Mass Harm in Europe

This book comprises an in-depth and broad comparative law study on the meaning of tort law in mass harm cases in Europe, examining this phenomenon in the context of 12 different case studies in 12 European jurisdictions: Belgium, England and Wales, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Slovenia, Spain and the Netherlands. To meet the objectives of this analysis, this book’s scope is not limited to an analysis of substantive tort law only, but also includes procedural law aspects and the shift of compensation beyond tort law. It marks a novelty in the common core tradition by mapping out procedural (im)possibilities of damages recovery in mass harm cases, thereby giving a clearer picture of what tort law can de facto mean in mass harm cases.

Included are four general contributions that provide more context on the settlement of these types of mass harm cases. These contributions cover the role of the judge; mass harm from a law and economics perspective; alternative compensation schemes; and funding class actions. Overall, this book represents the first study to provide such a broad and comprehensive overview of what is likely to be the common core in the settlement of mass harm cases through private law in Europe.

With contributions by Clémence Abitbol, Tomas Arons, TT Arvind, Ewa Bagińska, Ursula Connolly, Eugenia Dacoronia, Matthias Dangl, Matthew Dyson, Michael Faure, Dominique dos Santos Ferreira, Matteo Fermeglia, Steve Hedley, Andrew Higgins, Emmanuel Jeuland, Natalia Karczewska-Kamińska, Artuur Keukeleire, Georg E Kodek, Paola Monaco, Damjan Možina, Pedro del Olmo García, Sarah Popp, Julia Rechtman, Rianka Rijnhout, María José Santos Morón, Anthony J Sebok, Judith Skillen, Astrid Stadler, Larissa Vanhooff, Albert J Verheij, Louis Visscher, Kim Watts, Britt Weyts, Pim GJ Wissink and Paulina Wyszyńska-Ślufińska.