Bøger i Tort and Insurance Law serien

in recent years, there has been a growing interest in the legal aspects of mass torts in Europe. Both academics, legislatures, courts and policymakers throughout the whole of Europe have been struggling with the challenges that such massification' of private law relationships poses both in and outside of tort law. The subject moves between the law of civil procedure, substantive tort law, access to justice debates and regulatory frameworks for mass disputes. This volume offers both a caleidoscopic review of real-life key cases of mass tort and an in-depth reflection on the broader implications of mass tort in Europe. Thus, the challenges posed by mass torts are explored, mapped and analysed.

Ten years after the first study published in this field by the European Centre of Tort and Insurance Law, liability for medical malpractice is still a hot topic throughout Europe and it continues to expand and develop. In order to provide an update on the current situation across European legal systems, this book includes fourteen country reports authored by renowned experts from each legal system. In addition to providing a theoretical survey of key issues, each contributor also analyzed six hypotheticals based on actual cases, thereby also providing practical guidance on major aspects ofliability claims. A concluding comparative analysis highlights commonalities and differences in the liability rules employed, dispute resolution procedures and the insurance background.

Initiated by the European Commission, the first study published in this volume analyses the largely unresolved question as to how damage caused by artificial intelligence (AI) systems is allocated by the rules of tortious liability currently in force in the Member States of the European Union and in the United States, to examine whether - and if so, to what extent - national tort law regimes differ in that respect, and to identify possible gaps in the protection of injured parties. The second study offers guiding principles for safety and liability with regard to software, testing how the existing acquis needs to be adjusted in order to adequately cope with the risks posed by software and AI. The annex contains the final report of the New Technologies Formation of the Expert Group on Liability and New Technologies, assessing the extent to which existing liability schemes are adapted to the emerging market realities following the development of new digital technologies.

In recent years several cases concerning the liability of directors and officers have courted controversy. Arguments raised in such discussions oscillate between two extremes: on the one hand, the need for governing bodies to give a space to entrepreneurial discretion and on the other hand to ensure the protection of investors in and creditors of a company from the consequences of disadvantageous decisions by those bodies. In light of the geographical dispersal of the above stakeholders, the study offers a comparative insight into the liability of directors and officers in 10 key European jurisdictions (in particular, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain and Switzerland) and 4 non-European jurisdictions (namely Brazil, Israel, Turkey and the United States). Amongst other things it investigates existing company law principles on the topic and examines their interaction with tort law and other fields with a view to suggesting principles for better stakeholder protection. National reports are complemented by an economic analysis and insurance, conflict of laws and comparative reports. The study also benefits from case study analyses.

Statutory obligations to take out liability insurance are, in practice, the most important means to ensure compensability of damage arising from dangerous activities. This study surveys compulsory liability insurance from nine national perspectives (Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom).

Compensation for loss of housekeeping capacity is one of the main heads of damages awarded for personal injury, and therefore of great practical importance to both accident victims and liability insurers. This title examines national approaches to the award of such damages, addressing both the concepts employed in different national systems.

Courts have, traditionally, required the plaintiff to prove to the requisite standard of proof that causation exists. This monograph addresses what has, to date, been a modest reform toward permitting recovery based on a probability that causation exists, discounting the damages awarded by the probability of causation.

The study will consist of reports from different countries and will focus on the compensation of occupational diseases and accidents.

Medical Malpractice and Compensation in a Global Perspective

The debate about the use of genetically modified organisms is fuelled by the fear of potential hazards of GM farming. This title compares more than twenty jurisdictions in this respect, provides special analyses from an economic and insurance perspective and also addresses cross-border problems and international law.

Tort Law in the Jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights