2023 Midyear Exam Flashcards

1
Q

What are the purposes and types of civil law

A

Civil law aims to provide individuals the right to seek a remedy if their right have been infringed upon, types of civil law are negligence and deformation law

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2
Q

What’s is a breach

A

Breaking or failing to fulfil a duty or obligation

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3
Q

What is causation

A

The relationship between one event and another event where one event is the reason the outcome occurred

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4
Q

What is loss

A

A type of harm or damage suffered by a person and can included economic and non-economic loss

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5
Q

What is limitation of actions

A

A time limit in which civil actions can be commenced in court

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6
Q

What is the burden of proof

A

The burden of proof is the responsibility of proving that facts of the case and lies on the plaintiff in civil cases

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7
Q

What is the standard of proof

A

The standard of proof is the strength of evidence that is required for a decision maker to reach a final verdict, in civil cases it is based on the balance of probabilities

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8
Q

Who are possible plaintiffs in a civil trial

A
  • The aggrieved party (the person who suffered the loss)
  • Other victims (victims other than the aggrieved party)
  • Insurers
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9
Q

Who are some possible defendants in a civil case

A
  • The wrongdoer (person or company that caused the loss to the plaintiff
  • employers
  • person involved in the wrongdoing
  • Insurers
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10
Q

What is the aggrieved party

A

The party who’s rights have been infringed upon. In a negligence claim is likely to be the person to whom the defendant owed a duty of care and has suffered as a direct result of the defendant breaching that duty

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11
Q

Who are some other victims in a civil case

A

A plaintiff can be a person who has indirectly suffered loss or damage as a result of the actions of another party such as a family member may sue the person who they allege to have caused the death for emotional loss or damage.

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12
Q

What is the wrongdoer in a civil case

A

A wrongdoer is often a defendant in a civil case and is likely to have caused the damage or loss to the plaintiff.

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13
Q

What civil rights are protected the laws of defamation.

A
  • Personal reputation (having an affair)
  • Professional reputation (unethical workplace)
  • Business reputation (business supplying faulty products)
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14
Q

What elements are required to find deformation liability

A
  • The matter conveys defamatory imputations
  • The matter identifies the plaintiff as a person defamed
  • The matter has been published by a third party
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15
Q

The matter conveys defamatory imputations

A

The matter must lowers the plaintiffs reputation.
- What meanings would the ordinary or reasonable person give to the matter?
- Would the ordinary person think less of the person as a result?

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16
Q

What are the limitations of actions in a deformation case?

A

Limitations of actions act 1958 (Vic) outlines that a claim must be bought within one year of the date of publication

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17
Q

What are possible defences to deformation

A
  • Truth (Where the imputations of the defamatory matter are true)
  • Fair comment (Where the defamatory matter was a statement of a opinion honestly held by the defendant
  • Absolute Privilege (Where the publication of the defamatory matter is always exempt from deformation law)
  • Qualified Privilege (Where the publication of the defamatory matter was driven by a legal or moral duty)
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18
Q

What is absolute privilege

A

The defence that applies to a statement made on an occasion where the free communication of information is considered to be so important that it must be exempt from deformation law.

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19
Q

What’s an example of absolute privilege

A
  • Communications in the course of parliamentary proceedings
  • Communications made during the course of judicial proceedings
  • Communications between government ministers
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20
Q

What is qualified privilege

A

A defence that can be raised when the publication of the defamatory matter was driven by a legal or moral duty

21
Q

What is an example of qualified privilege

A

Parent teacher interviews where the defamatory matter was intended in good faith and without malice

22
Q

What rights are protected by negligence law

A

Rights not to be harmed by someone who does not take reasonable care to prevent this

23
Q

What elements need to be proven against the balance of probabilities to find liability in negligence

A
  • Duty of care (The defendant owed a duty of care to the person injured
  • Breach of duty of care (The defendant breached a duty of care
  • Causation (The breach of duty of care caused harm to the plaintiff)
  • Injury, Loss, or Damage (The wronged person has suffered injury, loss or damage because of the breach
24
Q

What is a duty of care

A

Legal obligation to avoid conduct that can be reasonably foreseen to harm a persons neighbour

25
Q

What is a breach of duty of care

A

A breach of duty of care is when a person does not take all the care they should and this determines whether a person is negligent.

