American Law Institute

The American Law Institute (ALI) was traditionally an independent, scholarly institution but now participates more in advocacy, proposing novel liability expansion.

The Problem

The American Law Institute (ALI) was traditionally an independent, scholarly institution but now participates more in advocacy, proposing novel liability expansion.

The ALI has proposed numerous restatements in recent years that go beyond simply restating an established area of common law but instead proposing rules to advance particular policy agendas.

Recent problematic proposed restatements include:
– Restatement of the Law, Consumer Contracts
– Restatement of Torts, Third: Concluding Provisions

ATRA’s Position

ALI’s mission appears to have shifted over the past decade from that of a scholarly institution that was safely above the fray in broader policy disputes, to that of an advocacy group proposing novel expansions in liability law.

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American Law Institute News and Press

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Trial Lawyers Just Rewrote Centuries-old Contract Law

This op-ed was originally published by the Washington Examiner. ...

Controversial Restatement Adopted by American Law Institute

Today, during its annual meeting, the American Law Institute (ALI) voted t...

ALI Oversteps With Expansive Restatement Of Contract Law

This op-ed was originally published by Law360. Once considered...

Search Resources

Search through all of ATRA's Amicus Briefs, Reports, and Other Resources around American Law Institute
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States
Status
Post Types
Date
Exxon Mobil v. New Hampshire
(U.S. Supreme Court, filed February 22, 2016): Arguing that Exxon’s liability for selling MTBE-Oxygenated gasoline should be preempted by the federal ...
New Hampshire
  • Court Denied Cert iconCourt Denied Cert
Konstantin v. 630 Third Avenue Associates, et. al.
(New York, filed in February of 2016): Arguing that consolidation of asbestos-based personal injury actions for trial violates CPLR 602(a) where the a...
New York
  • Court Ruled Against ATRA's Position iconCourt Ruled Against ATRA's Position
Certainteed Corporation v. Fletcher
(Ga., filed in March of 2016): Arguing that manufacturers should not be held liable for negligence in asbestos cases involving take-home exposure. ...
Georgia
  • Court Ruled in Favor of ATRA's Position iconCourt Ruled in Favor of ATRA's Position
Microsoft v. Baker
(U.S., filed March 18, 2016): Arguing that a federal court of appeals lacks jurisdiction to review an order denying class certification after the plai...
SCOTUS
  • Court Ruled in Favor of ATRA's Position iconCourt Ruled in Favor of ATRA's Position
In Re Lipitor
(3rd Cir., filed March 28, 2016): Arguing that antitrust cases require pleadings to include sufficient facts to establish a plausible foundation for t...
3rd Circuit
  • Court Ruled Against ATRA's Position iconCourt Ruled Against ATRA's Position
In Re Trinity Industries Inc.
(5th Cir., filed March 28, 2016): Arguing that if allowed to stand, the decision below would produce deep regulatory uncertainty for manufacturers and...
5th Circuit
  • Court Ruled in Favor of ATRA's Position iconCourt Ruled in Favor of ATRA's Position
Lindenberg v. Jackson National Life Insurance Co.
(Tenn., filed April 15, 2016): Arguing that Tennessee’s statutory limit on punitive damages is constitutional.  The statutory limit does not infringe ...
Tennessee
  • Court Ruled in Favor of ATRA's Position iconCourt Ruled in Favor of ATRA's Position
Graham v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.
(11th Cir., filed April 22, 2016).  Arguing that reliance on general, non-specific verdicts to foreclose litigation of highly specific issues that may...
11th Circuit
  • Court Ruled Against ATRA's Position iconCourt Ruled Against ATRA's Position
Davis v. Honeywell Inc.
(Cal., filed April 29, 2016): Arguing that the court should clarify what constitutes a “substantial factor” in contributing to the risk of developing ...
California
  • Court Denied Cert iconCourt Denied Cert
Beason v. I.E. Miller
(Ok., filed June 6, 2016): Arguing that the statutory limits on noneconomic damages are constitutional and does not violate a person’s right to a jury...
Oklahoma
  • Court Ruled Against ATRA's Position iconCourt Ruled Against ATRA's Position



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