Tort Law: More Interesting Than You Might Expect
Learn about America’s most famous lawsuits through comic-book style graphics at the American Museum of Tort Law, which reopens on April 1. Illustration courtesy American Museum of Tort Law

Tort Law: More Interesting Than You Might Expect

Not every day trip in our region has to be to someplace scenic or historic. There is also the town of Winsted, Conn., and the American Museum of Tort Law.

Yes, that’s right. A day trip to Winsted, to the tort law museum.

Perhaps you’re unsure what tort law is; essentially, all interesting lawsuits that don’t involve crime are torts.

Examples you can find now on the museum’s website at www.tortmuseum.org include possible suits against gun makers, holding them accountable for mass shootings; and a related court case that found Alex Jones liable for claiming the Sandy Hook mass school shooting was a hoax.

Yes, the website for the museum is very complete, and during the worst of COVID-19, you had no choice: If you wanted to visit the museum, you had to do so virtually.

But the physical museum is about to open up again, on the weekend of April 1 to 3, from 1 to 5 p.m. After the opening weekend, you can visit on Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m.

Tours are available. The exhibits on historic tort law cases are explained with fun, cartoon-style graphics. You can learn about the woman who sued McDonald’s when her hot coffee spilled and burned her leg. You can learn about suits against tobacco companies who knew cigarettes caused cancer, but claimed they didn’t.

And of course you can learn about Ralph Nader’s famous campaign against automobile manufacturers who were making and selling unsafe cars. It was Nader who founded the museum; he sited it in Winsted because this is the town where he grew up.

Find out more about visiting the museum at www.tortmuseum.org, or just come by on the weekend of April 1 to 3.

Latest News

Frederick Wright Hosterman

KENT — Frederick Wright Hosterman passed away peacefully in his home in Kent on April 16, 2025. Born in 1929 in Auburn, Nebraska, he was the son of farmers. He attended a one-room schoolhouse just outside of Brownville, Nebraska, adjacent to his family’s farm. The little brick schoolhouse is still standing! After graduating from high school, Fred attended the University of Nebraska (Lincoln), eventually earning a master’s degree in agronomy. He took a job with Monsanto in Buffalo, New York, where the company was a pioneer in applying biotechnology to agricultural sciences. In Buffalo, Fred met his future wife, Dorothy. Fred and Dorothy moved to New York City for several years in the early 1960s, before settling down in Norwalk. In Norwalk, Fred and Dorothy had three children. The family later moved to Kent. In 1980, Fred and Dorothy divorced, and Fred bought a large tract of land on Carter Road in Kent. He built a house there, largely by himself, which he maintained until his death at age 95. After taking early retirement, he spent the following decades working on his property, adding various buildings, woodcrafting, landscaping, and spending time with his children and grandchildren.

Keep ReadingShow less
Nancy (Case) Brenner

CANAAN — Nancy (Case) Brenner, 81, of Canaan, passed away peacefully in her sleep at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington, following a long illness on Good Friday, April 18, 2025.

Nancy was born on April 10, 1944, to the late Ray Sargeant Case Sr. and Beatrice Southey Case. She was the second youngest of five children, predeceased by her three brothers, Ray S. Case Jr., David E. Case and Douglas C. Case, and her sister Linda (Case) Olson. She grew up in New Hartford and Winsted, where she graduated from Northwestern Regional 7 High School.

Keep ReadingShow less
Adam Rand

SHEFFIELD — Adam Rand, 59, of Sheffield, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully in his home on April 22, 2025, after a long battle with ALS.

Adam was born on April 6, 1966, to Lee and Charles Rand II of Boston, Massachusetts. Adam spent his early childhood in Nantucket, where his love of fishing and water was born before moving to Sharon. It was here where he made many lifelong friends and later graduated from Housatonic Valley Regional High School in 1984. He attended Hiram College in Ohio before settling in Connecticut.

Keep ReadingShow less