professor galligan -- president galligan, is it reasonable to assume to maximize their own economic self-interest? >> i think that's what they exist for. obviously they are concerned about societal's interest but the definition is to make a profit and there's a dutyy to the shareholders to do so. >> specifically they are under a dutyy to their shareholders to maximize their own economic self-interest as a matter of law, correct? >> correct. >> if we swift to the question of criminal restitution, criminal restitution, i believe this is a laydown law, it has other criminal consequences, is there anything that prevents criminal restitution, the resolution in the criminal case from supplementing areas in which there is an unnecessary or inappropriate cap or restraint on liability that's reviewed by these facts, for instance, to the gordon jones' family? >> i am not a criminal lawyer but i am not aware of any limits. but at the same time i am not aware of any creative cases in which that kind of restitution has been liberally extended because there are constitutional issues regarding a criminal defend

my name is tom galligan and i'm the president of colby sawyer college in new london, new hampshire.ggering consequences of the oil spill in the gulf of mexico force us to ask whether our laws are fair, consistent and up to date. do they provide adequate compensation? do they provide proper incentives to ensure efficient investments in safety? sadly, an analysis of the relevant laws reveals a climate of limited liability, undercompensation and the possibility of increased risk. let me begin with a discussion of wrongful death recovery for see men under the jones act and anyone killed on the high seas under the death on the high seas act. both of those statutes were passed in 1920, another era. as you said, and as chris jones said, neither of them as interpreted allows recovery for loss of society damages to the survivors of those killed in maritime disasters. loss of society or damages for companionship for the loss of care, comfort and companionship caused by the death of a loved one. the ma jort of american jurisdictions today do recognize some right to recover for loss of society