Tort S1 Flashcards
WVH Rogers(ed), Winfieldand Jolowicz on Tort
negligence as a tort is a breach of a legal duty to take care which results in damage to the claimant’
Donoghue v Stevenson [1932] AC 562 (HL)
You must take reasonable care to avoid acts or omissions which you can reasonably foresee would be likely to injure your neighbour
Anns v Merton London Borough Council [1978] AC 728
The Anns test
Caparo Industries Plc v Dickman [1990] 2 AC 605 (HL)
Three stage test
- existing Duties
- forseeability
- Fair just and reasonable
Woodland v SwimmingTeachers Association
a duty of care exists between school and child
Pippin v Sheppard (1822) 147 ER 512 (Ct of Ex.)
A duty of care exists between doctor and patient
Dulieu vWhite & Sons [1901] 2 KB 669 (KB)
A duty of care exists between road users
Wilsons & Clyde Coal Co Ltd v English [1938] AC 57 (HL)
A duty of care exists between employer and employee
Arthur JS Hall & Co v Simons [2002] 1 AC 615 (HL)
A duty of care exists between lawyer and client
Haley v London Electricity Board [1965] AC 778 (HL)
Foreseeability
Murphy v Brentwood DC [1991] 1 AC 398 (HL)
Proximity
Mitchell v Glasgow City Council [2009] 1 AC 874 (HL)
Fair, just and reasonable to impose a duty
Blyth v BirminghamWaterworks
“…the omission to do something which the reasonable man, guided upon those considerations which ordinarily regulate the conduct of human affairs, would do, or doing something which a prudent and reasonable man would not do.”
Hall v Brooklands Auto- Racing Club [1933] 1 KB 205 (CA), 224 (Greer LJ)
the man on the Clapham Omnibus
Nettleship vWeston [1971] 2 QB 691 (CA)
The “reasonable man” is an objective standard
Orchard v Lee [2009] EWCA Civ 295
A child is held to the standard objectively expected of a child of that age
Bolam v Friern Hospital Management Committee [1957] 1WLR 582 (QB)
A defendant is held to the standard of the ordinary skilled man professing to exercise the relevant skill
Wilsher v Essex AHA [1987] QB 730 (CA)
Junior doctor = the reasonably competent doctor
Bolitho v City and Hackney HA [1998] AC 232 (HL)
The professional practice adopted must be “reasonable” and “logical”
Montgomery v Lanarkshire Health Board [2015] UKSC 11
A doctor has a duty to warn patients of any risk where a reasonable person would attach significance to that risk
Bolton v Stone [1951] AC 850 (HL)
The more likely the harm the more the reasonable man would have done to prevent it
Roe v Ministry of Health [1954] 2 QB 66 (CA)
The defendant’s conduct will be assessed at the time of the breach and NOT with hindsight
Paris v Stepney Borough Council [1951] AC 367 (HL)
The more serious the injury, the more the “reasonable man” would have done to prevent it
Watt v Hertfordshire County Council
[1954] 1WLR 835 (CA)
The greater the “social value” of the activity, the lower the courts’ safety expectations
s.1 Compensation Act 2006
(a) prevent desirable activity from being undertaken at all, to a particular extent or in a particular way, or
(b) discourage persons from undertaking functions in connection with a desirable activity.’
Scott v London and St Katherine Docks Co
[1865] All ER Rep 248
The circumstances of the case can sometimes be evidence of carelessness - “res ipsa loquitur”
Barnett v Chelsea and Kensington Hospital Management Committee [1969] 1 QB 428 (QBD)
Classic example of and authority for the “but for” test in tort law
Wilsher v Essex Area Health Authority
[1988] 1 AC 1074 (HL)
Where there are multiple potential causes D may escape liability (non-cumulative condition)
Bonnington Castings Ltd vWardlaw [1956] 2WLR 707 (HL)
Exception: Material contribution to harm (Cumulative conditions)
McGhee v National Coal Board [1973] 1 WLR 1 (HL)
exception: Material increase in risk (Non-cumulative conditions)
Fairchild v Glenhaven Funeral Services [2002] UKHL 22
Exception: Unjust results: mesothelioma
An non-cumulative condition
Barker v Corus UK Ltd [2006] UKHL 20
Proportionate damages introduced for non- cumulative conditions involving multiple Ds