Personal Injury

This course examines the role of the Food and Drug Administration in the regulation of prescription drugs and medical devices, the tort liability of drug and device manufacturers, the novel legal issues that arise from the acknowledged risks and side-effects associated with the use of such products, the role of physicians in prescribing them, and the policy-based legislative limits on the liability of those who develop and manufacture them. The course may also include a discussion of the economics of new products innovation.

Focuses on the Minnesota No-Fault Automobile Insurance Act, including analysis of no-fault, bodily injury liability, uninsured motorist and underinsured motorist automobile coverages. Includes a study of the available benefits, problems relating to the source and priority of coverage, exclusions from coverage, and relationship to tort liability actions.

Surveys no-fault compensation laws covering personal injuries in employment, including substance, procedure, and benefits under workers' compensation law.

Action park featured homegrown attractions, an experimental approach to safety, vast quantities of alcohol, and, as it turns out, an almost entirely notional insurance company--all overseen by its founder, who had, as we will discuss, a unique, but not entirely baseless, view of what his responsibility should be. In addition to stories, injuries, and deaths, Action Park has led to a movie and a book--and now a law school course. The course will include guest speakers, including some who visited Action Park, as well as people from today's amusement park industry. Additionally, the author of the book and the director of the film will join the course, as will a psychologist who specializes in risk taking behavior by adolescents and young adults. The premise of the course is that we can sometimes learn the most about the development of various areas of law by exploring situations in which someone pushes those areas' boundaries. We will primarily explore tort law, but also touch on administrative law, the interplay of federal and state law and regulations, and insurance law. PreReq: LAW-1040