9/8/2016

Delaware Law students have a unique opportunity to work on a global legal issue this semester to help the thousands of victims of cholera in Haiti obtain compensation they deserve from the United Nations.

Distinguished Professor James R. May and Professor Erin Daly are working with the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti, which is representing cholera victims in the U.S. federal courts and advocating for them in the United Nations. The infectious disease, caused by eating or drinking food or water contaminated with bacteria, has infected more than 800,000 people and killed at least 10,000 individuals in Haiti and continues to be a threat.

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon recently acknowledged the peacekeeping organization played a role in introducing cholera to Haiti and said it needs to respond to the crisis, the New York Times reported. He has said he will announce a compensation package for Haiti within two months.

Delaware Law School is presently the only law school whose students are working with the institute on the matter. Under the guidance of attorneys there and May and Daly, students will provide research on remedies that would be appropriate under the circumstances.

“This is a rare opportunity for students to work on a pressing, globally significant and legally complex project with serious consequences for thousands of people,” Daly said. “There are issues of criminal law, environmental law, health law, toxic torts, family law, remedies, governance, and international law, among other things. This kind of hands-on learning, on an issue of major impact, is rare for law students. Many have told me this is exactly the kind of opportunity they came to law school for.”

“This project also provides the opportunity for our students to help restore the dignity of those who have been affected by this human – induced disaster," May added. 

Daly, who spent the 2015-16 academic year on sabbatical serving as vice president for institutional development at the Universite de la Fondation Aristide in Haiti, said interested students should contact her or May to either set up a directed research project or enroll in the Human Rights practicum they co-teach.

Reach Daly at [email protected] or May at [email protected].