{"id":17810,"date":"2021-09-30T08:30:51","date_gmt":"2021-09-30T13:30:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/?p=17810"},"modified":"2021-09-29T11:44:59","modified_gmt":"2021-09-29T16:44:59","slug":"class-action-park-mitchell-hamline-students-learn-legal-lessons-from-nations-most-dangerous-amusement-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/2021\/09\/30\/class-action-park-mitchell-hamline-students-learn-legal-lessons-from-nations-most-dangerous-amusement-park\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cClass Action Park\u201d – Mitchell Hamline students learn legal lessons from nation\u2019s most dangerous amusement park"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Cannonball 1&2 at Action Park (photo courtesy Andy Mulvihill)<\/p><\/div>\n

There might be no truer fit to the phrase \u201ca lawsuit waiting to happen\u201d than a now-defunct amusement park in New Jersey called Action Park. During its heyday in the 1980s and 90s, there were countless injuries and even a few deaths on the various rides and attractions.<\/p>\n

From the litigation spurred by the park\u2019s actions and inactions \u2013 more than 100 lawsuits! \u2013 adjunct professor Bill Childs has developed a course that focuses largely on tort law but also wades into administrative and insurance laws, along with federal and state statutes.<\/p>\n

For Childs, an assistant general counsel for litigation at 3M, the course merges the experience he brings from his day job with an area of interest he\u2019s long had: liability and other legal issues at amusement parks.<\/p>\n

\u201cAmusement parks and recreation more generally are a fascinating lens through which we can examine the law, and the specific instance of Action Park\u2014where patrons had more control over their experience (and thus their risk) than any other park\u2014is a particularly good example,\u201d he noted. \u201cAction Park itself is only part of the course \u2013 we spend time talking about the legal context for recreation and amusement activities more generally, and we get into incidents in the news today, as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Adjunct Professor Bill Childs<\/p><\/div>\n

Often known by its nicknames \u2013 Traction Park or Class Action Park \u2013 the corporation that operated the park carried little to no insurance, instead claiming to be insured by what turned out to be a fictitious company. There were few limits on rides and attractions that would increase safety. Instead, patrons were put at the center of the action \u2013 and of the risk.<\/p>\n

While this course, titled Recreation and Risk: Lessons from Action Park, has attracted more than two dozen students, the place isn\u2019t only a topic for a law school course. It been the subject of a book \u2013 \u201cAction Park: Fast Times, Wild Rides, and the Untold Story of America\u2019s Most Dangerous Amusement Park\u201d by Andy Mulvihill (son of the park\u2019s owner) with Jake Rossen \u2013 and a documentary on HBO Max called \u201cClass Action Park.\u201d Mulvihill and Seth Porges, who directed the film, are expected guests this semester, as are attorneys who work within the amusement park industry.<\/p>\n

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Cliff Dive at Action Park (photo courtesy Andy Mulvihill)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI very much enjoyed joining a previous class Bill taught and look forward to this one at Mitchell Hamline,\u201d said Mulvihill. \u201cI\u2019ll have to jog my mind and find more untold stories to keep things fresh.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI came up with this class to explore the law through that framing device, but also to give students a look at how many different doctrinal areas can affect any given industry,\u201d said Childs.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlus, it makes for really fun and engaging discussions and we have a group of students with fascinating backgrounds, including a former theme park cast member and a current ski resort employee.”<\/p>\n

Childs previously was on the faculty at Western New England University School of Law; this is his first time as an adjunct at Mitchell Hamline.<\/p>\n

One final guest speaker scheduled to appear on the last day of class is Colette Routel, a longtime Mitchell Hamline professor who recently became a Hennepin County judge. Judge Routel worked at Action Park in her youth.<\/p>\n

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(Trailer for Class Action Park on HBO Max)<\/p>\n

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