Chris' public policy work focuses on tort law and civil justice system reform. His work is generally divided among legislative efforts, appellate litigation, and liability counseling. Chris has drafted model legislation to be introduced on the state and federal level, testified on numerous legislative initiatives, and authored amicus briefs to state supreme courts and federal appellate courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. He also serves as an adviser to various business groups and trade associations interested in tort liability issues and civil justice system reform.  
 
In addition, Chris is an elected member of the American Law Institute (ALI), and has assisted in the development of a variety of ALI projects implicating liability law. He also has been a guest speaker at several law schools and the U.S. Department of Justice, and has presented at numerous legal conferences and industry group meetings on issues related to tort law. He has authored more than 70 legal publications on a wide range of liability issues, including articles in the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, UPenn Journal of Business Law and Duke Journal of Constitutional Law & Public Policy, and has served as a contributor to tort casebooks.

Legal Texts

Prosser, Wade & Schwartz’s Torts: Cases and Materials (13th ed. 2015 & 14th ed. 2020) (contributor to product liability law chapter).

Produzentenhaftung (2014) (co-author of U.S. product liability law chapter of German legal treatise).

Articles

Insurance Law

Victor E. Schwartz & Christopher E. Appel, Restating or Reshaping the Law?: A Critical Analysis of the Restatement of the Law, Liability Insurance, 22 U. Pa. J. Bus. L. 718 (2020). 

Victor E. Schwartz & Christopher E. Appel, The American Law Institute at the Cross Road: With Power Comes Responsibility, Nat'l Found. for Judicial Excellence, Vol. 2, Issue 1 (May 22, 2017). 

Victor E. Schwartz & Christopher E. Appel, A Look at the ALI's Restatement of Liability Insurance, Law360, May 3, 2016.

Victor E. Schwartz & Christopher E. Appel, Encouraging Constructive Conduct By Policyholders in the Restatement of the Law of Liability Insurance, 68 Rutgers L. Rev. 455 (2015).

Victor E. Schwartz & Christopher E. Appel, How Bad Faith Becomes Bad Law, Inside ALEC, Nov/Dec 2009, at 13-14, 19-20.

Victor E. Schwartz & Christopher E. Appel, Common-Sense Construction of Unfair Claims Settlement Statutes: Restoring the Good Faith in Bad Faith, 58 Am. U. L. Rev. 1477 (2009).

Product Liability

Victor E. Schwartz & Christopher E. Appel, Where’s the Beef?: A Guide to Judges on Preemption of State Tort Litigation Involving Branded Drugs, 89 U. Cin. L. Rev. 597 (2021).

Mark Behrens & Christopher E. Appel, Over-Naming of Asbestos Defendants: A Pervasive Problem in Need of Reform, 36:4 Mealey’s Litig. Rep.: Asbestos 1 (Mar. 24, 2021).

Victor E. Schwartz & Christopher E. Appel, Roundup Cases May Be a New Example of an Old Problem: The Post Hoc Fallacy, 34:11, Legal Backgrounder (Wash. Legal Found., Aug. 9, 2019).

Mark A. Behrens & Christopher Appel, The New Gold Rush: Study Reveals Pharmaceutical Plaintiffs Flocking to California, 24 No. 10 Westlaw J. Health L. 2, 2017 WL 471284 (Feb. 7, 2017), reprinted in 39 No. 9 Westlaw J. Asbestos 2 (Feb. 17, 2017), reprinted in 33 No. 1 Westlaw J. Pharmaceutical 2 (Feb. 22, 2017).

Victor E. Schwartz, Cary Silverman & Christopher E. Appel, Respirators to the Rescue: Why Tort Law Should Encourage, Not Deter, the Manufacture of Products that Make Us Safer, 33:1 Am. J. Trial Advoc. 13 (2010).

Victor E. Schwartz, Cary Silverman, Michael J. Hulka & Christopher E. Appel, Marketing Pharmaceutical Products in the Twenty-First Century: An Analysis of the Continued Viability of Traditional Principles of Law in the Age of Direct-To-Consumer Advertising, 32 Harv. J.L. & Pub. Pol’y 333 (2009).

Victor E. Schwartz & Christopher E. Appel, Effective Communication of Warnings in the Workplace: Avoiding Injuries in Working with Industrial Materials, 73 Mo. L. Rev. 1 (2008).

Victor E. Schwartz, Cary Silverman & Christopher E. Appel, Consumer Product Safety Reform Could Mean a Boon for Safety or a Boondoggle For Plaintiffs’ Lawyers: It’s Up to the CPSC, State AGs, the Courts, and You, 36:43 Prod. Safety & Liab. Rep. (BNA) 1106 (Nov. 3, 2008).

