74765 - Civil Law (M-Q)

Learning outcomes

The main purpose of the course – within an overview of the current Civil Law –is to enable students to efficiently handle civil law fundamental issues.

The course will present an analysis of the most recent jurisprudence on tort law, aimed at underlying its contribution to the creation of new concepts of civil law due to the incorporation of EU directives into the Italian law.

The teaching method, also supported by seminars and research, will be continually focused on case law.

Consequently, the primary aims of the course are:

- to provide students with a thorough knowledge of one of the core concepts of Civil Law;

- to highlight its relations to Constitutional and European principles implemented into state laws;

- to acquire a critical approach to the analysis of doctrine and jurisprudence

Course contents

During the first semester a complete overview of tort law will be provided. The second semester will focus on the product liability system with particular concern given to product liability regulation laws, information and labeling obligations, approval procedures of particular products and quality certification. A specific attention will be given to preventive and compensatory policy tools provided to the consumer considered either individually and as a part of a class.

The analysis of consumer protection tools consisting of the product safety regulation along with the manufacturer's liability system will be conducted in the light of a comparison between EU/US current regulation, with particular focus on the economic implications. Through trial simulations, laboratories, case analysis and research activities, students will actively participate in the course and they will be able to acquire a better understanding of “real life” tort law issues. For this purpose the course will offer a trial simulation.

Attending the course students should establish a strong foundation in the major civil law issues and a specific knowledge of the elements required for a product liability claim. Specific attention will be given to the identification of the key guidelines needed to deal with product liability cases, in particular those regarding products (e.g. mobiles, GMO, alcoholic beverage, drugs, beauty products) compliant with safety regulation standards that, nevertheless turn out to cause heath damages

Part 1 - Tort Law

- Tort law principles;

- Causation;

- Fraud and negligence;

- Vicarious liability;

- Strict Liability;

- Liability arising from exercise of dangerous activities;

- Vehicles circulation;

- Tort law and remedies in contract law;

- Liability arising from performance of professional activities;

- medical malpractice and liability in the light of Legge 8 marzo 2017, n. 24, “Disposizioni in materia di sicurezza delle cure e della persona assistita, nonché in materia di responsabilità professionale degli esercenti le professioni sanitarie”;

- Civil liability of the Public administration;

- Pecuniary damages

- Non-pecuniary damages

- Punitive damages.

Part 2 - Product Safety and Product Liability :

• Product safety regulation and predictable risk limitation, a balance between efficient market regulation and public health protection;

• Unidentified risks between producer's liability limitation for development risks and the precautionary principle;

Product liability and product safety system according to Italian and European law.

• The Council Directive 85/374/ECC, the D:P:R 224/1988 and the articles 114-127 cod. cons; the directive 2024/2853/UE

• The concept of “defective product”;

• Areas of application and the compensation of damages caused by the so called “bystanders”;

• Conditions excluding liability;

• The duty to warn and the contributory negligence of the plaintiff;

• Compensatory damages;

• Limitation periods of the right to compensation for damages arising from unlawful acts;

• Producer's liability according to sectoral and civil law;

• Claims limitations;

• Potential defendants in product liability claims.

Product safety and quality

• The general product safety directive 2001/95/EC and the articles 102-111 cod. cons;

• Aim of the directive and areas of application;

• The concepts of safe” and “unsafe” products;

• Obligations for manufacturers and distributors;

• The safety assessment;

• Authorities involved in the harmonization and in the definition of harmonized European standards.

The harmonized European standards

• Public authorities control;

• The cooperation between the Minister of productive activities and the European Commission;

• Preventive tools and the precautionary principle:

• The alert system: Safety Gate;

• The withdrawal;

• The recall;

• The duty to warn;

• The duty to eliminate the risk;

-Market surveillance and product recall management;

- Sanctions on producers and suppliers of unsafe products;

Jurisprudence trends in product liability case law. Different types of products

• Damages caused by food products;

• Damages caused by drugs;

• Damages caused by tobacco;

• Damages caused by beauty products;

• Damages caused by GMO: scientific uncertainty and the precautionary principle

• Damages caused by vehicles;

• Damages caused by cell phones;

Food safety and product liability- A US/EU comparison

-Product safety and Product liability;

-the fragmentation of tort law at state level and the uniform federal product safety standards;

- Agencies involved in the definition of harmonized standards on product safety;

- A comparison between Us and Italian (ex Consumer Code) class action.

At the end of the first semester, only attending students are expected to take part in an intermediate exam consisting in a written essay  which will focus on the analysis of  the topics listed above in the first semester.

Readings/Bibliography

Readings/Bibliography

13 credits:

I parte

(a) F. Galgano, Trattato di diritto civile, vol. III, Cedam, Padova, 2014, pp. 115- 342;

(b) E. Al Mureden, I fatti illeciti. Casi e materiali, IV ed., Giappichelli, Torino, 2021.

