Civil Juries and Civil Justice: Psychological and Legal Perspectives PDF
Preview Civil Juries and Civil Justice: Psychological and Legal Perspectives
Civil Juries and Civil Justice Brian H. Bornstein Richard L. Wiener l Robert F. Schopp Steven L. Willborn l Editors Civil Juries and Civil Justice Psychological and Legal Perspectives Editors BrianH.Bornstein RichardL.Wiener Dept.ofPsychology Dept.ofPsychology UniversityofNebraska-Lincoln CollegeofLaw 335BurnettHall UniversityofNebraska-Lincoln Lincoln,NE68588-0308 335BurnettHall Lincoln,NE68588-0308 RobertF.Schopp StevenL.Willborn CollegeofLaw CollegeofLaw UniversityofNebraska-Lincoln UniversityofNebraska-Lincoln 1875North42ndStreet 42ndandFairStreets Lincoln,NE68583-0902 Lincoln,NE68583-0902 LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2007934921 ISBN:978-0-387-74488-9 e-ISBN:978-0-387-74490-2 #2008SpringerScience+BusinessMedia,LLC Allrightsreserved.Thisworkmaynotbetranslatedorcopiedinwholeorinpartwithoutthewritten permission of the publisher (Springer Science+Business Media, LLC., 233 Spring Street, New York,NY10013,USA),exceptforbriefexcerptsinconnectionwithreviewsorscholarlyanalysis. Use in connection with any form of information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computersoftware,orbysimilarordissimilarmethodologynowknownorhereafterdevelopedis forbidden. Theuseinthispublicationoftradenames,trademarks,servicemarks,andsimilarterms,evenifthey arenotidentifiedassuch,isnottobetakenasanexpressionofopinionastowhetherornottheyare subjecttoproprietaryrights. Printedonacid-freepaper 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 springer.com Preface People suffer injuries all the time: at work, at home, at play, while driving downtown—thelistofwaystohurtoneselfisendless.Forthevastmajorityof these injuries, one simply accepts responsibility, endures the pain—physical and/or psychological—seeks appropriate medical care, and moves on. Yet someoftheseinjuriesseemunjust,inthesensethattheyappeartobesomeone else’s fault—because another person or entity (such as a business, product manufacturer,orthegovernment)hasallegedlycausedtheinjuryintentionally orthroughcarelessness.1Thesearetheinjuriesthatmayleadtoinvolvementin the civil justice system, where the injured party seeks redress from the alleged injurer.Thepsychologicalprinciplesthatunderliethisprocessarethefocusof thisbook. There are various forms of redress for an injury that has been caused by someone else, but perhaps the best known is a lawsuit for monetary damages (some of the other forms are discussed in Section IV of this book). The civil litigationprocess,especiallywhenitinvolvesjuries,hasbeenthesourceofmuch debate and has undergone significant reform in recent years (e.g., caps on punitive damages or pain and suffering awards; for more on reform efforts and their potentially inadvertent consequences, see the chapters by Bornstein andRobicheaux,andSharkey).ThedebateisfueledbyargumentsthattheU.S. civil justice system is the most expensive in the world, and it almost certainly processesthelargestnumberofclaims. Inthelastdecadeofthe20thcenturyandfirstdecadeofthe21stcentury,civil jurieshavebeeninthenewsmorethaneverbefore.Merelymentioningawell- known defendant’s name conjures up images of lengthy trials, rampant pub- licity,and,insomecases,verylargedamageawards.Anincompletelistincludes such household names as McDonald’s (hot coffee), Merck Pharmaceuticals (Vioxx),Ford/Firestone(rolloversandblowouts),BMW(badpaintjob),State 1Underthedoctrineofstrictliability,onecanalsorecoverdamagesevenwhenthealleged harmdoer (e.g., a product manufacturer) has acted without carelessness. Causes of action understrictliabilityarerelativelyrareandareoftencoupledwithclaimsofnegligence.The sectionsofthepresentvolumethatdealwithtorts(seeespeciallySectionsIIandIII)therefore donotconsiderstrictliability. v vi Preface Farm (insurance bad faith and fraud), and the major tobacco companies (cigarettes). These cases, as well as their seemingly outlandish and frivolous counterparts,garnerconsiderablemediaattention.Theyhaveledmanyobser- verstoconcludethatthereisalitigationcrisis,thatourciviljusticesystemisin