A documentary companion to a civil action

This documentary supplement, adopted at over 80 law schools after its first year of publication, uses the actual litigation documents from Anderson v. Cryovac, the toxic tort case portrayed in Jonathan Harr's bestseller A Civil Action, to explore issues in civil procedure. It can be used in conjunction with Harr's book and any civil procedure casebook to teach the first-year civil procedure class in a uniquely exciting and enlightening way. It can also serve as the sole text for an advanced litigation class. The authors have arranged the documents from Anderson v. Cryovac topically to illustrate every phase of the litigation process, from notice to appeal. Their extensive notes and comments contain informative analysis of the legal, tactical, and ethical issues raised by the materials, as well as inside information about the case obtained through extensive interviews with the lawyers. The authors also present thought-provoking questions to facilitate class discussion. Photographs, maps, newspaper articles, and excerpts from scientific reports provide the students with a broader context. The reality of the material, its connection to a well-told story, and the opportunity to follow one litigation from start to finish, enliven the class, strengthen topical coverage, and command attention to issues otherwise difficult to inject into the course.