2023 Midyear Exam Flashcards
What are the purposes and types of civil law
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
What’s is a breach
Breaking or failing to fulfil a duty or obligation
What is causation
The relationship between one event and another event where one event is the reason the outcome occurred
What is loss
A type of harm or damage suffered by a person and can included economic and non-economic loss
What is limitation of actions
A time limit in which civil actions can be commenced in court
What is the burden of proof
The burden of proof is the responsibility of proving that facts of the case and lies on the plaintiff in civil cases
What is the standard of proof
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
Who are possible plaintiffs in a civil trial
- The aggrieved party (the person who suffered the loss)
- Other victims (victims other than the aggrieved party)
- Insurers
Who are some possible defendants in a civil case
- The wrongdoer (person or company that caused the loss to the plaintiff
- employers
- person involved in the wrongdoing
- Insurers
What is the aggrieved party
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
Who are some other victims in a civil case
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.
What is the wrongdoer in a civil case
A wrongdoer is often a defendant in a civil case and is likely to have caused the damage or loss to the plaintiff.
What civil rights are protected the laws of defamation.
- Personal reputation (having an affair)
- Professional reputation (unethical workplace)
- Business reputation (business supplying faulty products)
What elements are required to find deformation liability
- The matter conveys defamatory imputations
- The matter identifies the plaintiff as a person defamed
- The matter has been published by a third party
The matter conveys defamatory imputations
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?
What are the limitations of actions in a deformation case?
Limitations of actions act 1958 (Vic) outlines that a claim must be bought within one year of the date of publication
What are possible defences to deformation
- 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)
What is absolute privilege
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.
What’s an example of absolute privilege
- Communications in the course of parliamentary proceedings
- Communications made during the course of judicial proceedings
- Communications between government ministers