II parte

(a) G. Calabresi e E. Al Mureden, Driverless cars. Intelligenza artificiale e e futuro della mobilità, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2021.

(b) E. Al Mureden, Sicurezza dei prodotti e responsabilità del produttore, Casi e materiali, II ed., Giappichelli,Torino, 2017, pp. 1-116; 200-321.

16 CREDITS - program for students which did satisfy the attendance requirements in A.A. 2015/2016 or in previous accademic years:

I parte

(a) F. Galgano, Trattato di diritto civile, vol. III, Cedam, Padova, 2014, pp. 115- 342;

(b) E. Al Mureden, I fatti illeciti. Casi e materiali, IV ed., Giappichelli, Torino, 2021

II parte

(a) G. Calabresi e E. Al Mureden, Driverless cars. Intelligenza artificiale e e futuro della mobilità, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2021

(b) E. Al Mureden, Sicurezza dei prodotti e responsabilità del produttore, Casi e materiali, II ed., Giappichelli,Torino, 2017, pp. 1-116; 200-321.

(c) G. Calabresi, Costo degli incidenti e responsabilità civile. Analisi economico-giuridica, Traduzione di A. De Vita, V. Varano, V. Vigoriti, Presentazione di S. Rodotà, ristampa inalterata con Presentazione di E. Al Mureden, Giuffrè, Milano, 2015, (pp. V-XXXVII, 47-57, 59-176)

For students which need credits integrations:

1 CREDIT: E. Al Mureden, Sicurezza dei prodotti e responsabilità del produttore, Casi e materiali, II ed., Giappichelli, Torino, 2017, pp. 1-78.

2 CREDITS: E. Al Mureden, Sicurezza dei prodotti e responsabilità del produttore, Casi e materiali, II ed., Giappichelli, Torino, 2017, pp. 1-144.

3 CREDITS: E. Al Mureden, Sicurezza dei prodotti e responsabilità del produttore, Casi e materiali, II ed., Giappichelli, Torino, 2017, pp. 1-200.

4 CREDITS: E. Al Mureden, Sicurezza dei prodotti e responsabilità del produttore, Casi e materiali, II ed., Giappichelli, Torino, 2017, pp. 1-261.

5 CREDITS: E. Al Mureden, Sicurezza dei prodotti e responsabilità del produttore, Casi e materiali, II ed., Giappichelli, Torino, 2017, pp. 1-358 (entirely).

6 CREDITS: E. Al Mureden, Sicurezza dei prodotti e responsabilità del produttore, Casi e materiali, II ed., Giappichelli, Torino, 2017, pp. 1-358 (entirely) and, in addiction, E. Al Mureden, I fatti illeciti. Casi e materiali, III ed., Giappichelli, Torino, 2021, pp. 1-56.

7 CREDITS: E. Al Mureden, Sicurezza dei prodotti e responsabilità del produttore, Casi e materiali, II ed., Giappichelli, Torino, 2017, pp. 1-358 (entirely) and, in addiction, E. Al Mureden, I fatti illeciti. Casi e materiali, III ed., Giappichelli, Torino, 2021, pp. 1-136.

8 CREDITS: E. Al Mureden, Sicurezza dei prodotti e responsabilità del produttore, Casi e materiali, II ed., Giappichelli, Torino, 2017, pp. 1-358 (entirely) and, in addiction, E. Al Mureden, I fatti illeciti. Casi e materiali, III ed., Giappichelli, Torino, 2018, pp. 1-218.

9 CREDITS: E. Al Mureden, Sicurezza dei prodotti e responsabilità del produttore, Casi e materiali, II ed., Giappichelli, Torino, 2017, pp. 1-358 (entirely) and, in addiction, E. Al Mureden, I fatti illeciti. Casi e materiali, III ed., Giappichelli, Torino, 2021, pp. 1-284.

10 CREDITS: E. Al Mureden, Sicurezza dei prodotti e responsabilità del produttore, Casi e materiali, II ed., Giappichelli, Torino, 2017, pp. 1-358 (entirely) and, in addiction, E. Al Mureden, I fatti illeciti. Casi e materiali, III ed., Giappichelli, Torino, 20218, pp. 1-336.

11 CREDITS: E. Al Mureden, Sicurezza dei prodotti e responsabilità del produttore, Casi e materiali, II ed., Giappichelli, Torino, 2017, pp. 1-358 (entirely) and, in addiction, E. Al Mureden, I fatti illeciti. Casi e materiali, III ed., Giappichelli, Torino, 2021, pp. 1-400 (entirely).

