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The Museum may be closed but our website is open.

You can explore some of our displays such as:

Dangerous Toys

Precedent Setting Cases

Nader v. General Motors
Tour the Tort Museum

September 7th, 2020

We note with deep sorrow the passing of John Davis (J.D.) Lee. J.D. was a supremely talented and hard-working trial lawyer, who championed the rights and well-being of people injured or killed due to the negligence of others, and those harmed by dangerous, defective products. He was a nationally known founder and leader of trial organizations, and an early and ardent supporter of the Museum. Our deepest condolences to his family.

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Interview with lawyer and author Gerald Posner.

Past videos

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Interview with lawyer and author James Zirin
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Interview with Professor Deborah Ramirez
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Interview with Petere Schuck
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What is Tort Law?

It is the law that protects and compensates people who have been injured by the negligence, or recklessness, or intentional acts of wrongdoers.

Examples of Famous Tort Cases

Liebeck v McDonald's

The famous case where Stella Liebeck received 3rd degree burns. She was one of hundreds that got burned.

The Tobacco Cases

The tobacco companies knew their products caused cancer and they lied about it.

Ford Pinto

Ford chose not to spend $8 per Pinto and opted to let folks die.

Learn More About Tort Law

Support Our Work

Make a tax deductible donation today and help the nation's first museum dedicated to the law thrive.

The mission of the nationally acclaimed American Museum of Tort Law is to educate, inform and inspire Americans about two things: Trial by jury; and the benefits of tort law. Tort law is the law of wrongful injuries, including motor vehicle crashes, defective products, medical malpractice, and environmental disasters, among many others.

In the News

A sampling of Tort related news from around the world.

Key Quote about Government Regulatory agencies: “Sometimes the only way they can learn about and act on a possible threat to consumers is from evidence produced in lawsuits, but that evidence is often hidden behind a wall of secrecy.”
16 January 2020, Reuters

We’ve said it before: Trial lawyers are akin to first responders. They file and win lawsuits, and only then do governmental regulators step in.
10 January 2020, Reuters

A damn good question: “These suits used to be a major recourse for the powerless against the powerful. Why has the Supreme Court been so determined to stamp them out?”.
18 December 2019, Slate

Tesla’s autopilot has been engaged in at least three crashes involving deaths; now the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will investigate another crash: Tesla on autopilot rear-ends parked police car. Oops.
13 December 2019, Reuters

An Open letter to the President of the United States, and the Members of Congress

April 2020

Read More

What The

Press Says

Since 2015 we've won fans across the world and across the press.

Fun, creative, visually stunning and provocative. By emphasizing cases where the civil justice system led not only to compensation for injured parties, but also to changes in corporate practice that made everyone safer, the museum reveals the truth about tort law—and likely leaves visitors with more sympathy towards it.

Politico

The museum aims to describe the evolution of the law regarding negligence and liability, and it features some of the most groundbreaking cases of the late 20th century.

The New York Times

The museum’s mission is to restore the idea that personal-injury law is not a way to line the pockets of a few lucky lawyers but rather a way to hold the powerful to account. As presented by the museum, personal-injury law may be the only way to hold a corporation accountable to the people it has harmed.

The New Yorker

This nonprofit, educational institution aims to make people aware of tort law’s pivotal role in the protection of personal freedom and safety, and celebrates the historical and contemporary achievements of the civil justice system.

Forbes

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Tours are currently on hold due to Covid-19

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