The awards, accomplishments, speaking engagements and news of the distinguished faculty of the Insurance Law Center at the University of Connecticut School of Law:
Professor Jessica Rubin has been elected to the Executive Committee of the Association of American Law Schools' Section on Animal Law. Rubin was elected at the association's annual conference on January 6, 2019.
Professor Alexander Lahav will speak as part of a panel at the Association of American Law Schools' annual meeting on January 5, 2019. The panel on which she is speaking, titled "Jurisprudence Panel 2: Recognizing Wrongs: Philosophy of Tort Law" is part of a five-day event. The convention will take place at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel.
Professor Jessica Rubin will give a presentation at the Yale Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics on January 24, 2019 about her role in establishing Desmond's Law in Connecticut. Desmond's Law is the first in the country that allows judges to appoint advocates on behalf of animals in cases of abuse or neglect.
Professor Alexandra Lahav was among law professors who filed an amicus brief on November 20, 2018, asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit to reconsider its decision to decertify a class in the Asacol antitrust case. A district court in Massachusetts had certified a class of buyers of the drug Asacol, which is used to treat ulcerative colitis. These buyers had alleged an antitrust conspiracy to block less expensive generic alternatives from the shelves. The appeals court decertified the class on the grounds that a small percentage, estimated at no more than 10 percent of the class members, would have bought Asacol out of brand loyalty even if a cheaper alternative had been available. The law professors argued that "Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure does not compel a court to prohibit class actions whenever a small percentage of the class may not have suffered actual damages."
Professor Alexandra Lahav has won the 2019 Civil Justice Scholarship Award from the Pound Civil Justice Institute for her 2017 book "In Praise of Litigation." The newly established award will be given every two years to recognize legal research and writing on topics in civil justice, including access to justice and the benefits of the U.S. civil justice system. The Pound Civil Justice Institute is a national think tank founded by members of the trial bar. The award will be presented at the Pound's Fellows reception in Miami Beach on February 3, 2019. Read more about the book ...