Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-1-2005
Keywords
tort reform, asbestiosis, mesothelioma, bankruptcy reform, environment law
Abstract
The current tort "reform" movement, if successful, will completely undermine our most effective tool for deterring outrageous corporate misconduct: the threat of punitive damages. Such "reform" would have a particularly egregious impact on the environment and public health because, due to a lack of enforcement and the undetectable nature of many pollutants, environmental offenses are often more difficult to deter than other types of offenses. The essay argues that, although rarely imposed for environmental offenses, punitive damages are especially vital in that arena because, when imposed, they are richly deserved. It concludes that, rather than tort reform, what we need in order to protect the health and safety of our communities is bankruptcy reform.
Disciplines
Environmental Law | Environmental Public Health | Health Law and Policy | Law | Public Health | Torts
Included in
Environmental Law Commons, Environmental Public Health Commons, Health Law and Policy Commons, Torts Commons
Comments
The paper received first place in the 2005 Roscoe Hogan Environmental Law Essay Contest sponsored by the Roscoe Pound Institute. The paper was published in the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law, http://vjel.vermontlaw.edu/writing-competition/2005-essays/a-new-kind-of-outrageous-misconduct-efforts-to-undermine-the-laws-ability-to-deter-and-punish-intentional-and-outrageous-corporate-behavior/