Ralph Nader Shows Why Tort Law Matters

Ralph Nader Shows  Why Tort Law Matters
Ralph Nader’s American Museum of Tort Law in Winsted, Conn., uses Roy Lichtenstein-style graphics to explain famous David versus Goliath lawsuits. Photo from American Museum of Tort Law

If Salisbury, Conn., resident Tom Morrison’s new book, “Please Pass the Tort$,” makes you want to learn more about laws designed to protect the public, perhaps it’s time to finally check out the American Museum of Tort Law in Winsted, Conn.

The museum was created by Winsted native and four-time presidential candidate Ralph Nader, who is most famous for his work as a consumer advocate.

The museum is on Main Street in Winsted and is closed for the winter until April. But the website at www.tortmuseum.org offers a virtual tour through the history of some of the most famous law of wrongful injury in cases in the history of American jurisprudence.

The 6,500-square-foot museum is the first dedicated to the law in the United States. It is in the former Winsted Savings Bank and opened in 2015. Like Morrison’s book, it treats serious subjects in an engaging, friendly way, with comic book-style drawings that inform visitors about famous cases of individuals versus corporations.

Some of those cases  are vaguely familiar (the scalding hot McDonald’s coffee, the dangerously combustible Ford Pinto); the museum exhibits, all of which you can see online, explain concisely and simply what the issues were and how they were resolved.

However you feel about Ralph Nader and either his campaigns for the presidency or his strong advocacy for consumer rights, there is one thing that no one should ever doubt, and that is the immensity of Nader’s heart and his love for his Northwest Corner community. Nader has been unfailingly supportive of The Lakeville Journal and on many occasions reached out to help us in our process of converting to nonprofit status.

People sometimes scratch their heads and wonder why Nader thought it was a good idea to open a tort museum in Winsted at 654 Main St.  (across the street from the ambulance garage, which many people seem to find very comical).

It only takes one conversation with Nader to understand that his intention in opening the museum was 100% to create an institution that might conceivably draw visitors to his beloved hometown; and that would help regular citizens to understand that they have rights and power in the face of big corporations, thanks to tort law.

Latest News

Back to school
Photo by Leila Hawken

AMENIA — The first day of school on Thursday, Sept. 4, at Webutuck Elementary School went smoothly, with teachers enthusiastically greeting the eager young students disembarking from buses. Excitement was measurable, with only a few tears from parents, but school began anyway.


Keep ReadingShow less
Millerton’s Demitasse shutters Main Street storefront, goes digital

Demitasse owner Hayden McIntosh Geer said she is excited by the shift to online sales.

Photo by Hayden McIntosh Geer

MILLERTON — Some might have argued that launching an in-person retail business during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic wasn’t advisable. But against all odds, Demitasse in Millerton managed not only to build a thriving, mission-based brand in a small storefront on Main Street, it developed a loyal customer base and provided a welcoming space for visitors. Last week, Demitasse announced it is closing-up shop and moving fully online.

“We are excited,” said owner Hayden McIntosh Geer, who opened Demitasse with her husband, Richard, in 2020. “Though we will miss our customers and the camaraderie on Main Street, it feels right and there was no second guessing.”

Keep ReadingShow less
New Millerton police cruisers arrive to replace fire-ravaged vehicles

Millerton Police Chief Joseph Olenik shows off the new gear. Brand new police cruisers arrived last week.

Photo by Aly Morrissey

MILLERTON — The Millerton Police Department has received two new patrol cars to replace vehicles destroyed in the February 2025 fire at the Village Water and Highway Department.

The new Ford Interceptors are custom-built for law enforcement. “They’re more rugged than a Ford Explorer,” said Millerton Police Chief Joseph Olenik, noting the all-wheel drive, heavy-duty suspension and larger tires and engine. “They call it the ‘Police Package.’”

Keep ReadingShow less
Amenia back in court over Kent Hollow mine

The main entrance to Kent Hollow Mine at 341 South Amenia Road in Amenia.

Photo by Nathan Miller

AMENIA — Amenia residents and a Wassaic business have filed suit against the Town Board and Kent Hollow Inc., alleging a settlement between the town and the mine amounts to illegal contract zoning that allows the circumvention of environmental review.

Petitioners Laurence Levin, Theodore Schiffman and Clark Hill LLC filed the suit on Aug. 22. Town officials were served with documents for the case last week and took first steps in organizing a response to the suit at the Town Board meeting on Thursday, Sept. 4.

Keep ReadingShow less