Conflict of Laws (Spring 2008)

Professor Rhonda Wasserman

Syllabus

Casebook 1

A. Torts

Selections from the Restatement (First) of Conflicts on Wrongs -- Casebook 11-15

Alabama Great S.R.R. v. Carroll (Ala. 1892) -- Casebook 1-11

Marra v. Bushee (D. Vt. 1970) -- Casebook 16-23

B. Contracts

Selections from the Restatement (First) of Conflicts on Contracts -- Casebook 23-29

Poole v. Perkins (Va. 1919) -- Casebook 29-33 and 36-38 (notes 1-7)

Linn v. Employers Reinsurance Corp. (Pa. 1958) -- Casebook 33-36 and 38-39 (notes 8-11)

C. Domicile

Selections from the Restatement (First) of Conflicts on Domicile -- Casebook 40-43

White v. Tenant (W.Va. 1888) -- Casebook 43-46 and 55-57 (notes 1-4, 6 & 7)

Rodriguez Diaz v. Sierra Martinez (1st Cir. 1988) -- Casebook 46-56 (notes 2 & 5)

D. Marriage

Selections from the Restatement (First) of Conflicts on Marriage and Legitimacy -- Casebook 57-60

In re May's Estate (N.Y. 1953) -- Casebook 60-65 and 69-71 (notes 4-8)

Lanham v. Lanham (Wis. 1908) -- Casebook 65-69 and 71-72 (notes 1-3 & 9)

Additional Notes on Same-sex Marriage -- Wass. Supp. 1-2

E. Real Property

Selections from the Restatement (First) of Conflicts on Real Property -- Casebook 72-76

Burr v. Beckler (Ill. 1914) -- Casebook 76-77

Thomson v. Kyle (Fla. 1897) -- Casebook 77-81

F. Wrinkles in the Theory

1. Characterization

Casebook 114

2. Renvoi

In re Estate of Damato (N.J. Super. 1965) -- Casebook 119-22 and 127-29 (notes 1-5)

3. Substance v. Procedure

Casebook 129

Selections from the Restatement (First) of Conflicts on Procedure -- Casebook 130-31

Sampson v. Channell (1st Cir. 1940) -- Casebook 131-37 and 140-41 (notes 1, 3 & 4)

O'Leary v. Illinois Terminal R.R. (Mo. 1957) -- Casebook 137-41 (note 2)

4. Statutes of Limitations

Selections from the Restatement (First) of Conflicts on Statutes of Limitations -- Casebook 146

Duke v. Housen (Wyo. 1979) -- Casebook 146-58

5. Public Policy

Selection from the Restatement (First) of Conflicts on Public Policy -- Casebook 158

Marchlik v. Coronet Insur. Co. (Ill. 1968) -- Casebook 158-61 and 163-64 (notes 1-4)

Holzer v. Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft (N.Y. 1938) -- Casebook 162-66 (notes 5-10)

G. Proof of Foreign Law

Tidewater Oil Co. v. Waller (10th Cir. 1962) -- Casebook 173-79

A. Introduction

Casebook 181-83

B. The "Center of Gravity"

Haag v. Barnes (N.Y. 1961) -- Casebook 183-88

C. Interest Analysis: In Theory and In Practice

1. Theoretical Foundations of Interest Analysis

Professor Currie's work -- Casebook 215-19

2. Interest Analysis in the Courts

a. False Conflicts

Babcock v. Jackson (N.Y. 1963) -- Casebook 188-92 and 195 (note 1)

b. True Conflicts

Lilienthal v. Kaufman (Or. 1964) -- Casebook 219-23 and 227-28 (notes 1, 3 & 4)

c. True Conflicts v. Apparent Conflicts

Bernkrant v. Fowler (Cal. 1961) -- Casebook 223-27 (notes 1 & 2)

d. Unprovided-for Cases

Hurtado v. Superior Court (Cal. 1974) -- Casebook 228-33

Neumeier v. Kuehner (N.Y. 1972) -- Casebook 195-200

e. Applying the Neumeier Rules Beyond the Guest Statute Context

Schultz v. Boy Scouts of America, Inc. (N.Y. 1985) -- Casebook 200-10

Padula v. Lilarn Props. Corp. (N.Y. 1994) -- Casebook 210-14

3. Theoretical Criticisms of Interest Analysis

Casebook 233-36

4. A Short Note on Interest Analysis in Other Nations

Casebook 236-40

D. Comparative Impairment

Casebook 240

Bernhard v. Harrah's Club (Cal. 1976) -- Casebook 241-52

E. The "Better Rule"

Professor Leflar's work on choice-influencing considerations -- Casebook 252-54

Milkovich v. Saari (Minn. 1973) -- Casebook 254-62

F. The Restatement (Second) of the Conflicts of Laws and the Most Significant Relationship

Selections from the Restatement (Second) of Conflicts -- Casebook 262-64

Phillips v. General Motors Corp. (Mont. 2000) -- Casebook 264-79

Selections from the Restatement (Second) of Conflicts -- Casebook 280-81

Nedlloyd Lines B.V. v. Superior Court (Cal. 1992) -- Casebook 281-91

Kipin Indus., Inc. v. Van Deilen Int'l, Inc. (6^th Cir. 1999) -- Casebook 296-303 (notes 3-6)

