Flaming Rat

The Museum is OPEN!

Open Sundays from 1pm to 5pm.

  • $7 Adults
  • $5 Seniors and Students

The American Museum of Tort Law is the only museum of its kind in the world and includes, among others, exhibits about asbestos, tobacco, faulty motor vehicles, and defective workplace equipment,

Bring the family and take a short course on the law of wrongful injury. Learn how tort law makes the world a safer place.

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

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.

Learn More About Tort Law

Latest Tort News

NY Times
Frustrations Grow Over Company’s Response to Breathing Device Recalls
By 2015, Philips Respironics knew its breathing devices had a problem: Foam inside the CPAP machines, which help people with sleep apnea breathe at night, was breaking off into black flecks and blowing into the mouths and noses of users.
November 15, 2022
CNN
Jury awards nearly $1 billion to Sandy Hook families in Alex Jones case
The verdict in the Connecticut defamation case against right-wing talk show host Alex Jones sends a message that you can’t lie and intentionally inflict emotional distress on people, former prosecutor Mark Eiglarsh said Wednesday.
October 12, 2022
NY Times
Lies for Profit: Can Sandy Hook Parents Shut Alex Jones Down?
When viral lies harm private people, are the courts their best refuge? A trial to decide how much the conspiracy broadcaster Alex Jones must pay a Sandy Hook family for defaming them attempts to answer that question.
July 31, 2022
New York Times
Don’t Add Curbs on Guns. Repeal Liability Protections for Gun Makers and Sellers.
As a lifelong sportsman with a personal history rich with shotguns, pistols and rifles, I understand why so many of my fellow gun owners...
June 14, 2022
Consumer Watchdog
Governor Newsom Signs Historic Legislation to Restore Patient Access to Justice, Update 47-Year-Old Medical Malpractice Damage Cap
Consumer Watchdog and California families harmed by medical negligence applauded Governor Newsom’s historic signature today on legislation to update California’s 47-year-old medical malpractice damage cap and restore injured patients’ access to justice.
May 23, 2022
SF Gate
California to increase awards in medical malpractice cases
People who get hurt because of a doctor's negligence in California could soon get a lot more money in malpractice lawsuits under an agreement reached Wednesday
April 27, 2022

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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Need classroom help?

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