Last year, Professor Christopher J. Robinette wrote a blog post about the American Tort Law Museum. I had not heard of it, but I was curious. I have stopped by the Museum’s website on a few occasions to learn more.
The Museum’s website describes itself as “the nationally acclaimed American Museum of Tort Law,” which seems hyperbolic. I suppose as long as it is the only museum of tort law, it might as well call itself “the” museum of tort law.
Other than Professor Robinette, I have not read anything about this museum, but perhaps I was somehow left in the dark. The museum’s physical location is in Winsted, Connecticut, about 40 km. northwest of downtown Hartford, in the middle of nowhere. Hardly a place for a nationally acclaimed museum, although Although Congressman John B. Larson is apparently very happy to have this museum in the boondocks of Connecticut.[1]
The website states that the museum seeks to “educate, inform and inspire Americans about two things: Trial by jury; and the benefits of tort law.” Well, “trial by jury” is like God and apple pie, but I am an atheist and I prefer blueberry pie. Trial by jury is great when the Crown is trying to take your property or your life, but I am a skeptic when it comes to juries’ deciding technical and scientific issues. And the “benefits of tort law”? Well, there are some, but does the museum inform about the many detriments and harms of tort law?
Browsing the website quickly answers the questions. There are case studies of what at least plaintiffs’ tort lawyers might consider benefits ($$$) of tort law, with call out to notable cases that resulted in large awards, and perhaps a few that may have led to safer products. The “nationally acclaimed” museum has nothing, at least in its online presence, about the detriments, irrationality, or failures of tort law. You will not find anything about crime and fraud among the ranks of plaintiffs’ lawyers; nor will you find anything about successful defenses that shut down entire litigations. Nothing here about Dickie Scruggs in prison garb, or about John Edwards’ love child. Hmm, you may be getting a sense that this is a lopsided, partisan effort. Indeed, the museum is a temple to the Lawsuit Industry, and with the exception of one anomalous defense lawyer, its “founders” are the muckety mucks of the plaintiffs’ bar.
Among the founders are Peter Angelos, F. Scott Baldwin, Frederick Baron, Thomas V. Girardi, Robert L. Habush, James F. Humphreys, Tommy Jacks, Joseph D. Jamail Jr., and various rent-seeking organizations, such as Center for Study of Responsive Law, Public Citizen, Public Safety Institute, and Safety Systems Foundation.
You can see who else is associated with this propaganda effort. For education about civics and the right to a jury trial, I prefer the House of Terror, in Budapest.
[1] John B. Larson, “Recognizing the American Museum of Tort Law’s Second Anniversary,” Cong. Rec. E1475 (Nov. 1, 2017).