12 CREDITS: E. Al Mureden, Sicurezza dei prodotti e responsabilità del produttore, Casi e materiali, II ed., Giappichelli, Torino, 2017, pp. 1-358 (entirely) and, in addiction, E. Al Mureden, I fatti illeciti. Casi e materiali, III ed., Giappichelli, Torino, 2021, pp. 1-400 (entirely) and, in addiction, G. Calabresi, Costo degli incidenti e responsabilità civile. Analisi economico-giuridica,Traduzione di A. De Vita, V. Varano, V. Vigoriti, Presentazione di S. Rodotà, ristampa inalterata con Presentazione di E. Al Mureden, Giuffrè, Milano, 2015, (pp. V-XXXVII).

Teaching methods

Lectures will be held by Professor Enrico Al Mureden, the course's lead professor, and Professor Antonio Albanese and Professor Matteo de Pamphilis, who are responsible for the teaching modules.

The teaching will be structured through lectures and collateral activities designed to encourage student engagement. Lectures will provide a systematic presentation of the course's topics, according to the syllabus outlined above, followed by a discussion of case law on individual topics, both in the general and special sections.

Lectures will be complemented by activities designed to actively engage students, such as the preparation of written papers (thesis) exploring the topics covered in class, participation in a mock trial (moot court), and study seminars on topics related to those covered in the course. All of this will be done according to the practical guidance provided during the first lessons and with the assistance of teachers and tutors, with the aim of providing students with all the tools for a critical and interdisciplinary approach to the issues addressed during the course.

Students with specific learning disorders (SLD) or temporary/permanent disabilities:

We recommend contacting the University Office responsible for support services in a timely manner (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it) [https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it):] ). The office will evaluate the students' needs and, where appropriate, propose possible accommodations. These must in any case be submitted for approval at least 15 days in advance to the course instructor, who will assess their suitability also in relation to the learning objectives of the course.

Assessment methods

The course will cover the entire academic year and for students that will satisfy the attendance requirements will be possible to take the exam in all sessions from May.

The essay  will focus on  topics indicated in the "Program and contents" section.

The evaluation of the test will be carried out taking into consideration:

- Knowledge of institutional profiles

- The ability to analyze the jurisprudential and doctrinal guidelines

- The ability to make connections between the different parts of the program

- The ability to develop critical arguments

- The articulation of the exposure

- Accuracy of exposure

the following criteria will be used to assess the final mark (that will be out of 30/30):

• sufficient or barely sufficient knowledge on the programme, limited reasoning ability, some difficulties in using technical and legal language → 18-21/30;
• fairly good knowledge of the programme, adequate critical reasoning ability, sound use of technical and legal language → 22-25/30;
• comprehensive knowledge of the programme, notable reasoning ability, good command of technical and legal language → 26-29/30;

• extensive knowledge of the programme, very good reasoning ability, and ability to fully master technical-legal language → 30-30L/30.

Students attending the course may take a partial exam consisting of a written paper on the general section (first semester syllabus); the same option will be available at the end of the second semester. This assessment is subject to attendance throughout the course (from September to May).

Attendance will be monitored through signature collection.

Registration for the midterm exam can be done using a special list that will be distributed at the end of the first semester.

Registration for the final exam can be made through the application Almaesami (https://almaesami.unibo.it/almaesami/welcome.htm )

Students are allowed to take the Civil Law examination only after having taken Private Law and Public Law.

Degree thesis

The degree thesis will be assigned by Prof. Enrico Al Mureden after an interview.

Students will be supervised by a tutor provided by Prof. Enrico Al Mureden.

Students with specific learning disorders (SLD) or temporary/permanent disabilities:

We recommend contacting the University Office responsible for support services in a timely manner (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it) [https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it):] ). The office will evaluate the students' needs and, where appropriate, propose possible accommodations. These must in any case be submitted for approval at least 15 days in advance to the course instructor, who will assess their suitability also in relation to the learning objectives of the course.

Teaching tools

Some of the topics covered in class will be explained through slides representing logical connections between private law topics in order to facilitate learning. Other supporting materials ( legal cases, documents, legal texts, slides) will be made available to students on the website.

Students which need compensatory tools for reasons of disability or Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) will communicate to the teacher their needs so as to be directed to the dedicated person and arrange on the adoption of the most appropriate measures.

Erasmus students can ask to the Professor adjustment of the program according their learning agreement.

Office hours

See the website of Enrico Al Mureden [https://www.unibo.it/sitoweb/enrico.almureden/en]

See the website of Antonio Albanese

Nicoló Cevolani - nicolo.cevolani2@unibo.it

Matteo De Pamphilis - matteo.depamphilis2@unibo.it

Diletta Giunchedi - diletta.giunchedi2@unibo.it

Elena Guardigli - e.guardigli@unibo.it

Carlotta Ippoliti - carlotta.ippoliti@unibo.it

Office hours

See the website of Enrico Al Mureden

See the website of Antonio Albanese

See the website of Matteo De Pamphilis