LAW 749

Global Litigation

Law School

Recommended for route(s):

[ Litigation ] Business Law: Media, Entertainment, Sports

General course Description:

A securities class action is resolved in the NJ federal court for US investors and in the Amsterdam Court of Appeals for all other investors world-wide. Apple sues Samsung for patent infringement in N.D. CA and Samsung counter-sues in Korea, Japan and Germany. Merck is sued for injuries arising from its prescription drug, Vioxx, in the U.S., Canada and Australia, and the Australian lawyers are directed to challenge an otherwise unproblematic judicial ruling because of its possible impact on the U.S. litigation; meanwhile class certification is denied in the U.S. but granted in Canada. Philip Morris' Hong Kong subsidiary files a claim in an international arbitration tribunal charging that Australia's public health protection statute regarding tobacco marketing violates Australia's bi-lateral investment treaty with Hong Kong. Lawyers who received a $9 billion judgment from Ecuadorian courts against Chevron for environmental damage fight to enforce it in courts in Argentina, Brazil and Canada while Chevron's lawyers file a RICO suit against the plaintiff lawyer in the federal court for the N.Y.S.D. With the globalization of the economy we are seeing the globalization of litigation and the emergence of a new class of "global lawyers" who advise clients on litigation risks and opportunities in jurisdictions with different substantive law, procedural rules and legal and judicial cultures. This seminar will consider the doctrinal, procedural and practical challenges that arise when litigation goes global. We will consider the high profile cases in which these issues have played out in recent years and meet some of the lawyers who are creating a new virtual international court system for the resolution of global disputes. Special Instructions: Students in this course may if they wish also register for a 1-credit course on comparative class actions (Law 748), which will be taught collaboratively with faculty and students in U. Windsor (Ontario) and Tilburg University (the Netherlands). Elements used in grading: Class Participation, Attendance, Final Paper.

Course Style:

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