Tort Law: Cases, Perspectives, and Problems

The Fourth Edition of this unique casebook has been dramatically revised. This new edition presents the important cases, statutes, empirical data, and competing tort theories in a problems-oriented format that is designed to help students acquire a sophisticated understanding of tort law through active learning. As before, the text includes a large number of problems. Now, however, the Problems, updated and considerably expanded, are organized in Sets at the end of each substantive chapter. This extensively re-written and reorganized edition includes the classic common law torts cases, but is updated throughout with teachable, cutting-edge decisions that will demand student interest and hold their attention. Particular care has been to take account of the most recent commentaries on tort law, such as the growing importance of the Restatement (Third) of Torts.

Chapter One is unique among American torts casebooks in its examination of how the dominant twenty-first century tort theories influence judicial decisionmaking and scholarship. That chapter explains six key perspectives on tort law:

• Law and Economics;
• Corrective Justice;
• Critical Race Theory;
• Critical Feminism;
• Pragmatism; and
• Social Justice

Chapter One references the famous McDonald's hot coffee litigation as a case study to illustrate these perspectives in action. Subsequent chapters continue to work through that case study and continually reference the perspectives to explain or challenge the decided cases.

The authors seek to provide students with innovative cases and problems, empowering them with practical skills. By exposing students to the most important contemporary tort law theories, the Fourth Edition of this casebook encourages students to go beyond passively memorizing case holdings and the voyeuristic experience of reading appellate opinions and truly gain perspectives on tort law.

This book also is available in a three-hole punched, alternative loose-leaf version printed on 8.5 x 11 inch paper with wider margins and with the same pagination as the hardbound book.

Thomas Galligan holds the Dodson & Hooks Endowed Chair in Maritime Law and the James Huntington and Patricia Kleinpeter Odom Professorship at the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center.

Phoebe Haddon is Chancellor Emerita and Professor of Law at Rutgers Law School - Camden.

The late Frank Maraist was the Nolan J. Edwards Professor of Law and Holt B. Harrison Professor of Law at Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center.

The late Frank McClellan was Professor Emeritus at Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law.

Michael Rustad is a Professor of Law at Suffolk University Law School.