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Against all odds, Ralph Nader’s American Museum of Tort Law educates visitors about the law and their rights.

Flaming Rat

Visit the museum

Tuesday - Saturdays 10AM - 5PM
Sundays 11AM - 4PM

Not in Winsted? No worries. You can walk through the digital museum and explore the exhibits.

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

hot coffee spilling

Liebeck v McDonald's

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

Tobacco as skull and crossbones

The Tobacco Cases

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

Flaming Ford Pinto

Ford Pinto

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

Special episode of the Ralph Nader Radio Hour at the Tort Museum

Latest Tort News

MSN.COM
‘It’s shameful’: Houston homeowners in limbo after public water tank explodes, floods their homes — but home insurers won’t cover and district claims ‘government immunity’ to avoid paying
Though government immunity can be justified, Texas residents have options to recover damages. The Texas Tort Claims Act (TTCA) waives government immunity in situations of negligence. Similar laws in other states permit governments to be held accountable.
Fox Channel 13 Seattle
Seattle Public Schools to pay $16M to former student alleging years of sexual abuse
Seattle Public Schools has agreed to pay $16 million to a former Garfield High School student who alleged the district failed to protect her from years of sexual abuse by two coaches.
Lawfare
The Abu Ghraib Plaintiffs’ Meandering Path to Court: The plaintiffs have a second chance next week to prove the liability of military contractors.
This case has been marked by extensive procedural maneuvers and significant legal debate over the applicability and scope of the Alien Tort Statute (ATS), 28 U.S.C. § 1350. After a series of dismissals, appeals, and Supreme Court denials of certiorari...
Washington Post
‘Ghost gun’ dealers to pay $2 million in lawsuit over death of Fairfax teens
The sellers of a “ghost gun” kit that a Fairfax County teenager used to build a working pistol, and then kill two of his classmates, agreed Friday to pay more than $2 million to settle a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the parents of the slain teens.
Morningstar -- Morningstar.com News
Firm Files Nine Additional Federal Tort Claims Act Administrative Complaints Against the Coast Guard on Behalf of Sexual Assault Survivors
These nine new filings follow the firm’s initial FTCA administrative complaints filed in September 2024, in what is believed to be the first known collective action by sexual violence survivors against a United States service academy.
JD Supra
Thorny Issues Concerning the Statute of Limitations for Declaratory Relief and Breach of Fiduciary Duty
Statutes of limitations limit the time within which a defendant can be held liable for any type of alleged wrongdoing. Plaintiffs who do not pursue their rights within the limitations period will find the courthouse doors closed to their claims.

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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