Tort Insurance Law Journal

Reports of all decisions rendered in insurance cases in the federal courts, and in the state courts of last resort.

Over the past century, tort law and insurance have developed deeply intertwined legal and economic roots. Insurance usually determines whether tort cases are brought to trial, whom plaintiffs sue, how much they claim, who provides the defense, how the case gets litigated, the dynamics of the settlement, and how much plaintiffs ultimately recover. But to what extent should liability rules be influenced by insurance? In this study, Mark Rahdert identifies the leading arguments both in favor of and against what he terms the "insurance rationale"—the idea that tort law should be structured to facilitate victim access to assured compensation. The insurance rationale has been a leading force in the development of product liability law and, as a component of accident compensation, has significantly influenced pro-plaintiff advances in principal areas of tort law. However, the insurance rationale is also the source of great controversy. Critics charge that liability rules deliberately set to maximize plaintiffs' access to insurance funds have corrupted the system, causing insurance costs to spiral upward uncontrollably. Considering the strengths and weaknesses of both sides of the current debate, Rahdert develops a modified version of the insurance rationale that can become a tool for evaluating future tort reform proposals.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1871.

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Kenneth Abraham explores the development and interdependency of the tort liability regime and the insurance system in the United States during the twentieth century and beyond, including the events of September 11, 2001. From its beginning late in the nineteenth century, the availability of liability insurance led to the creation of new forms of liability, heavily influenced expansion of the liabilities that already existed, and continually promoted increases in the amount of money that was awarded in tort suits. A “liability-and-insurance spiral” emerged, in which the availability of liability insurance encouraged the imposition of more liability, and, in turn, the imposition of liability encouraged the further spread of insurance. Liability insurance was not merely a source of funding for ever-greater amounts of tort liability. Liability insurers came to dominate tort litigation. They defended lawsuits against their policyholders, and they decided which cases to settle, fight, or appeal. The very idea behind insurance––that spreading losses among large numbers of policyholders is desirable––came to influence the ideology of tort law. To serve the aim of loss spreading, liability had to expand. Today the tort liability and insurance systems constantly interact, and to reform one the role of the other must be fully understood.

Issues for Jan. 1892-Dec. 1938 have subtitle: Reports of all decisions rendered in insurance cases in the federal courts, and in the state courts of last resort (varies slightly).

Causation is a crucial and complex matter in ascertaining whether a particular loss or damage is covered in an insurance policy or in a tort claim, and is an issue that cannot be escaped. Now in its second edition, this unique book assists practitioners in answering one of the most important questions faced in the handling of insurance and tort claims. Through extensive case law analysis, this book scrutinises the causation theory in marine insurance and non-marine insurance law, and provides a comparative study on the causation test in tort law. In addition, the author expertly applies causation questions in concrete scenarios, and ultimately, this book provides a single volume solution to a very complex but essential question of insurance law and tort law. Thoroughly revised and updated throughout to include the Insurance Act 2015, several landmark cases and potential impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, the second edition also features an introduction re-written to clarify elementary and central questions of causation in insurance law and tort. Additionally, it also provides three brand new chapters on Factual Causation and Legal Causation, Causation and Interpretation, and Causation and Measure of Losses to provide a deeper and more thorough analysis, comparing academic approaches and juridical approaches to addressing causation issues in insurance claims. This book is an invaluable and unique guide for insurance industry professionals, as well as legal practitioners, academics and students in the fields of insurance and tort law.