Tort Law - Pure Economic Loss Flashcards
What does White v Jones do to Hedley?
Stretches it to breaking point
What does PEL not extend to in Australia?
Commercial property
Welton v North Cornwall DC judgment
Alterations on C’s guest house or close business, but alterations not necessary - DoC
Killick v PricewaterhouseCoopers general
Valuation of shares
What case shows judges were dissatisfied with Hedley?
Smith v Eric S Bush
Bishop on PEL arguments
Floodgates argument is weighty as could create deterrence to engage in X activity
What did the CoA attempt to do in Customs and Excise v Barclays (before HoL)?
Obliterate Hedley
How does McLachlan J in Canadian National counter comparative evidence as a way to deny PEL?
In the US it actually seems to have satisfied public demand for justice
What is the practical effect of applying Hedley in provision of services?
Different limitation periods in tort and contract
Barker on Customs and Excise
AR adds little to Caparo and should be removed
Lord Browne-Wilkinson in majority in White v Jones
AR for task creates special relationship, not to a person in particular
What judge in what case said nature of investment decision should be irrelevant for determining liability for PEL through supply of info?
Hercules Management v Ernst & Young, La Forest J
Hedley Byrne v Heller general
Advertising agents, bank, ‘without responsibility’
Smelting, power dust
spartan Stell v Martin
Why is the role of PEL in negligence restricted?
Because of liability in ‘economic torts’ which would be subverted if not limited
Riyad Bank v Ahli United Bank general
Kuwait bank chain, distance, not to block tortious obligations
What case said there is nothing to be gained from concurrent liability as tort obligations cannot exceed contractual ones?
Tai Hing Cotton Mill v Liv Chong
Simpson v Thompson
HoL approved Cattle v Stockton Waterworks Co
White v Jones general
Daughter and solicitor
Limitation period in tort
6 years from date of damage
In what case did the HoL find ‘material physical damage’ and allowed recovery of repair costs to avoid ‘present or imminent danger to health or safety’?
Anns v Merton LBC
Weir on distinction between Caparo and Smith
Capture paid nothing for the audit, and was a commercial enterprise
Scullion v BoS judgment
No AR as property for investment so reasonable they would conduct survey
What case allowed Hedley application despite no reliance and no representation?
Spring v Guardian
Killick v PricewaterhouseCoopers judgment
Smith applies outside of real property to valuation of shares
What two reasons did McLachlan J in Canadian National highlight as traditional grounds for denying PEL?
Comparative evidence and economic theory
Williams v Natural Life Health Foods judgment
Only company had AR as company-headed paper
What two cases clash on primacy of contractual or tortious duty?
Robinson v PE Jones; Henderson v Merrett
What was the issue with the language in Hedley?
Very wide language
what case is an example of AR implied from a relationship?
Henderson v Merrett Syndicates
McFarlane v Tayside Health Board judgment
No damages for upbringing of child
What is consequential loss?
When C is injured by D’s negligence, and then loses money as a result of the injury (e.g. earnings)
Hercules Management v Ernst & Young
Per La Forest J, nature of investment decision should be irrelevant
What three pockets of liability does Stapleton give?
Negligent misstatement, dependence on property of 3rd and defective property
What case shows even courts struggle to distinguish between PEL and consequential loss?
Aswan Engineering v Ludpine
London Borough of Islington v UCL Hospital judgment
local council care of V injured by hospital’s negligence
What two policy issues with Murphy does Quill highlight?
Buildings are homes, not just big products, and manufactured goods already have consumer protection legislation, unlike house-buyers - so shouldn’t be drawing analogy with defective products
Lord Templeman in Smith
Relationship ‘akin’ to a contract, and fact that survey was to fulfil statutory obligations did not preclude AR
What judge in majority in White found evidence of contact and thus AR?
Lord Nolan
Smith v Eric S Bush general
surveyor for council as mortgage lender and loan - purchaser relied on copy
Henderson on excluding possibility of tort liability
Per Lord Goff, he gave primacy to tortious duty over contractual
Byran v Moloney
HC of Australia, irrelevant if defect is dangerous or not, but does not extend to commercial property due to lack of vulnerability
What judge in what case entirely rejected pure/consequential loss distinction to determine duty of care?
