The Unlikeliest Museum

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

Visit the museum

Winter Hours: (Jan, Feb, March)

Friday 10-5

Sat 10-5

Sun 11-4

Take a virtual tour

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

take a tour

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

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

Latest Tort News

NBC News

80-year-old woman died a month after Sleep Number Bed trapped her against a wall for 2 days, lawsuit claims

An 80-year-old woman died one month after her Sleep Number bed suddenly moved without warning and trapped her against a wall for two days last year, a new lawsuit alleges.

December 12, 2024

ABA Journal

Opioid suits can’t be based on nuisance law in Ohio, top state court rules in $650M win for pharmacies

The state supreme court ruled Dec. 10 that the Ohio Product Liability Act eliminated all common-law nuisance claims in connection with the sale of products, Court News Ohio reports.

December 12, 2024

Contracts Prof Blog

Supreme Court of Georgia Weighs in on Shortened Statutes of Limitations for Wrongful Death Claims

The majority found no basis, in the common law of the state or in statutes for refusing to enforce the contractual shortening of the statute of limitations. Judge Barnes specially concurred, calling on the legislature to follow the models of other states

December 4, 2024

Des Moines Register

State of Iowa to pay Des Moines after surgical error kills police K-9

The state of Iowa will pay the city of Des Moines more than $40,000 after Iowa State University veterinarians caused the death of Des Moines Police Department K-9 officer Hobbs last year.

December 4, 2024

Phys.Org

Climate change as unjust enrichment: A new legal framework for climate litigation

A novel legal framework that positions climate change within the doctrine of unjust enrichment. This approach represents a crucial step toward the potential adoption and success of unjust enrichment claims in climate litigation...

November 29, 2024

Harvard Law Review Blog

Preempting Toxic Torts: Third Circuit Opens Split on Cancer Warnings in Schaffner v. Monsanto

Monsanto Company have attempted to utilize the preemption doctrine to avoid liability for their carcinogenic products. After its arguments were unsuccessful in the Ninth and Eleventh Circuits, Monsanto’s claim that a federal pesticide regulation ...

November 18, 2024

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.

American Museum of Tort Law is a proud member of:

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