Personal Injury
| Tort Law--Deterrence and Avoiding Self-Help |
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| Apart from legislation granting a right to sue for a specific harm, personal injury law generally consists of tort law and the civil procedure for enforcing it. Most scholars agree that tort law has four purposes: (1) compensation for damages; (2) financial responsibility; (3) deterrence; and (4) avoiding self-help. This article discusses the purposes of deterrence and avoiding self-help. More... |
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| Fraud Requires Deceitfulness and Reasonable Reliance |
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| Liability for fraud exists when six elements are proven: (1) knowingly, recklessly, or without reasonable grounds, (2) making a material misrepresentation (3) to deceive another (4) who reasonably relies on the misrepresentation (5) causing that person (6) actual damages. This article discusses the third element, deceitfulness, and the fourth element, reasonable reliance. More... |
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| Structured Settlements |
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| When a plaintiff brings a personal injury action against a defendant for damages and the parties decide to settle the case, they may enter into a structured settlement to compensate the plaintiff for his injury. Structured settlements are monetary awards for damages that are paid in installments over a period of time. They are frequently used to settle tort cases involving severe injuries in which large damages are sought (e.g., products liability, medical malpractice, and wrongful death cases) because of the defendant's inability to pay the amount in one lump sum. More... |
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| Federal Tort Claims Act - Discretionary Function Exception |
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| The Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) bars claims that are based on the performance or failure to perform a discretionary function or duty of a federal agency or federal government employee, even if there is an abuse of discretion. According to this "discretionary function exception," a personal injury action cannot be filed under the FTCA if the employee's negligence arises from a discretionary function or the execution of a statute or regulation. More... |
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| Classifying Torts |
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| Apart from legislation granting a right to sue for a specific harm, personal injury law generally consists of tort law and the civil procedure for enforcing it. This article discusses how tort law is classified. More... |
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