26
Q

What is causation (relation to breach)

A

The injury or loss is a direct result of the breach of duty of care and the injury would not have happened if the breach did not occur

27
Q

What are the limitations of actions of a negligence claim

A

A negligence must be pursued within 3 years of the action arising according to the Limitations of actions act 1958 (Vic)

28
Q

What are possible defences for a negligence claim

A
  • Contributory negligence
  • Assumption of risk (violenti non fit injura)
29
Q

What is contributory negligence

A

Contributory negligence is not a complete defence meaning that if it is successfully raised the defendant is still liable just to a lesser degree. It means that the plaintiff contributed to the harmful situation and is partly to blame for the harm done.

30
Q

What is Violenti non fit injura

A

Refers to the voluntary acceptance of the risk of injury “To a willing person, the injury was not done”

31
Q

What are the impacts of deformation on the parties

A

Plaintiff:
- Losses (economic)
- Reputational damage
- Psychological damage

Defendant:
- Expenses (economic)

General
- Threat to free speech

32
Q

What are the impacts of Negligence on the parties

A

Plaintiff:
- Loss of life
- Permanent physical injury
- Serious physical injury
- Emotional impact of the breach
- Loss of wages
- Unemployment
- Mental health effect

Defendant:
- Loss of business
- Public humiliation
- Physical injury
- Costs
- Need to sell assets
- Cultural changes
- Third party claims and class actions

33
Q

What are the purposes of criminal law

A
  • Protect individuals
  • Protect property
  • Protect society
  • Promote justice
34
Q

What are the key concepts of criminal law

A
  • Elements of a crime
  • Strict liability
  • Age of criminal responsibility
  • The burden of proof
  • The standard of proof
35
Q

What are the types of crime

A
  • Crimes against the person
  • Crimes against property
36
Q

What are ways to classify crimes

A
  • Division (a - f)
  • Types of offender (cyber, hate, organised, juvenile, white collar)
37
Q

What are indictable offences

A

More serious offences and generally heard by a judge and jury in county or Supreme Court

38
Q

What is a summary offence

A

Minor crimes heard in the magistrates court and without a jury

39
Q

What are some participants in a crime

A
  • Principle offender
  • Accessories
40
Q

What is a principle offender

A

The person who directly commits the offence and is immediately linked to the crime

41
Q

What is an accessory to a crime

A

Assists the principal offender after the commission of a crime knowing the offender has committed a serious crime.

42
Q

What are the elements of murder

A
  • The killing was unlawful
  • The victim was a human being
  • The accused was at least 10 years old
  • The accused caused the victims death
  • The accused was of sound mind and understood the nature of their act
  • There was malice aforethought
43
Q

What are the defences to murder

A
  • Self defence
  • Mental impairment
  • Duress
  • Sudden or extraordinary emergency
  • Involuntary actions
44
Q

What are the principles of Justice

A
  • Fairness
  • Equality
  • Access
45
Q

What is fairness

A

All individuals have the right to a just trial and heard by an unbiased third party

46
Q

What is access

A

Ensuring individuals in society understand their rights and ability to pursue their case

47
Q

What is equality

A

All persons, businesses and governments are equal before the law and no one is above the law

48
Q

What are the characteristics of an effective law

A
  • Reflects societies values
  • Enforceable
  • Clear and understood
  • Known
  • Stable
49
Q

What is the relationship between parliament and the courts

A

Parliament affects courts through:
- Parliamentary supremacy
- Establishing the courts
- Statutory interpretation

Courts affect parliament through:
- Comments on existing statues and common law
- High profile cases
- Codification
- Abrogation
- Invalidation if stature law