Feminist Judgments: Rewritten Tort Opinions

459 Pages·2020·2.51 MB·English

by  Martha Chamallas, Lucinda M. Finley

feminist judgments: rewritten tort opinions
By rewriting both canonical and lesser-known tort cases from a feminist perspec-
tive, this volume exposes gender and racial bias in how courts have categorized
andevaluatedharmstemmingfromprenatalmalpractice,pregnancyloss,domes-
tic violence,sexual assault andharassment, invasionofprivacy, andtheaward of
economic and noneconomic damages. The rewritten opinions demonstrate that
when confronted with gendered harm to women, courts have often distorted or
misapplied conventional legal doctrine to diminish the harm or deny recovery.
Bringingthisimplicitbiastothesurfacecanmakelawstudents,andlawyersand
judgeswhocraftargumentsandapplytortdoctrines,moreawareofinequalitiesof
race,gender,class,andsexual orientationorgenderidentity.Thisvolumeshows
the way forward to make the basic doctrines of tort law more responsive to the
needs and perspectives of traditionally marginalized people, in ways that give
greatervaluetoharmsthattheydisproportionatelyexperience.
MarthaChamallas,the RobertJ.LynnChairinLawat OhioState University,is
knownforherscholarshiponthedevaluationofemotionalandreproductiveharm
andongenderandracebiasindamages.Sheistheauthoroftheleadingtreatise
onfeministlegal theoryandTheMeasureofInjury:Race,Gender,andTortLaw
(withJenniferB.Wriggins).
Lucinda M. Finley, the Raichle Professor of Law at the University of Buffalo,
SUNY, is a leading feminist torts scholar whose foundational articles examining
tort law from a feminist perspective have influenced new generations of legal
scholars. She coedited a leading torts casebook that directly considers issues of
gender,racial,class,andsexualidentityequityintortlaw.
Feminist Judgments Series Editors
BridgetJ.Crawford
ElisabethHaubSchoolofLawatPaceUniversity
KathrynM.Stanchi
UniversityofNevada,LasVegas,WilliamS.BoydSchoolofLaw
LindaL.Berger
UniversityofNevada,LasVegas,WilliamS.BoydSchoolofLaw
Advisory Panel for Feminist Judgments Series
KathrynAbrams,HermaHillKayDistinguishedProfessorofLaw,Universityof
California,Berkeley,SchoolofLaw
KatharineT.Bartlett,A.KennethPyeProfessorEmeritaofLaw,DukeUniversity
SchoolofLaw
MaryAnneCase,ArnoldI.ShureProfessorofLaw,UniversityofChicagoLawSchool
AprilL.Cherry,ProfessorofLaw,Cleveland-MarshallCollegeofLaw
MargaretE.Johnson,ProfessorofLaw,UniversityofBaltimoreSchoolofLaw
SoniaKatyal,DistinguishedHaasChair,UniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley,Schoolof
Law
NancyLeong,ProfessorofLaw,UniversityofDenverSturmCollegeofLaw
RachelMoran,MichaelJ.ConnellDistinguishedProfessorofLawandDeanEmerita,
UniversityCalifornia,LosAngeles,SchoolofLaw
AngelaOnwuachi-Willig,DeanandProfessorofLaw,BostonUniversitySchoolof
Law
NancyD.Polikoff,ProfessorofLawEmeritus,AmericanUniversityWashington
CollegeofLaw
DanielB.Rodriguez,HaroldWashingtonProfessorofLaw,NorthwesternUniversity
PritzkerSchoolofLaw
SusanDellerRoss,ProfessorofLaw,GeorgetownUniversityLawCenter
DeanSpade,AssociateProfessorofLaw,SeattleUniversitySchoolofLaw
RobinL.West,FrederickJ.HaasProfessorofLawandPhilosophy,Georgetown
UniversityLawCenter
VernaL.Williams,DeanandNippertProfessorofLaw,UniversityofCincinnati
CollegeofLaw

Feminist Judgments:
Rewritten Tort Opinions
Edited by
MARTHA CHAMALLAS
Ohio State University
LUCINDA M. FINLEY
University ofBuffalo,SUNY
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Contents
Noteson Contributors page xi
Preface xix
Tableof Cases xxi
part i introduction 1
1 Introduction to Feminist Judgments:Rewritten Tort
Opinions 3
MarthaChamallasandLucindaM.Finley
part ii the classics 25
2 Palsgraf v. Long IslandRailroad Co., 162 N.E. 99 (N.Y. 1928) 27
Commentary:TaunyaLovellBanks
Judgment:MauriceR.Dyson
3 Escola v. Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Fresno, 150 P.2d 436
(Cal. 1944) 54
Commentary:MaryJ.Davis
Judgment:ZanitaE.Fenton
4 Farwell v. Keaton,240 N.W.2d 217(Mich. 1976) 73
Commentary:E.ChristiCunningham
Judgment:SarahL.Swan
5 Tarasoffv. Regents of the University of California,551 P.2d
334 (Cal. 1976) 93
Commentary:JamieR.Abrams
Judgment:SharmilaLodhiaandStephanieM.Wildman
vii
viii Contents
part iii intentional torts 119
6 Robinsonv. Cutchin, 140F. Supp. 2d 488 (D. Md. 2001) 121
Commentary:YvonneLindgren
Judgment:AlenaAllen
7 Guthriev. Conroy, 567 S.E.2d 403 (N.C. Ct. App.2002) 147
Commentary:L.CamilleHébert
Judgment:SandraF.Sperino
8 Lymanv. Huber, 10 A.3d 707 (Me. 2010) 172
Commentary:CarolineForell
Judgment:JeffreyE.ThomasandLeahThomas
9 Sipple v. Chronicle PublishingCo.,201Cal. Rptr. 665
(Cal. Ct. App. 1984) 194
Commentary:AnnaLaurenHoffmann
Judgment:ScottSkinner-Thompson
part iv negligence and vicarious liability 215
10 Sharon P. v. Arman,Ltd., 989 P.2d 121 (Cal. 1999) 217
Commentary:JessicaHynes
Judgment:YifatBitton
11 Broadnax v. Gonzalez,809N.E.2d 645 (N.Y. 2004) 237
Commentary:ElizabethKukura
Judgment:EileenKaufmanandLauraDooley
12 Boyles v. Kerr,855 S.W.2d 593(Tex.1993) 261
Commentary:LisaR.Pruitt
Judgment:CristinaTilley
13 Emerson v. Magendantz, 689 A.2d 409 (R.I. 1997) 291
Commentary:LucindaM.Finley
Judgment:KatharineB.Silbaugh
14 McCartyv. Pheasant Run, Inc., 826 F.2d 1554 (7thCir. 1987) 314
Commentary:MollyWilder
Judgment:HannahBrennerJohnson
Contents ix
15 Lisa M. v. Henry Mayo NewhallMemorialHospital, 907
P.2d358 (Cal. 1995) 335
Commentary:ChristineM.Tamer
Judgment:StaceyA.Tovino
part v damages 359
16 G.M.M. v. Kimpson, 116 F.Supp. 3d 126 (E.D.N.Y.2015) 361
Commentary:TwilaL.Perry
Judgment:JenniferB.WrigginsandSaraCressey
17 Simpkins v. Grace Brethren Church of Delaware, Ohio,
75 N.E.3d 122(Ohio2016) 390
Commentary:JillWieberLens
Judgment:ShaakirrahSanders
Index 415