Chad Marzen
Professor of Business Law
Department Risk Management
Phone Number
814-863-5457
Email Address
cgm5545@psu.edu
Chad Marzen
Professor of Business Law
Department Risk Management
Phone Number
814-863-5457
Email Address
cgm5545@psu.edu
Chad Marzen is a Professor of Business Law at the Smeal College of Business. He grew up on a farm in north central Iowa and is a proud first-generation undergraduate as well as law school alumnus. He received a B.A. from Grinnell College in 2005 and a J.D. from Saint Louis University in 2008. He practiced in an insurance defense law firm in Omaha, Nebraska prior to serving twelve years on the faculty of the College of Business at Florida State University. He is a member of the state bar of Iowa.
Professor Marzen is an author or co-author of approximately 61 published or forthcoming academic articles. His authored or co-authored articles have been published or are forthcoming in journals such as the Baylor Law Review, Oklahoma Law Review, Syracuse Law Review, San Diego Law Review, Saint Louis University Law Journal, Oregon Law Review, Mississippi Law Journal, University of Louisville Law Review, West Virginia Law Review, Albany Law Review, Pace Law Review, Vermont Law Review, North Dakota Law Review, University of Dayton Law Review, Journal of Insurance Regulation, Georgetown Environmental Law Review, Harvard Journal on Racial & Ethnic Justice, New York University Journal of Law and Business, New York University Journal of Law & Liberty, Virginia Environmental Law Journal, Virginia Law & Business Review, Journal of College of University Law, Texas Hispanic Journal of Law & Policy, Boston University Public Interest Law Journal, Boston College Environmental Affairs Law Review, Brigham Young University Journal of Public Law, North Carolina Journal of International Law, Fordham Environmental Law Review, William & Mary Environmental Law & Policy Review, and the William & Mary Business Law Review, among others. He has served as an expert witness on three crop insurance cases in federal court and has presented on federal crop insurance issues at the Boston College Law School, Creighton University School of Law, and the University of North Dakota School of Law. He is a recipient of the Distinguished Scholar Award from the Seabee Memorial Scholarship Association (2013), the Ralph G. Bunche Award from the Academy of Legal Studies in Business (2014), the Professional Scholarship Award from the American Agricultural Law Association (2019), the University Undergraduate Teaching Award from Florida State University (2020) and the Charles G. Hardwick Undergraduate Teaching Award from the Florida State University College of Business (2022).
Marzen’s article on carbon monoxide and the pollution exclusion in insurance policies published in the North Dakota Law Review was cited by United States District Court Judge Sharon Gleason of the United States District Court for the District of Alaska in Estate of Wheeler v. Garrison Property and Casualty Company, Case No. 4:20-cv-00041-SLG, 2022 WL 1663418, Order on Cross-Motions for Declaratory Judgment (D. Alaska May 25, 2022).
Marzen has been interviewed by media outlets as varied as the Washington Times, Associated Press, National Catholic Reporter, and Investopedia.
Marzen also appears in the cast of the documentary film Hot Money (2021), directed by Susan Kucera, and thus has a documentary film credit along with Academy Award winning actor Jeff Bridges.
Education
JD, Law (International and Comparative Law (Certificate)), Saint Louis University School of Law, 2008
BA, Political Science/History, Grinnell College, 2005
Courses Taught
BLAW 341 – Business Law I (3)
An introduction to the business environment emphasizing business contracts, liability issues arising from business relations, including those in the internet realm and intellectual property issues. Alternative dispute resolution and global perspectives will be integrated throughout. B LAW 341 Business Law I: Introduction to Contracts, Liability Issues, and Intellectual Property (3) Business decisions have legal consequences. Such decisions can represent both legal risks and opportunities. It is important for one entering business to have a fundamental understanding of the governing legal principles. This course will provide an introduction to the U.S. legal system, coverage of the major components of contract law, and an examination of business liability issues under tort law. In addition, the intellectual property issues of trade secrets, trademarks, patents, and copyrights will be covered. The impact of digital technology and business globalization will be integrated into each topic discussed. The course will be taught in a lecture-discussion format to encourage interaction and exploration of difficult issues. The course text and materials will include key business legal cases.
BLAW 444 – Advanced Ucc (3)
All articles of the Uniform Commercial Code, banking relationships, debtor- creditor law, and bankruptcy law. B LAW 444B LAW 444 Advanced UCC and Commercial Transactions (3) This course is designed to: (1) provide the student with a systematic study of the laws governing sales transactions, the instruments for financing those transactions and rights and liabilities of debtors and creditors (the Uniform Commercial Code governs these issues); (2) to explore current trends in the law affecting commercial transactions; (3) to develop further the student's legal reasoning processes; (4) to enhance the student's ability to identify legal issues from the business decision maker's and financial auditor's perspectives. Instructional methods will include lectures, readings, multimedia content, and class discussions. Student progress and mastery of the material will be evaluated through periodic examinations. Some state C.P.A. Boards require completion of this course as a prerequisite to obtaining certification as a public accountant. Completion of the course will be credited toward fulfillment of the requirements for the Legal Environment of Business Minor.
BLAW 497 – Special Topics (3)
Formal courses given infrequently to exlore, in depth, a comparatively narrow subject which may be topical or of special interest.
Selected Publications
This Article is an invited Article for the Heirs' Property symposium of the Florida A & M University Law Review.
This Article was accepted for publication in the Syracuse Law Review to be part of the law review's symposium on "Education Access and Opportunity."
This short contribution, "Federal Crop Insurance and the False Claims Act," co-authored with Professor Paul Goeringer of the University of Maryland, was published in Southern Ag Today on December 29, 2023. Southern Ag Today "provides daily peer-reviewed articles focused on issues affecting Southern agriculture."
My short contribution, "Moon v. Shultz - Damages in Tree Fall Cases," was published in Southern Ag Today on June 16, 2023. Southern Ag Today "provides daily peer-reviewed articles focused on issues affecting Southern agriculture."