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Federal Volunteer Protection Act -- Overview

The Volunteer Protection Act (VPA) is a federal law that was designed to promote volunteerism by granting civil immunity to volunteers under certain circumstances. The VPA was signed into law by President Clinton in 1997.

Causing a Spouse to Separate from or to Refuse to Return to Another Spouse

Under the common law, there existed a tort for causing a spouse to separate from or to refuse to return to another spouse. Although most states have enacted statutes that have abolished the tort, there are a few states in which a spouse may bring an action against a third party for the tort.

Hedonic Damages

In the context of personal injury law, "hedonic damages" are damages to compensate a plaintiff for "loss of enjoyment of life," i.e., a diminished ability to enjoy the day-to-day pleasures of life.

Tort Action for Violation of a Fiduciary Duty

A person who has a fiduciary relationship with another person commits a tort when he or she breaches his or her fiduciary duty with regard to the other person. The other person is entitled to damages from the fiduciary if he or she sustains damages as a result of the fiduciary's breach of his or her duty.

AVIATION LITIGATION

Aviation litigation may involve commercial or private airline accidents. When a flight crosses state lines or when an aircraft contains passengers from several different states, an accident will often result in large multi-party lawsuits and litigation in several states or in several federal district courts.