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Meet the Faculty

Photo of Richard L. Cupp, J.D.

Richard L. Cupp, J.D.
John W. Wade Professor of Law

Office: School of Law (SOL)
E-mail: richard.cupp@pepperdine.edu

  • J.D., University of California, Davis, 1987
  • B.A., Pepperdine University, 1983, magna cum laude

Professor Cupp teaches Products Liability, Remedies, and Torts. He is an elected member of the American Law Institute and has served as chair of the Association of American Law Schools Section on Torts and Compensation Systems. Professor Cupp has published numerous law review articles, including several in prominent journals such as the NYU Law Review, Northwestern University Law Review, University of Illinois Law Review, and George Washington Law Review.

As a law student Professor Cupp served as editor-in-chief of the UC Davis Law Review. Upon graduation he joined the San Diego law firm of Gray, Cary, Ware and Friedenrich as a litigation associate, and later served as associate general counsel for Pepperdine University.

In addition to his interest in torts and products liability, Professor Cupp has written extensively about moral issues surrounding animal law. He has frequently been invited to participate in conferences, symposia, and media interviews addressing tort law and animal law issues.

Selected Works:
  • Moving Beyond Animal Rights: A Legal/Contractualist Critique, 46 SAN DIEGO L. REV. 27 (2009).
  • Paint by Numbers, L.A. DAILY JOURNAL, July 14, 2008, at 6A.
  • Emotional Distress and Loss of a Pet, PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, Apr. 27, 2007.
  • A Dubious Grail: Seeking Tort Law Expansion and Limited Personhood as Stepping Stones Toward Abolishing Animals' Property Status, 60 SMU L. REV. 3 (2007).
  • Christopher L. Frost, Successor Liability for Defective Products: A Redesign Ongoing, 72 BROOK. L. REV. 1173 (2007).
  • Believing in Products Liability: Reflections on Daubert, Doctrinal Evolution, and David Owen's PRODUCTS LIABILITY LAW, 40 U.C. DAVIS L. REV. 511 (2006).
  • Asbestos Litigation and Bankruptcy: A Case Study for Ad Hoc Public Policy Limitations on Joint and Several Liability, 31 PEPP. L. REV. 203 (2003).
  • Proximate Cause, the Proposed Basic Principles Restatement, and Products Liability, 53 SO. CAROLINA L. REV. 1085 (2002).
  • Danielle Polage, The Rhetoric of Strict Products Liability Versus Negligence: An Empirical Analysis, 77 N.Y.U. L. REV. 874 (2002).
  • Amber E. Dean, Veterinarians in the Doghouse: Are Pet Suits Economically Viable?, THE BRIEF, Spring 2002, at 43.
  • Richard L. Cupp, Jr., Paint Plaintiffs as Pirates, NAT'L L.J., Aug. 20, 2001, at A24.
  • Product Design Safety and Tort Law: the Impact of Increasing Cohesion in Civil Liability Standards, INJ. CONTROL & SAFETY PROMOTION, Mar. 2001, at 37.
  • State Medical Reimbursement Lawsuits After Tobacco: Is the Domino Effect for Lead Paint Manufacturers and Others Fair Game?, 27 PEPP. L. REV. 685 (2000).