Lord Millett in McFarlane v Tayside
Lord Jaunty and Lord Griffiths in Smith
Rejected contract analogy, finding a sufficiently proximate relationship instead based on payment by C and knowledge by D of high likelihood C would rely
Customs and Excise v Barclays on provision of services
Liability is not based on Hedley at all
What did Lord Haldane emphasise in Norton v Lord Ashburton to allow claim for INM?
Fiduciary relationship
Grubb and Millis on Bryan v Moloney
Easier to determine duty based on dangerousness, as it is dangerous nature that brings policy debates like deterrence in
Why did Anns still stand after D&F Estates v Church Commissioners for England?
Claim against builder, not local authority
Shell UK Ltd v Total UK
Equitable property owner can sue for damages and consequential losses as long as legal owner is joined
What is recovery of consequential loss governed by?
Remoteness
Who focused very briefly on why liability for PEL might be restricted in Hedley?
Lord Pearce
Conarken Group v Network Rail judgment
Damage of commercial asset assumes foresight by D that C will lose revenue
Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999
limited right for 3rd party to enforce a contract made for his benefit
In what case did the HoL approve Cattle v Stockton Waterworks Co?
Simpson v Thompson
What section of what Act allows courts to relieve honest and reasonable auditor of liability?
Companies Act section 1157
The Albazero
X has a claim but has suffered no substantial loss - cannot claim for V who has suffered loss as a result of D but has no claim
Curran v NI Coronership Housing Association judgment
Statutory duty was to ensure public money was well-spent, not to protect recipient, so no DoC
Pearson Education v Charter Partnership
CoA doubted if anything other than actual knowledge could lead to denial of recovery, as opposed to contributory negligence reduction
In what case did the court reject that ‘special considerations’ apply to website representations?
Patchett v Swimming Pool
What case shows the court applying White?
Gorham v BT
Canadian National Railway v Norse Pacific Steamship judgment
Recognised ‘joint venture’ between bridge owner and user
What judge in Merrett thought Hedley and Caparo couldn’t be blended?
LJ Aldous
Letter signed by director
Williams v Natural Life Health Foods
Who said it is easier to determine duty based on dangerousness?
Grubb and Millis
What case allowed equitable property owner to sue for damages and consequential losses?
Shell UK Ltd v Total UK
What is the difficulty in provision of services cases?
When C is adversely affected by D’s performance of services under a contract with X
What case rejected that knowledge of a defect prevents a claim?
Targett v Torfaen BC
L&O on Henderson
Found ‘entrusting in fact’ as members had no choice in giving complete discretion to managing agents, and agents knew they had complete control
What were the judges anxious to show in Smith v Eric?
No general liability on information provided to 3rd parties
What case extended Hedley Byrne to liability to third parties?
Smith v Eric S Bush
Cooke on Murphy
Complex structure argument is absurd and transmissible warranty would be great
Henderson v Merrett judgment
Allowed concurrent liability and took up Lord Goff and Lowry in Spring
What judge in White v Jones gave a loose conception of reliance?
Lord Browne-Wilkinson
Henderson v Merrett Syndicates judgment
When D holds himself out as having specialist skills/knowledge exercised for C’s benefit, there is a DoC
Who said expansion in PEL could lead to a ‘limitless vista of uninsurable risk’?
Bishop
What did the court reject in Hedley Byrne?
That donoghue could just be simply applied
Mirza v Bhandal
Owner of a dwelling does not ‘take on work’ for purposes of s.1 defective premises act if he gives instructions for work or employs X
Gorham v BT judgment
CoA applied White, so lack of contact didn’t matter (clearer lack of contact than White)
What case emphasised that courts tend to define auditor’s statements narrowly?
Precis v William M Mercer
What case imposed a duty on a public authority?
Shaddock v Parramatta CC
Merrett v Babb on Caparo and Hedley
Can be blended as both should lead to same result
What is the difference between Caparo and Smith?
