
Environmental Law
Environmental Law 475 is a survey of environmental law – both the common law (judge-made) and statutory/regulatory law. The class is divided into thirds, separated by two mid-term exams. We begin with a discussion of what environmental law is, risk, and a brief overview of the legal system. We then turn to the primary subject of this third of the course, environmental common law torts: nuisance, negligence, trespass, and strict liability and toxic torts. There is a special session on Friday, to watch A Civil Action. You may watch the movie at a different time if you have a scheduling conflict, but it is more fun to watch it together. We also spend one lecture talking about defenses (how defendants try to avoid liability) and one on remedies (what relief plaintiffs seek in court).