PRIVACY RIGHTS

IT 845

FALL 2000

 

SYLLABUS

 

 

Professor George Trubow                                                 Adjunct Professor Leslie Ann Reis

Office Hours TBA                                                                                                   (312) 987-1425

                                                                                                               CBA/1615

                                                                                                                                7Reis@jmls.edu

 

                                                                                                                      

Welcome to Privacy Law.  This seminar meets for four (4) all-day sessions during the semester.  We will examine a variety of privacy issues through discussions, hypotheticals, student presentations and perhaps a guest lecture or two.  Your participation is essential.

 

To receive credit for this seminar, you will need to offer an in-class presentation and complete a paper of publishable quality.

 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the instructors.

 

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This seminar considers the historical foundation and current status of privacy rights in America in the areas of tort and constitutional law.  Materials will be divided into three broad areas: (1) constitutional privacy, (2) tort law, (3) litigating privacy. 

 

            Note that IT801 deals exclusively with "informational privacy" i.e., an individual's right to control his/her personal information held by others.  Thus, we will not examine this area of privacy law in detail here.

 

 

DATE, TIME AND LOCATION

The class meets from 9am-5pm on Saturday, 9/9, 10/7, 10/28 and 11/18 in  Room  528.

 

 

COURSE MATERIALS

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK:  Richard C. Turkington & Anita L. Allen, Privacy Law: Cases and Materials (West Publishing 1999)

 

Additional Materials may be distributed prior to each class.  Occasionally, on-line materials will be assigned. 

 

 

 

PARTICIPATION, PRESENTATION AND PAPERS

Grades will be based on class participation (15%), an in-class presentation (25%), and a research paper (60%). 

 

            IN-CLASS PRESENTATIONS - Each student will be expected to present an outline and lead an in-class discussion (approximately 30 minutes in length) on a specific topic.  Each presentation should include a survey of the current state of the law in the particular area, cases of interest, legislative action, controversies, and trends.      Hand-outs are strongly encouraged.

 

                        SUGGESTED TOPICS FOR IN-CLASS PRESENTATIONS - Students may propose other topics (subject to instructors' approval):

 

                                •             Procreational Privacy (including birth control and abortion)

                                •             Sexual Preference

                                •             Family Autonomy (raising children as parents see fit)

                                •             Associational Privacy

                                •             Medical Treatment (including consent and right to refuse treatment)

                                •             Right to Die

                                •             Mandatory Blood Testing and Random Drug Screening (by Employers, Schools and Others)

                                •             Wiretapping, Eavesdropping and Carnivore (Federal and Illinois)

                                •             Caller ID

                                •             Reporter Ride-Alongs and other Fourth Amendment concerns

                                •             "Diana's Laws" (anti-paparazzi legislation)

                                •             Privacy and Civil Rights (using 42 U.S.C. §1983 as a cause of action)

                                •             Hot Topics in Intrusion

                                •             Hot Topics in Publication of Private Facts

                                •             Hot Topics in False Light

                                •             Appropriation/Right of Publicity (comparison of these causes of action)

                                •             Illinois Privacy Laws as compared to other states and Federal Law

                                •             Defamation/Is NY Times still good law? (current cases and controversies)

                                •             Newsgathering/Conflict between Privacy Rights and the First Amendment

                                •             Reporters' Shield Laws

 

 

            RESEARCH PAPERS - Each student must complete an original research project that expresses a novel idea or approach to some area of privacy law.  The paper must be submitted in publishable form i.e., fully edited with correct grammar and spelling, proper citations (yes, Bluebook counts), and supporting materials (statutes, appendices, etc.) if appropriate.  While there is no length requirement, most topics will likely require at least 4,000 words (approximately 20) to adequately address.  However, quality is better than quantity.

 

            Papers will be evaluated on the basis of clarity of analysis, persuasiveness of argument, depth of research, originality of thought, readability, and understanding of the course materials.   Proper use of authority is required (footnotes are preferred to endnotes).

 

            Students will submit a thesis statement at the beginning of the third class meeting.  Papers are due on December 11, 2000.  The instructors are available to discuss questions regarding papers.

 

 

SCHEDULE (Subject to Change)

 

1st CLASS 9/9/2000  - A Right to Privacy

In this session, we will examine the various definitions and concepts of "privacy" throughout history, development of a constitutional right to privacy, rights protected, source of laws, and public v. private interests.

           

              

2d CLASS 10/7/2000 - Constitutional Privacy, Emergence of Privacy Torts, and Statutory Development

This session concludes our discussion re: constitutional privacy and begins our examination of privacy torts.  We will explore the connections and conflicts between privacy and the 1st and 4th Amendments.  We will look at expectations of privacy and how those expectations have changed over the last 100 years.

 

            READINGS:

 

                 Origins of the Legal Right of Privacy: Privacy Law pp 22-74.

 

                 Autonomy: Privacy Law pp 600-609, 612-622, 628-638, 657-664 and 692-794.

 

            SUGGESTED CASES:

 

                        Moore v. City of East Cleveland, 431 U.S. 494 (1977) - Associational Privacy.

 

                        Wilson v. Lane, 119 S. Ct. 1692 (1999) – Media Ride-along/4th Amendment. 

                                    See: Privacy Law pp 430-435 for an edited version of this case.

                       

Hill v. Colorado, 120 S. Ct. 2480 (2000).

 

Troxel v. Granville, 120 S. Ct. 2054 (2000).

 

PRESENTATIONS :

Bill Powers – Sexual Preference

Jim Xu – Family Autonomy

Christina Lopez – Separation of Church & State (Religious Privacy)

Stephen Myers – Defamation (including Internet)

3rd CLASS 10/28/2000 - Privacy Torts Continued & Other Related Torts

Prosser’s Big Four, Right of Publicity, Defamation, Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress, and Newsgathering/dissemination.  Guest Speaker(s)????

 

            READINGS:

 

                 Intrusion Upon Seclusion: Privacy Law pp 398-449.

 

                 Public Disclosure of Private Fact: Privacy Law pp 449-490, 496-508.

 

                 Appropriation: Privacy Law pp 510-542.

 

                 False Light: Privacy Law pp 568-584.

 

 

            SUGGESTED CASES:

 

                        Lake v. Wal-Mart, 582 N.W.2d 231 (1998 Minn.).

 

                        Galella v. Onassis, 487 F.2d 986 (2d Cir. 1973).

 

PRESENTATIONS:

Heather Bardeleben  - Procreational Privacy

Renard Francois – Associational Privacy

Eric Seabrook – Intrusion

Rebecca Bennefield – Publication of Private Facts

Joe Lanser – Employee Monitoring (including visual and physical monitoring)

Dean Terrillion – Washington State Privacy Laws

Genevia Francisco – Right to Die                 

 

 

4th CLASS 11/18/2000 – More Torts, Privacy’s Relationship with Other Areas of Law & Litigating a Privacy Case

Property, Contracts, Intellectual Property (trademark, copyright, etc.).  Who are the likely

parties to a privacy case and how can we protect their interests?  Guest Speaker(s)???

 

            READINGS:

 

                        Handouts.

 

 

PRESENTATIONS:

Carrie Koontz – Newsgathering…

Patrick Keane – Wiretapping

Brian Brady – Mandatory Blood Testing/Drug Screening

Jun-Seong An – Illinois Privacy Law

Yasser Hellal – Islamic Privacy Rights

Sabina Hyderi – Privacy & Civil Rights (42 U.S.C. §1983)

Taewook Kim – US v. Korean Privacy Protections