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Tort Law

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Expanding Reasonableness in the Field of Torts Induces Efficiency and Fairness

1. Introduction

Over the past several years the body of laws governing compensation in tort law has substantially transformed from its common law origins. In the course of what many have advocated in the name of "tort reform," more than half of the United States have revised, or attempted to revise, one or more aspects of tort liability and damage principles to a greater or lesser degree. Tort law is, of course, constantly evolving; everyday in courts across the country, judges, attorneys and jurors are making and reshaping the law. Despite efforts for reform, one still cannot overlook the nature of modern torts and fail to …show more content…

Employing two different sets of recovery is cumbersome and confusing for those seeking recovery. Also, the courts would have an easier time of understanding and applying one set of laws and regulations than two different sets as we have today. Historically, however, the use of negligence theory for such purposes was drastically limited by the requirement of privity.10 This requirement stems from an 1842 English case, Winterbottom, where the driver of a mail coach was injured when the coach broke down due to a lack of repair.11 He sued the defendant, who contracted with the post office to keep the coach in good condition. The court held that since the defendant 's original duty or repair arose out of a contract; that duty extended only to the other contracting party; the post office. Since the plaintiff never contracted with the defendant, his lack of privity meant that he could not recover, either in contract or more importantly for this discussion, tort. 12

During the seventy years following this case, the courts modified that rule to permit negligence suits without privity where personal injury occurred from an "inherently dangerous" defective product.13 A consumer who was made sick by contaminated food, for example, could sue the manufacturer, even though she had made her purchase from a retailer; the food was said

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