seriousdisrepairifnotaltogetherbroken,andthatreformisnecessary. Whatismostlackinginthedebateaboutthemeritsandshortcomingsofthe Americanciviljusticesystemisdata.Criticsanddefendersalikehaveadisturb- ing tendency to make claims without empirical support, and at times these ungroundedclaimsmaketheirwayintolaworpolicy.Thisiswherepsycholegal research, which uses empirical methods to test the psychological assumptions underlyinglegaldoctrines,helpstofillthevoid.Thepresentvolumetakesthis approachinaddressinganumberofcontroversialtopics,suchasthenatureand causesoftheperceivedlitigationcrisis,ingeneral,orofthemedicalmalpractice crisis,inparticular;therationalityofjuries’damageawards;andnon-litigation alternatives to civil dispute resolution. We are fortunate to have a team of contributorstothisvolumethatnotonlyrepresentsindividualstrainedinlaw or psychology, but that consists of researchers who fully and successfully integrate both disciplines. By emphasizing empirical research on these and other topics, the editors and contributors to this volume hope to further the developmentofdata-basedpoliciesregardinghowindividualsseekandobtain civiljustice. The book is divided into four sections, plus introductory and concluding chapters. Each section consists of two primary chapters, addressing the legal and psychological elements of a particular topic, followed by an analysis/ synthesis chapter that integrates and extends the ideas raised in the previous two chapters. The analysis/synthesis chapters each provide a unique perspec- tive, but they share a desire to advance our theoretical understanding while identifyinginconsistenciesandfutureresearchdirections. TheIntroductorychapterbyBornsteinandRobicheauxlaysoutmanyofthe book’smajorthemes.Indistinguishingbetweentherhetoricoftheciviljustice debateandempiricalevidenceonthetopic,itexploreswhythesetwofacetsare oftensodivergent.Attemptstoinformpublicpolicythroughempiricalresearch cannotproceedwithoutadetailedexaminationofthemethodsusedtogenerate the research findings. Section I, on ‘‘Approaches to Studying Civil Juries’’ (chaptersbyHastie,Vidmar,andWiener),raisesanumberofthesemethodo- logical issues and provides important considerations to keep in mind while readingtheempiricalcontributionsthatfollow. Section II, on ‘‘The Relationship between Compensatory and Punitive Damages’’(chaptersbySharkey,Eisenbergetal.,andPoser),includesexamples ofhowempiricallegalscholarshipcanbeusedtoaddresscontentiousissuesthat are key to the tort reform debate. The focus of these chapters is the proper relationship between damages designed to provide restitution to the injured party(i.e.,compensatorydamages)anddamagesdesignedtopunishtheharm- doer(i.e.,punitivedamages),whichtypicallyarriveinthesamepackage. Preface vii SectionIII,on‘‘MedicalInjuriesandMedicalEvidence’’(chaptersbyHans, Landsman,andMiller),focusesononeofthemostcontentiouselementsofthe tortreformdebate,namely,compensationformedicalinjuries.Asthechapters in this section illustrate, there are many complex facets to this issue, ranging fromhowbesttoreducemedicalerrortohowtopreservephysicians’autonomy tohowtopresentevidenceofmedicalinjuriesincourt. Althoughjuriesreceivemuch,ifnotmost,ofthecriticismfortheallegedills of the civil justice system, jury trials have always been relatively rare, and evidence exists that they are becoming rarer still (see Chapter 1). Thus, one could easily argue that the emphasis on juries (among both researchers and policy-makers) is misplaced, and that we need to consider civil justice and disputeresolutionfrom abroaderperspective.SectionIV,on‘‘Apologiesand CivilJustice’’(chaptersbyRobbennolt,Greene,andTomkinsandApplequist), explores some of these alternative mechanisms for obtaining civil justice. Finally, the concluding chapter (by Bornstein) summarizes the book’s major themesandspeculatesaboutthefutureofciviljusticeresearch. Most of the chapters in this volume are based on papers presented at a conference on Civil Juries and Civil Justice, hosted by the Law-Psychology Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, from May 15–18, 2006. The conference was funded by a UNL Program of Excellence award, which we gratefully acknowledge here. We also appreciate the support, financial and otherwise, of the Law College