The Compensation of the Victims of the Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease in the United Kingdom

Abstract:     
Establishing no-fault compensatory schemes is problematic from both a political and legal point of view. In this essay, I analyse the process that led to the compensation of the victims of Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease and its variant. The paper shows that, although the diseases present many similarities, the two processes took very different paths because of the different, political environments in which they took place. Moreover, several possible lessons can be drawn from the compensation of CJD victims, which can potentially affect the establishment of future no-fault schemes in the United Kingdom.

Keywords: Torts, No-fault compensation schemes, Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease (CJD) litigation, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE)

JEL Classifications: I18, K13, K41

Working Paper Series