Youth Civic Challenge

June 23rd - July 18th 2025 Mondays - Thursdays 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Take a virtual tour

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

take a tour

Upcoming Events

Happy Birthday to Ralph Nader <3 by Jesse Paris Smith

One of our greatest and most brilliant figures, timeless and timely always

Read on Substack

Visit the museum

Monday: CLOSED

Tuesday- Saturday: 10:00AM-5:00PM

Sunday: 11:00AM-4:00PM

The Unlikeliest Museum

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

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.

What's a tort? Ralph Nader's tort museum in Connecticut answers that question

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

Tough to Swallow, A Food Safety Virtual Event

Play Video

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

Latest Tort News

New York Times

Jury Awards $50 Million to California Man Burned by Starbucks Tea

A jury in California on Friday awarded $50 million in damages to a Los Angeles delivery driver who was badly burned by a cup of hot tea that spilled into his lap in a Starbucks drive-through in 2020, court records show.

March 17, 2025

Forbes

What Sparked The California Wildfires? Experts Consider Power Lines, Fireworks—And Arson

Multiple residents of Altadena sued Southern California Edison on Monday, alleging the Eaton Fire was started by the company’s electrical equipment.

January 14, 2025

The Enquirer -- Cincinnati.com/

Kentucky AG: Kroger ‘allowed the fire of addiction to spread,’ announces $110M settlement

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman announced Thursday a $110 million settlement with Cincinnati-based Kroger in his lawsuit against the grocer for its role in the opioid crisis.

January 11, 2025

Fox Business News

Apple to pay $95 million in Siri spying lawsuit

Tech giant Apple on Thursday agreed to pay $95 million to settle a proposed class action lawsuit that claimed its Siri voice assistant violated users' privacy.

January 3, 2025

Fox 7 Austin, Texas

Texas mother sues Amazon after daughter was killed in crash with contract driver

A mother is fighting for justice after her daughter, a Texas State student, was killed in a hit-and-run almost three years ago.

December 16, 2024

Mondaq

Potential Liability For Torts Committed In Sports (Cox V. Ball)

Actions of sports participants who are overly aggressive result may result in civil liability for not only the overly aggressive participant or tortfeasor, but for others, such as sports leagues, event organizers or restaurants and bars.

January 22, 2025

What The Press Says

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.