Roles of Masters
Masters In Complex Litigation & Amended Rule 53, David Ferleger, 2005
Federal Court Special Masters: A Vital Resource in the Era of Complex Litigation, Mark A. Fellows and Roger S. Haydock, 2005
Special Masters' Incidence and Activity, Thomas E. Willging, et al., Federal Judicial Center, 2000
Masters and Discovery
Managing Discovery in Patent Cases: Best Practices, Martin Quinn, 2009
Special Masters and E-Discovery: The Intersection of two Recent Revisions to The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, The Honorable Shira A. Scheindlin & Honathan M. Redgrave, Cardozo Law Review, November, 2008
Masters in Large Complex Cases
Administration of the 2003 Tolbert PCB Settlement in Anniston, Alabama: An Attempted Collabroative and Holistic Remedy, Edgar C. Gentle, III, 2009 -- This article, written by the court appointed administrator, explains the settlement of 18,000 PCB claims in Alabama. The settlement monies paid for personal injury and property damages and also funded a medical clinic and scientific research and community reconciliation. The author notes that a collaborative model was used to design the settlement and to ensure fairness. Settlement documents appear here.
Immunity of Masters
Palmisano v. Tranchina, Louisiana Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, No. 44,948CA, 2010 -- The Louisiana Court of Appeals held that a special master has “absolute judicial immunity”, identical to the immunity covering court appointed experts and other judicial officers. The court declared that the master was immune from claims that his fee of $27,000 was excessive and that he had acted unprofessionally. The court concluded that no cause of action for damages could be brought against the master and that the available remedy would be to bring a motion before the trial judge challenging the actions of the master.
Masters and Patent Cases
A Study of the Role and Impact of Special Masters in Patent Cases, Jay P. Kesan, Ph.D. and Gwendolyn G. Ball, Ph.D., Federal Judicial Center, 2009
Masters in State Courts
Utilizing Special Masters in Florida: Unanswered Questions, Practical Considerations and the Order of Appointment, Howard R. Marsee, 2009
Special Masters in State Court Complex Litigation: An Available and Underused Case Management Tool, Lynn Jokela and David F. Herr, 2005
Proceedings
Newsletters
Special Master Case Reporter by David Cohen