Mark Behrens & Christopher Appel, New Jersey and Missouri Supreme Courts Reject Lead Paint Public Nuisance Claims, Class Action Watch (Federalist Society for Law & Public Policy Studies), Sept. 2007, at 1.

Victor E. Schwartz & Christopher E. Appel, Analysis & Perspective: Average Wholesale Price Pharmaceutical Litigation Proposed Settlement: A Deal that Helps First Databank and Lawyers, But Is It Fair to Others?, Class Action Litig. Rep. (BNA), May 25, 2007, at 390.

Tort Doctrine

Victor E. Schwartz & Christopher E. Appel, Perspectives on the Future of Tort Damages: The Law Should Reflect Reality, 74 S.C. L. Rev. 1 (2022). 

Mark Behrens & Christopher Appel, Governor Hochul: Don’t Allow Inflation in Wrongful Death Lawsuits, N.Y.L.J. (Dec. 20, 2022).

Mark A. Behrens, Cary Silverman & Christopher E. Appel, Summation Anchoring: Is It Time to Cast Away Inflated Requests for Noneconomic Damages?, 44 Am. J. Trial Advoc. 321 (2021). 

Victor E. Schwartz & Christopher E. Appel, Pennsylvania Court Shoots Down Federal Tort Law as Beyond Congress’s Commerce-Clause Power, 29:10 Legal Opinion Letter (Wash. Legal Found., Nov. 13, 2020).

Victor E. Schwartz, Phil Goldberg & Christopher E. Appel, Deep Pocket Jurisprudence: Where Tort Law Should Draw the Line, 70 Okla. L. Rev. 359 (2017). 

Phil Goldberg, Christopher E. Appel & Victor E. Schwartz, The Liability Engine that Could Not: Why Decades-Long Litigation Pursuit of Natural Resource Suppliers Should Grind to a Halt, 12 J.L. Econ. & Pol'y 47 (2016).

Victor E. Schwartz & Christopher E. Appel, The Church Autonomy Doctrine: Where Tort Law Should Step Aside, 80 U. Cin. L. Rev. 432 (2012).

Mark Latham, Victor E. Schwartz & Christopher E. Appel, The Intersection of Tort and Environmental Law: Where the Twains Should Meet and Depart, 80 Fordham L. Rev. 737 (2011).

Victor E. Schwartz & Christopher E. Appel, Reshaping the Traditional Limits of Affirmative Duties Under the Third Restatement of Torts, 44 John Marshall L. Rev. 379 (2011).

Victor E. Schwartz & Christopher E. Appel, Exporting United States Tort Law: The Importance of Authenticity, Necessity, and Learning from Our Mistakes, 38 Pepp. L. Rev. 551 (2011).

Mark A. Behrens & Christopher E. Appel, The Need for Rational Boundaries in Civil Conspiracy Claims, 31 N. Ill. L. Rev. 37 (2010).

Victor E. Schwartz, Phil Goldberg, & Christopher E. Appel, Can Governments Impose a New Tort Duty to Prevent External Risks? The “No-Fault” Theories Behind Today’s High-Stakes Government Recoupment Suits, 44 Wake Forest L. Rev. 923 (2009).

Mark A. Behrens & Christopher E. Appel, Second Circuit Upholds Federal Liability Reform Law, 18:12 Legal Opinion Letter (Wash. Legal Found., May 16, 2008).

Victor E. Schwartz, Philip Goldberg & Christopher Appel, Plaintiffs' Bar Campaign to Introduce Pain and Suffering Damages in Pet Food Cases Will Only Increase the Pain and Suffering of People's Pets, 35:39 Prod. Safety & Liab. Rptr. (BNA) 947 (2007).

Victor E. Schwartz, Cary Silverman & Christopher E. Appel, "That’s Unfair!" Says Who –The Government or Litigant?: Consumer Protection Claims Involving Regulated Conduct, 47 Washburn L.J. 93 (2007).

Punitive Damages

Mark A. Behrens, Cary Silverman & Christopher E. Appel, Calculating Punitive Damages Ratios With Extracompensatory Attorney Fees And Judgment Interest: A Violation of the United States Supreme Court’s Due Process Jurisprudence?, 48 Wake Forest L. Rev. 1295 (2013).

Victor E. Schwartz & Christopher E. Appel, Two Wrongs Do Not Make a Right: Reconsidering the Application of Comparative Fault to Punitive Damage Awards, 78 Mo. L. Rev. 133 (2013).

