Practical Global Tort Litigation

Book excerpt: Practical Global Tort Litigation takes readers on a journey through a tort case in the U.S., Germany, and Argentina. Using a shattering glass food container as the vehicle, the book compares how a prototypical products liability case would be handled in the U.S. common law system and representative civil law nations in Europe and Latin America. The book analyzes from a real world perspective issues such as fact gathering and presentation, expert witnesses, burdens of proof, theories of recovery and defenses, and damages and attorneys'' fees. This book is part of the Contextual Approach Series, edited by Andrew J. McClurg, Professor and Herff Chair of Excellence in Law, The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. "Practical Global Tort Litigation explores how the law would address an ordinary products liability dispute on separate continents around the world-in North America, Europe, and South America. It is impossible to conceive of a more creative, effective, or engaging way to get one''s arms around the fascinating if unwieldy issues of comparative law than to examine through separate lenses how a particular lawsuit would be handled under such disparate legal systems, reflecting such differing cultural traditions. The distinctive portraits painted here reveal enough threads of commonality to animate the enduring hope of comparativists in every land that similar strands of fairness and justice around the globe, spanning continents and civilizations, reveal enduring links of human experience at a primal level." -- David G. Owen, Carolina Distinguished Professor of Law, University of South Carolina "McClurg, Koyuncu, and Sprovieri have produced the blueprint for academics interested in examining comparative approaches to the law. The book''s strength lies in its holistic examination of a claim from injury to legal resolution within the juridical systems of the United States, Germany, and Argentina. There simply is no better way to address the fundamental issues raised in a comparative tort litigation setting than this contextualized approach. Having had the pleasure to work with the lead author for several years, I can think of no better scholar and teacher to undertake this ambitious endeavor. He and his fellow authors have not only met their goals, they have set the standard for future comparative engagements." -- Ediberto Román, Professor of Law, Florida International University "The unique focus on a single case permits three different legal systems to be compared effectively and efficiently. The brisk and accessible style makes it perfect for classroom use, although lawyers outside of the academy will find it worth reading for the sheer intrinsic pleasure of learning about how familiar concepts are handled elsewhere. In recent years, American lawyers have been told that the world is shrinking: this book is a useful and practical step towards dealing with the globalization of law." -- Anthony J. Sebok, Centennial Professor of Law, Brooklyn Law School "The book convinces by a simultaneous and detailed presentation of central problems of product liability law and the review of the examined jurisdictions as a whole. Therefore, it is valuable for all those readers who practically or theoretically deal with product liability law as well as for those readers who are generally interested in comparative law." -- Produkthaftpflicht international (Product Liability International Journal) "Overall, by working practically through a concrete case this book provides valuable comparative views into the substantive and procedural product liability laws in the U.S.A., Germany and Argentina. The authors deliver -- by highlighting the differences between the countries -- a well-written presentation, in which they also describe possible defense strategies for manufacturers. In addition to the comparative contents, the book is flavored with experiences and insights of the three authors. Particularly, through its numerous practical aspects, the book delivers inspiring and valuable insights for scientific legal scholars, practitioners and interested students. The benefit of this fluently written book is even enhanced by the fact that each chapter contains a table-sheet summary where the commonalities and differences in the analyzed countries are accentuated. This alleviates the quick look for readers. In conclusion, here is a very felicitous and scientifically and practically valuable book, that can be recommended without reservation." -- Recht der Internationalen Wirtschaft (Law of International Economy Journal) "[This] book can be recommended with confidence to all those who are interested in product liability law, since even experts may discover some interesting new approaches in this book. The book is also valuable for those generally interested in comparative law, because it demonstrates in an exemplary manner that successful comparative law cannot merely end with a comparison of material norms, but what must instead be pursued is the examination of the law in its entirety, once again by placing the examined legal field in a social, resp. legal, nexus." -- Versicherungsrecht (VersR) "In summary, by using an example of a concrete liability case, the book delivers insight into the aspects of the substantive and procedural product liability law in the United States, Argentina and Germany. The book is fluently written and easily to understand. It offers instructive and useful information for experts in companies, lawyers, legal academics and students. Especially useful are the tables at the end of each chapter, which summarize the content of the chapter and outline special characteristics, similarities and differences of the respective law in the three countries. This provides the reader with a quick overview. Everyone interested in product liability or comparative law will benefit from this book. Last but not least, it is quite economically priced." -- Peter Hoffman, editor of Food and Law