责任体系中的规制缺位导致的救济困境,并于民法典中充分彰显人格权保护的理念,有必要在民法典编纂的进程中将大规模侵权纳入侵权责任体系,进行有别于传统侵权类型的规则设计。     

论侵害人不明的大规模产品侵权责任：以市场份额责任为中心

对侵害人不明的大规模产品侵权，美国司法界使用市场份额责任对受害人加以救济，通过历史和理论的分析，可以发现所谓市场份额责任实际上是择一责任的原告在无法起诉所有被告情况下的一种特别处理而已。而择一责任则与大陆法系语境中的共同危险行为有着很大程度上的同一性。那么在承认后者的我国存在着市场份额理论一定的适用空间。     

侵权立法若干问题思考

侵权法应定名为侵权责任法而不是侵权行为法。侵权请求权应包括绝对权请求权,同时在法律适用上应理顺侵权损害赔偿请求权与绝对权请求权之间的关系。侵权法的归责原则具有"原则—规则"双重属性,是贯通侵权法内部体系和外部体系的枢纽。作为原则,归责原则应包括过错责任、无过错责任、过错推定责任和公平责任四元体系。作为法律规则,归责原则具有模糊性和具体性。最大限度的类型化是侵权责任立法的理想,采取"框架式全面类型化"即规定侵权必要类型并采取总分结构,是类型化的现实模式。     

特殊侵权责任的意识——析高度危险作业的范围

本文通过两则个案的系统分析 ,展示了特殊侵权行为在审判实践中的运用情况。针对这种情况 ,作者认为法官及当事人自己对于特殊侵权行为的认识是远远不够的 ,对于由此而产生的民事责任与一般民事责任的不同也不够重视 ,尤其是在归责原则和民事责任的范围上更是如此。这必然影响到案件的公正审判 ,而且这种情况普遍存在。作者建议应当在立法中明确高度危险作业的范围 ,并使之具有可操作性 ,以实现法律的基本目的 ,保护受害人利益 ,公平分配责任。     

对安全保障义务人因第三人侵权所承担责任的再探讨

经过四年多的实践,人们对安全保障义务人因第三人侵权,应当承担补充赔偿责任的法律规定产生了疑问,认为无论是在法理上还是在司法实务中都存在一定的缺憾。因此建议将安全保障义务人因第三人侵权所承担的责任,界定为无意思联络数人侵权的按份责任,以便更好地体现侵权法的目的和发挥侵权责任的功能。     

服务侵权责任是独立的质量侵权责任

服务侵权责任是一项独立的质量侵权责任。承担服务侵权责任的前提条件是服务存在缺陷,即服务经营者所提供的服务不符合保障人身、财产安全的要求,包括服务设计缺陷、服务指示缺陷和服务过程缺陷。服务侵权责任的归责原则应采取过借推定兼顾公平原则。服务侵权责任与产品责任、建筑侵权责任构成我国“三位一体”的质量侵权责任制度。     

生态文明背景下侵权法一般规则的“绿色化”改造

作为落实《民法总则》绿色原则的重要领域,侵权责任法回应环境问题不能仅局限于环境侵权责任专章。侵权法一般规则未对绿色原则做出适当回应,已与环境侵权责任专章内容的不断发展形成巨大反差,致使环境侵权规则在整体上游离于侵权法体系之外。此状况不仅理论上难以自洽,而且招致了实践争议,不利于对环境权益的保护。在侵权法一般规则中贯彻绿色原则,并与环境侵权的专门规定相互呼应,既是生态文明的时代需求,也是侵权法、民法体系化的必然要求。完善民法典侵权责任编(草案)应以全面救济环境损害为目标,具化、优化侵权责任方式和责任承担,同时注重发挥法律解释的作用,通过多途径推动侵权法一般规则的绿色化,增强侵权法体系乃至民法体系的融贯性。建议修改侵权责任编(草案)的救济范围、责任方式和责任分担等规定,并在《民法总则》纳入民法典时调整相关规范,形成从民法总则、侵权法一般规则到环境侵权专门规则相互协调的环境损害民法救济体系。     