Victor E. Schwartz, Cary Silverman & Christopher E. Appel, The Supreme Court’s Common Law Approach to Excessive Punitive Damage Awards: A Guide for the Development of State Law, 60 S.C. L. Rev. 881 (2009).

Victor E. Schwartz & Christopher E. Appel, Putting the Cart Before the Horse: The Prejudicial Practice of a “Reverse Bifurcation” Approach to Punitive Damages, 2 Charleston L. Rev. 375 (2008).

Mark A. Behrens & Christopher E. Appel, Reverse Bifurcation” Approach to Punitive Damages Trials in West Virginia, Class Action Watch (Federalist Society for Law & Public Policy Studies), Mar. 2008, at 7.

Medical Monitoring

Mark Behrens & Christopher Appel, New Hampshire Supreme Court Rejects Medical Monitoring, 32:3 Legal Backgrounder (Wash. Legal Found. Mar. 29, 2023). 

Mark A. Behrens & Christopher E. Appel, American Law Institute Proposes Controversial Medical Monitoring Rule in Final Part of Torts Restatement, IADC Defense Counsel Journal, Nov. 2020.

Christopher Appel, State Court Docket Watch: Berry v. City of ChicagoFederalist Society, Nov. 2020.

Mark A. Behrens & Christopher E. Appel, Nevada Supreme Court Adopts Medical Monitoring Remedy in Negligence Actions, 24:2 Legal Opinion Letter (Wash. Legal Found., Feb. 27, 2015).

Mark Behrens & Christopher Appel, Torts 101 – Damages for Those Who Might Get Sick Are Nonsensical, Nat’l L.J., Jan. 27, 2014, at 27.

Mark A. Behrens & Christopher E. Appel, Medical Monitoring in Missouri After Meyer Ex Rel. Coplin v. Fluor Corp.: Sound Policy Should be Restored to a Vague and Unsound Directive, 27 St. Louis U. Pub. L. Rev. 135 (2007).

Mark A. Behrens & Christopher E. Appel, Mississippi Supreme Court Rejects Medical Monitoring, 17:3 Legal Backgrounder (Wash. Legal Found., Feb. 9, 2007).

Climate Change Litigation

Christopher E. Appel, Climate-Change Lawsuits Bad for Environment, Hawaii Residents, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Dec. 17, 2019.

Christopher E. Appel, Time for Climate Change Tort Litigation to Cool Off Permanently, 12:223 Environmental Report (Bloomberg BNA) B-1, Nov. 20, 2012.

Victor E. Schwartz, Phil Goldberg & Christopher E. Appel, Climate Change Tort Litigation, The Recorder, Oct. 4, 2012.

Victor E. Schwartz, Phil Goldberg, & Christopher E. Appel, Does the Judiciary Have the Tools for Regulating Greenhouse Gas Emissions?, 46 Val. U. L. Rev. 369 (2012).

Victor E. Schwartz, Phil Goldberg & Christopher E. Appel, Lawsuit Roulette: Pursuit of the “Children’s Trust” Climate Change Litigation, 26:15 Legal Opinion Letter (Wash. Legal Found. July 8, 2011).

Victor E. Schwartz, Phil Goldberg & Christopher E. Appel, Global Warming Lawsuits: Poised for Supreme Court Hot List?, 19:13 Legal Opinion Letter (Wash. Legal Found., July 9, 2010).

Other Civil Justice Issues

Mark Behrens & Christopher Appel, Proposals to Allow Nonlawyer Ownership of Law Firms, Fee Splitting Experience Rejection, 37:17 Legal Backgrounder (Wash. Legal Found. Oct. 14, 2022).

Mark Behrens & Christopher E. Appel, Florida Supreme Court Leads on Apex Doctrine, Vol. 51 No. 2 The Brief: A Publication of the Am. Bar Ass’n Tort & Ins. Prac. Sec. 33 (Winter 2022).

Victor E. Schwartz & Christopher E. Appel, New York’s Environmental Rights Constitutional Amendment Will Require Sound Judicial Interpretation, 37:1 Legal Backgrounder (Wash. Legal Found., Jan. 14, 2022).

Christopher E. Appel, The American Law Institute’s Unsound Bid to Reinvent Contract Law in the Proposed Restatement of the Law, Consumer Contracts, 32 Loy. Consumer L. Rev. 339 (2020).

Mark A. Behrens & Christopher E. Appel, States Are Embracing Proportional Discovery, Moving Into Alignment With Federal Rules, 29:5 Legal Opinion Letter (Wash. Legal Found., July 17, 2020).

Mark A. Behrens & Christopher E. Appel, Federal Civil Rule Reform: An Update, IADC Defense Counsel Journal, July 2019.