and Psychology Department at UNL. The conferencepapersanddiscussionstheyengendereddidmuchtostimulateour andthecontributors’thinkingabouttheseissues,andIamverygratefultothe contributorsfortheiractive,andoftenlively,participationintheconference.I also thank them for their responsiveness in turning oral papers into written bookchapters.Theyhavebeenapleasuretoworkwith. Many people’s efforts are necessary for a conference to succeed and for a bookthereontobewritten.IwasespeciallyfortunatetohaveEvelynMaederas the graduate student assistant for the conference, who managed the myriad details of transportation, lodging, food, etc. without once losing her cheerful disposition. I also appreciate the conference contributions of Christie Emler andCraigLawson,aswellasthesupportandoversightofseveralindividualsat Springer Publishing, especially Amanda Breccia, Sharon Panulla, and Anna Tobias.Finally,thisprojectistheproductofateamofeditorswhohaveworked diligently over a period of years, and I express my appreciation to my valued colleaguesandco-editors(RichWiener,BobSchopp,andSteveWillborn)for alloftheireffortsinhelpingtobringtheprojecttofruition. July,2007 BrianH.Bornstein Contents Preface ...................................................... v Introduction 1 Crisis,WhatCrisis?PerceptionandRealityinCivilJustice ........... 1 BrianH.BornsteinandTimothyR.Robicheaux SectionI:ApproachesToStudyingCivilJuries 2 What’stheStory?ExplanationsandNarrativesinCivilJuryDecisions . 23 ReidHastie 3 CivilJuriesinEcologicalContext:MethodologicalImplicationsfor Research ................................................. 35 NeilVidmar 4 WhatistheStudyofJuryDecisionMakingaboutandWhatShouldit beAbout?................................................. 67 RichardL.Wiener SectionII:TheRelationshipBetweenCompensatoryAndPunitive Damages 5 CrossingthePunitive-CompensatoryDivide ...................... 79 CatherineM.Sharkey 6 TheRelationbetweenPunitiveandCompensatoryAwards: CombiningExtremeDatawiththeMassofAwards ............... 105 TheodoreEisenberg,ValerieP.Hans,andMartinT.Wells 7 DamagesasMetaphor:ACommentary......................... 117 SusanPoser SectionIII:MedicalInjuriesAndMedicalEvidence 8 FakingIt?CitizenPerceptionsofWhiplashInjuries ............... 131 ValerieP.Hans ix x Contents 9 ReflectionsonJuryphobiaandMedicalMalpracticeReform ....... 151 StephanLandsman 10 HowJuryphobiaandFearsofFraudulentClaimsDisserveMedical MalpracticeReformEfforts ................................ 175 MonicaK.Miller SectionIV:ApologiesAndRestorativeJustice 11 ApologiesandCivilJustice ................................. 195 JenniferK.Robbennolt 12 CanWeTalk?TherapeuticJurisprudence,RestorativeJustice,and TortLitigation........................................... 233 EdieGreene 13 ConstructsofJustice:BeyondCivilLitigation................... 257 AlanJ.TomkinsandKimberlyApplequist Conclusion 14 SignsfortheFutureofCivilJusticeResearch ................... 273 BrianH.Bornstein Index...................................................... 281 Contributors KimberlyApplequist,J.D. ReidHastie,Ph.D. PublicPolicyCenter RobertS.HamadaProfessor UniversityofNebraska ofBehavioralScience 121S.13thSt.,Suite303 GraduateSchoolofBusiness Lincoln,NE68588-0228 UniversityofChicago 5807S.WoodlawnAve. BrianH.Bornstein,Ph.D.,M.L.S. Chicago,IL60637 328BurnettHall DepartmentofPsychology StephanLandsman,J.D. UniversityofNebraska CollegeofLaw DePaulUniversity Lincoln,NE68588-0308 25E.JacksonBlvd. Chicago,IL60604 TheodoreEisenberg,J.D. HenryAllenMarkProfessor MonicaK.Miller,J.D.,Ph.D. ofLawMyronTaylorHall DepartmentofCriminalJustice CornellLawSchool Mailstop214 Ithaca UniversityofNevada-Reno NY14853 Reno,NV89557 EdieGreene,Ph.D. SusanPoser,J.D.,Ph.D. DepartmentofPsychology AssociateProfessor,CollegeofLaw; UniversityofColorado-Colorado Director,RobertJ.KutakCenterfor Springs theTeachingandStudyofApplied ColoradoSprings Ethics,UniversityofNebraska CO80933 Lincoln,NE68502-0902 ValerieP.Hans,Ph.D. JenniferK.Robbennolt,J.D.,Ph.D. ProfessorofLaw ProfessorofLawandPsychology MyronTaylorHall CollegeofLaw CornellUniversityCollege 504E.PennsylvaniaAve. ofLawIthaca UniversityofIllinois NY14853 Champaign,IL61820 xi
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