Crimtorts: Introduction

Abstract:     
Crimtorts is a word coined by Professors Thomas Koenig and Michael Rustad to describe the middle ground between criminal and tort law. Crimtorts is not a new body of law or even a new cause of action. Rather, crimtorts is an explicit recognition that criminal law principles of punishment and deterrence have been assimilated into tort law. The extent of the assimilation and its effects on the tort system are issues that merit robust consideration.

The Crimtorts symposium, held at the Widener University School of Law on February 25, 2008, took up this challenge. The participants were Professors Martha Chamallas, Mark Geistfeld, Keith Hylton, Thomas Koenig, Jeffrey O'Connell, Michael Rustad, Sheila Scheuerman, Anthony Sebok, Catherine Sharkey, Kenneth Simons, Byron Stier, and Frank Vandall. This Introduction summarizes the papers that were written in conjunction with the symposium.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 15

Keywords: crimtorts, torts, punitive damages

JEL Classification: K13

Accepted Paper Series