Philip Goldberg, Christopher E. Appel & Victor E. Schwartz, The U.S. Supreme Court's Personal Jurisdiction Paradigm Shift to End Litigation Tourism, 14 Duke J. Const. L. & Pub. Pol'y 51 (2019).

Victor E. Schwartz & Christopher E. Appel, Setting the Record Straight About the Benefits of Pre-Dispute Arbitration, 34:7 Legal Backgrounder (Wash. Legal Found., June 7, 2019). 

Mark A. Behrens & Christopher E. Appel, Federal Civil Rules Committee Drops Divisive Corporate Witness ID Duty, 28:9 Legal Opinion Letter (Wash. Legal Found., May 17, 2019).

Mark A. Behrens & Christopher E. Appel, 2018 Civil Justice Update (Federalist Soc'y Nov. 2018).

Mark A. Behrens & Christopher E. Appel, 2015 Civil Justice Update (Federalist Soc’y July 2016).

Mark A. Behrens & Christopher E. Appel, Controversial ABA Alternative Business Structures Proposal Stalls…Again, Int’l Ass’n of Def. Counsel, Civil Justice Response Comm. Newsletter (June 2016).

Victor E. Schwartz & Christopher E. Appel, Rebutting the Fraud on the Market Presumption in Securities Fraud Class Actions: Halliburton II Opens the Door, 5 Mich. Bus. & Entrepreneurial L. Rev. 33 (2015).

Victor E. Schwartz & Christopher E. Appel, Federal Government Crossfire: Fix the “Catch 22” Businesses Face from Conflicting Agency Demands, 23:15 Legal Opinion Letter (Wash. Legal Found., Nov. 7, 2014).

Victor E. Schwartz & Christopher E. Appel, Government Regulations and Private Litigation: The Law Should Enhance Harmony, Not War, 23 B.U. Pub. Int. L.J. 185 (2014).

Mark Latham, Victor E. Schwartz & Christopher E. Appel, Is EPA Ignoring Clean Air Act Mandate To Analyze Impact Of Regulations On Jobs?, 29:15 Legal Backgrounder (Wash. Legal Found., June 6, 2014), reprinted in 28 Westlaw Employ. J. 24 (June 24, 2014).

Victor E. Schwartz, Phil Goldberg & Christopher E. Appel, Appeals Court Rebuffs Federal Agency’s Attempt at Sue and Settle Regulation, 22:10 Legal Opinion Letter (Wash. Legal Found., July 19, 2013).

Christopher E. Appel, Legislators Address the Growing Use of Contingent Fee Attorneys by State Officials, Inside ALEC, May / June 2013, at 20-21, 25.

Victor E. Schwartz, Phil Goldberg & Christopher E. Appel, A Hazardous Precedent: Federal Agency Proposal Targets Workers’ Private Health Insurance, 21:17 Legal Opinion Letter (Wash. Legal Found., Aug. 3, 2012). 

Christopher E. Appel, Reining in New Ways to Sue Where Lawmakers Never Intended, Inside ALEC, Mar. 2011, at 6-7.

Victor E. Schwartz & Christopher E. Appel, Rational Pleading in the Modern World of Civil Litigation: The Lessons and Public Policy Benefits of Twombly and Iqbal, 33 Harv. J. L. & Pub. Pol’y 1007 (2010).

Victor E. Schwartz & Christopher E. Appel, The Plaintiffs' Bar's Covert Effort to Expand State Attorney General Federal Enforcement Power, 24:24 Legal Backgrounder (Wash. Legal Found., July 10, 2009), reprinted in 32 No. 3 Andrews Asbestos Litig. Rep. 11 (Nov. 30, 2009).

Mark A. Behrens & Christopher E. Appel, Denial of Federal Tax Deduction for Punitive Damages Threatens Job Growth, 18:12 Legal Opinion Letter (Wash. Legal Found., June 5, 2009). 

Victor E. Schwartz & Christopher E. Appel, Federal Government Bailout for Trial Lawyers, 18:11 Legal Opinion Letter (Wash. Legal Found., May 22, 2009). 

Mark A. Behrens & Christopher E. Appel, Seventh Circuit Rejects Effort to Bypass Class Action Fairness Act in Mass Action, Class Action Litig. Rep. (BNA), Aug. 22, 2008, at 701. 

Victor E. Schwartz, Kevin Underhill, Cary Silverman, & Christopher E. Appel, Governments’ Hiring of Contingent Fee Attorneys Contrary to Public Interest, 23:34 Legal Backgrounder (Wash. Legal Found., Aug. 8, 2008).