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Prof. Meredith J. Duncan
T 1/19 & W 1/20 Torts (Spring 2016)
AdministraDve MaFers www.law.uh.edu/faculty/mduncan
•   Syllabus
•   Reading assignments
•   Announcements
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T HE C OMMON L AW
•   Common law?
•   Tort law vs. contract law?
•   “business of tort law”?
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•   Fault
•   Burden of Proof?
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•   UnintenDonal, but at fault
–   “Ordinary care”
•   Burden of Proof?
•   UnintenDonal vs. Involuntary
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Hypo 1-1
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Spano v. Perini Corp.
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Overview of Tort Law
•   JusDce Holmes – liability w/o regard to fault
•   Weaver v. Ward – tort liability based upon fault
•   Brown v. Kendall
–   voluntary act required for all torts
–   tort liability may be based upon either intenDonal or unintenDonal acDon(s)
–   BOP on plainDff
•   Spano v. Perini – strict tort liability
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Overview of Torts
1.
IntenDonal Torts
2.
Negligence AcDons
3.
Strict Liability
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Prima Facie elements
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Intent
2.
Act
3.
CausaCon
4.
Technical Injury
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Prima Facie elements
1.
Intent
2.
Act
3.
CausaCon
4.
Technical Injury
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•   Intent
–   Specific or
–   General
•   Liability of Minors?
•   Insurance?
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•   Specific
–   Desiring to bring about the technical injury that the parDcular tort seeks to protect against
•   General
–   Knowing to a substanDal certainty that the technical injury that the parDcular tort seeks to protect against will result
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Spivey v. Ba8aglia
•   statute of limitaDons?
•   line between negligence and intent?
•   mutually exclusive theories of recovery?
•   wrong result!
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•   Mistake does not negate intent
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•   Mental illness does not negate intent
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