海上人身伤亡案件的法律适用

海上人身伤亡案件受害人有权选择请求加害方承担违约或侵权责任。违约或侵权行为是否构成应根据民法通则、海商法、合同法、劳动法等法律法规确定。违约责任以严格责任为一般原则,海商法规定承运人对旅客承担过错责任不合理。一般侵权行为归责原则为过错责任,而特殊侵权行为为无过错责任。现行的关于海上人身伤亡赔偿的法律、行政规章和司法解释对赔偿范围、损失计算、责任限制的规定标准不一,相互不协调,应予修正。     

Distorting Vicarious Liability

The note considers the decision of the Court of Appeal in Maga v The Trustees of the Birmingham Archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church and analyses the application of the status based risk approach to vicarious liability in that case. It considers its application outside of the area of clerical sexual abuse, and also the role in vicarious liability of job conferred status which materially increases the risk of the commission of a tort, or helps to facilitate a tort.     

侵权补充责任之理性审思与解释适用

《侵权责任法》仅列举了侵权补充责任的数类适用情形,缺乏统一的客观适用标准,亦未明确具体的适用规则.责任分担是责任成立的后续命题,不应再以责任构成原理为立论基点,而应以外部被侵权人受偿及内部各侵权人终局责任分担为考量因素.按份、连带责任的终局责任分担困境及不真正连带责任全额赔偿的僵化,使得补充责任不可或缺.由该正当性可推知,侵权补充责任应适用于“具有全部原因力的直接作为侵权＋过失不作为侵权”之一般情形.补充责任人应承担与过错、原因力相当的补充责任,并可向直接责任人全额追偿.     

我国的媒体侵权责任与媒体权利保护——兼与张新宝教授“新闻(媒体)侵权否认说”商榷

《民法通则》实施以来,学者把侵权责任法与新闻传播法相互结合进行研究,形成了媒体侵权责任法这一边缘学科。这一研究方式弥补了新闻传播法立法不足的问题,发挥了制裁媒体侵权、保护媒体权利和表达自由的重要作用。《侵权责任法》在规定侵权责任一般条款的同时,又规定了网络侵权责任,为正确认定媒体侵权责任、切实保护媒体权利提供了充分的法律依据。媒体侵权责任法将会以侵权责任法为基础继续发挥重要的法律调整作用。     

Tort Reform and Manufacturer Payout - An Early Look at the California Experience*

Manufacturers actively lobbied in the 1980s for legislative intervention in the tort system that would ease the burden on defendants in products liability cases. In response, all states enacted some type of general tort reform. California eliminated joint and several liability for noneconomic damages with the approval by voters in 1986 of Proposition 51. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of the California reform on manufacturer outcomes in products liability cases. The results suggest that manufacturers are paying a lower proportion of plaintiff awards than they would have in the absence of Proposition 51.     

证券虚假陈述及民事责任确定之我见

证券虚假陈述是一个内涵和外延十分复杂的概念 ,必须加以清晰界定 ,这是确定其民事责任的先决条件。证券虚假陈述民事责任可以从侵权行为法和合同法双向理解 ,就损害赔偿而言 ,适用侵权责任规则比较直接和简便 ,但举证责任方面要有利于受害人。合同法规则在某些虚假陈述的案件中具有优越性 ,必要时应赋予受欺诈人通过侵权法和合同法救济的选择权。     

侵权责任法制定中的若干问题

侵权责任法主要是救济法,并且在现代社会中具有日益重要的地位。在此基础上,我国侵权责任法制定中需要正确解决相关重要问题,主要包括该法律的名称、关于侵权法与人格权法、物权法、知识产权法等法律的关系、侵权法的体系结构、关于一般条款与具体类型化之间的关系、正确处理好侵权法和环境保护法、国家赔偿法等特别侵权法的关系、关于违法性是否应当成为责任构成要件、关于损害赔偿等问题。