Bloom on the Focus of Tort Litigation

Anne Bloom (Pacific-McGeorge) has posted to SSRN Zen and the Art of Tort Litigation.  The abstract provides:

Legal analysis in tort litigation should encourage deeper engagement with the plaintiff’s pain and suffering. Focusing more on understanding the causes and experience of human suffering – the Zen approach – will advance traditional tort goals of compensation and deterrence, as well as provide the plaintiff with a more positive litigation experience. This Article argues that current practices in tort litigation place too much emphasis on bodily harm and expert testimony, and unnecessarily position the plaintiff as a victim. Alternatively, a Zen approach recognizes that the body and mind are linked, places greater weight on direct, experiential testimony, and acknowledges the complexity and fluidity of the plaintiff’s identity.

–CJR