Uniform Commercial Code § 1-301 -- Wass. Supp. 3-4

G. Modern Perspectives on Some of the Wrinkles in the Theory

1. Domicile

Casebook 303-04

Reich v. Purcell (Cal. 1967) -- Casebook 304-09

2. Renvoi

Pfau v. Trent Aluminum Co. (N.J. 1970) -- Casebook 309-12

3. Substance and Procedure

Casebook 315-18

4. Public Policy

Casebook 326-27

Restatement (Second) of Conflicts § 90 -- Wass. Supp. 5

H. Choice-of-Law and the Internet

Casebook 813-15, 840

America Online, Inc. v. Nat=l Health Care Discount, Inc. (D. Iowa 2000) -- Casebook 840-45

People of New York v. World Interactive Gaming Corp. (N.Y. Sup. Ct. 1999) -- Casebook 845-48 and 854-56 (notes 2 & 3, 6)

Jeri-Jo Knitwear, Inc. v. Club Italia, Inc. (S.D.N.Y. 2000) -- Casebook 848-51 and 854-55 (notes 2-4)

Licra and UEJF v. Yahoo! Inc. (Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris, May 22, 2000) -- Casebook 851-57 (notes 1-8)

Relevant constitutional provisions -- Casebook 341-42

A. Constitutional Limitations on Choice of Law

Casebook 342-43

Home Insur. Co. v. Dick (U.S. 1930) -- Casebook 343-49

Watson v. Employers Liab. Assurance Corp. (U.S. 1954) -- Casebook 354-56 and 358-59 (notes 2-5)

Clay v. Sun Insur. Office, Ltd. (U.S. 1964) -- Casebook 356-59 (notes 1, 5 & 6)

Allstate Insur. Co. v. Hague (U.S. 1981) -- Casebook 359-75

Phillips Petroleum Co. v. Shutts (U.S. 1985) -- Casebook 376-83

Sun Oil Co. v. Wortman (U.S. 1988) -- Casebook 383-94

B. Constitutional Limitations on Interstate Discrimination

Casebook 410-12

Austin v. New Hampshire (U.S. 1975) -- Casebook 412-21

G.D. Searle & Co. v. Cohn (U.S. 1982) -- Casebook 421-27

Casebook 565

Erie R.R. v. Tompkins (U.S. 1938) -- Casebook 565-72

Note: Erie and Substance v. Procedure -- Casebook 572-75

A. Erie and Choice of Law

Klaxon Co. v. Stentor Elec. Mfg. Co. (U.S. 1941) -- Casebook 577-82

Van Dusen v. Barrack (U.S. 1964) -- Casebook 582-88

Ferens v. John Deere Co. (U.S. 1990) -- Casebook 589-600

B. Erie and Judgments

Semtek Int'l, Inc. v. Lockheed Martin Corp. (U.S. 2001) -- Casebook 619-25

V. RECOGNITION OF JUDGMENTS

Casebook 639-42

A. Jurisdictional Requirements

Durfee v. Duke (U.S. 1963) -- Casebook 642-46 and 651-52 (notes 4-6)

Fall v. Eastin (U.S. 1909) -- Casebook 646-51 (notes 1-3)

Kalb v. Feuerstein (U.S. 1940) -- Casebook 652-56

B. Substantive Interests of the Enforcing State

Fauntleroy v. Lum (U.S. 1908) -- Casebook 657-62

Thomas v. Washington Gas Light Co. (U.S. 1980) -- Casebook 662-76

Baker v. General Motors Corp. (U.S. 1998) -- Casebook 677-87

Note: The Defense of Marriage Act -- Casebook 687-89

Additional Notes on Same-Sex Marriage and the Defense of Marriage Act -- Wass. Supp. 6

C. The Last-in-Time Rule

Treinies v. Sunshine Mining Co. (U.S. 1939) -- Casebook 696-700

VI. CONFLICTS IN THE INTERNATIONAL SETTING: EXTRATERRITORIALITY OF FEDERAL STATUTES

A.  Extraterritoriality of Federal Statutes

Casebook 723-25

EEOC v. Arabian Am. Oil Co. (U.S. 1991) -- Casebook 735-45

Lauritzen v. Larsen (U.S. 1953) -- Casebook 745-52

Hartford Fire Ins. Co. v. California (U.S. 1993) -- Casebook 752-65

B.  Extraterritoriality and the Constitution

United States v. Verdugo-Urquidez (U.S. 1989) -- Casebook 782-800

United States v. Davis (9th Cir. 1989) -- Casebook 800-806

C.  Recognition of Foreign Judgments

"Recognition of the Judgments of Other Countries" -- Wass. Supp. 7-8

 

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