Negligence Flashcards
How we establish a duty of care in law?
Pre- existing duty or for novel situations - Caparo test (Caparo v Dickman)
Authority for pre existing duties
Robinson
Pre existing duties
Drivers/ other road users (Nettleship v Weston)
Police/ public (Robinson)
Doctor/ patient (Whitehouse v Jordan)
Sportsman/ sportsman (Condon v Basi)
Employer/ employee (Walker v Northumberland CC)
Lawyer/ client (Hall v Simons)
Public body/ public (Clunis v Camden & Islington)
Judiciary/ public (Sirros v Moore)
Fire brigade/ public (Capital Counties v Hampshire CC)
Caparo test
Harm/ injury was reasonably forseeable (Kent v Griffiths)
Proximity between C and D - time, space/ relationship (Bourhill v Young)
Fair, just and reasonable and no public policy reasons not to hold D liable (Mulcahy v MOD)
Test for negligence
Duty, breach and damage
Test for breach of duty
The reasonable man test - ordinary and competent person acted the same as the D did/ did not act (Blythe v Birmingham Waterworks).
Types of ordinary person
Ordinary person (Wells v Cooper)
Reasonable child (Mullins v Richards)
Reasonable professional (Bolam v Frien Hospital)
No allowances made for inexperience (Nettleship v Weston)
Risk factors for breach
Likelihood of harm/ size of risk (Bolton v Stone)
Characteristics of C (Paris v Stepney)
Cost of practical precautions (Latimer v AEC)
Social utility/ benefit (Watts v Herts CC)
Test for damage
Factual and legal causation
Test for factual causation
‘But for’ test: but for D’s breach the C would not have suffered damage.
Case for factual causation
Barnett v Chelsea Hospital
Test for legal causation
Damage must be reasonably forseeable and not too remote.
Case for legal causation
The Wagon Mound No 1
Situations where harm is not reasonably forseeable but D may still be liable
Type of damage caused (Bradford v Robinson Rentals)
Sequence of events (Hughes v Lord Advocate)
Thin skull rule (R v Blaue)
Thin skill rule
The D must take their C as they find them (R v Blaue) and D may be liable for the full extent of C’s damage.