Information in Caparo was not for transaction carried out by C
What did La Forest J question in Hercules Management
Why Lord Bridge in Smith made a distinction between buying and selling
What does the case of Murphy assume?
Negligence should be subordinate to other legal categories like contract and statute, denying a remedy in the former if none in the latter
Department of Education v Thomas Bates
D&F Estates v Church Commissioners for England
What were the court keen to avoid in Murphy?
Undermining contract/statute
What judge in what case suggested Vietchi was an example of Hedley?
Lord Keith in Murphy
What statement in Donoghue does Mitchell particularly disagree with?
Lord Atkin - ‘there must be… and is’ a general conception of DoC - there need not be, Mitchell says, and there are at least two principles of a DoC
Anns v Merton LBC general
Subsidence, cracks - Local authority has statutory power to supervise building work
What case showed court considering that damage of commercial asset assumes foresight by D that C will lose revenue
Conarken Group v Network Rail
What case shows courts applying FJR in Caparo and finding no liability?
An Informer v A Chief Constable
Winnipeg Condominium v Bird Construction judgment
SC of Canada decided courts should weigh policy issues openly as complex structure theory obscures the ‘underlying policy issues’
Spartan Stell v Martin judgment
Allowed damage to metal and consequential lost profit, but not money that would have been made
Who argued from an economic analysis that social benefit equates to social cost, and thus there is no detriment to society by not allowing wide PEL claims?
Bishop
Gorham v BT general
Pension, widow and children beneficiaries
What are the three different approaches to PEL in commonwealth?
No duty by builder to subsequent purchase, duty for dangerous defects or duty for at least some non-dangerous defects
Why did Grubb and Millis think it is easier to determine a duty based on dangerousness?
Dangerous nature brings in policy debates like deterrence
What are the factors considered under Hedley similar to?
Fair, just and reasonable Caparo test
Economic theory as a traditional ground to deny PEL
Activity is inherently risky and losses basically inevitable. Could get insurance, spread loss among victims and contractual allocation of risk
What case showed courts recognising an owner cannot just discard a house?
Bryan v Moloney
Why is the ‘purpose’ basis for distinguishing Caparo and Smith unsatisfactory?
Surveyors in Smith wouldn’t have said survey was to provide info to a purchaser on whether to buy property
What judge in what case gave primacy to tortious duty over contractual?
Lord Goff in Henderson
What case shows the courts allowing C to claim DoC of surveyor to prospective purchaser as an individual, not through his employer?
Merrett v Babb
What was the 3 stage test from Caparo?
Foreseeable injury to C, proximity of relationship and C relied on statement for purpose it was provided
Bryan v Moloney on knowledge of defect
Owner cannot just discard house , and usually ‘one of the most significant investments’ of X’s life, so Donoghue should have been allowed in Murphy
Customs and Excise Commissioners v Barclays judgment
Rejected CoA methodology and result - incremental test is not freestanding. Hedley first then Caparo
What does Stapleton think the pockets approach should be replaced with?
Agenda of policy concerns
Henderson v Merrett Syndicates general
Lloyds insurance losses
Chaudhury v Prabhaker general
Car, aciddent
Dutton v Bognor Regis
If a product doesn’t work due to D’s negligence, PEL
Lord Goff and Lowry in Spring
DoC on Hedley despite no reliance and no representation, by using special information as giving AR
S.1 Defective Premises Act 1972
Requires premises to be fit for human habitation
What fits into second pocket of liability by Stapleton?
Spartan Stell
Junior Books v Vietchi general
Floor of warehouse
Shaddock v Parramatta CC
Duty imposed on public authority although do not disregard exercise of statutory functions
What case stated that S.1 Defective Premises Act extends to failure to carry out necessary work and carrying it out badly
Andrews v Schooling
D&F Estates v Church Commissioners for England judgment
Defective construction was PEL so no claim - against builder
What did Lord Goff and Lowry say of FJR in Spring?
Once AR is found, no need to consider FJR
Stapleton takes what kind of approach to liability in PEL?
‘Pockets’ approach
Williams v Natural Life Health Foods problem
Why should employee be personally liable but not the director?