unit 2: civil liability Flashcards
civil law
defines the rights and responsibilities of individuals, groups, and organizations in society and regulates private disputes.
sue
to take civil action against another person by making a claim that they have infringed some legal right
liability
the legal responsibility of a party for loss caused to another because of a breach of civil law
remedy
orders made by a court or tribunal to address a civil wrong or breach
designed to restore the plaintiff back to their original position.
remedies can be in the form of damages (money) or injunctions
types of civil law (negligence)
Requires individuals who owe a duty of care to another person to prevent foreseeable (predictable) harm from occurring.
types of civil law (trespass)
Prevents individuals from interfering with another person, their land or goods.
types of civil law (nuisance)
Ensures that individuals can enjoy public and private property without interference or annoyance.
types of civil law (contract)
Ensures that people who make promises under enforceable agreements fulfill those promises or compensate the other party if they fail to comply.
types of civil law (defamation)
Protects a person’s reputation from being damaged by lies that are shared with the public
purposes of civil law (guidelines)
Provide guidelines for acceptable behaviour so that people uphold each other’s rights and social cohesion can be achieved.
e.g. defamation outlines that publishing untrue statements is unacceptable > right to reputation is protected
e.g. negligence outlines situations where a duty of care exists > right to not be harmed Is protected
purposes of civil law (system)
Provide a system for parties to pursue rights protection through courts and tribunals
- E.g. courts, tribunals, complaints bodies, ombudsmen.
purposes of civil law (remedy)
Provide a remedy for harm or loss caused by an infringement of rights
purposes of civil law (damages)
*Damages = amount of money to compensate for loss or harm
purposes of civil law (injunction)
*Injunction = court order mandating or restricting an action
teacher example of negligence
A teacher owes a student a duty of care. A teacher should not miss their yard duty as it is foreseeable that harm could occur if students play unsupervised.
example of trespass
Destroying another person’s laptop could give rise to a claim for trespass to goods.
example of nuisance
A person breeds cats in their home. There is a pungent dour that prevents the neighbours from entertaining in
their yard.
example of contract
When a person creates an account on social media, they agree to a Terms of Service.
example of defamation
Publishing an article in the newspaper that someone is a ‘war criminal’
names of parties before court proceeding
aggrieved/wronged party=person whose rights have been infringed
wrong doer=person alleged to have infringed another persons rights
name of parties during court proceedings- defendant
defendant=the party who is alleged to have breached a civil law and is being sued
name of parties during court proceedings- plaintiff
plaintiff=the person whose rights have been infringed and who sues another party in a court or tribunal
breach
an act or omission that represents a failure to meet legal obligation
the plaintiff has burden of proving the defendant is in breach
‘failure to….’
loss
a type of harm/damage suffered by a person. it can involve both economic or non-economic loss
plaintiff only get remedy if they can prove they have suffered loss/harm
types of loss (financial)
loss of wages, loss of earning capacity, loss of profits, medical expenses etc.
types of loss(property damage)
damages or destruction of house, clothing, car etc.
types of loss (personal injury)
cuts, bruises, broken bones, loss of limb etc.
types of loss (pain and sufering)-example
mental anguish, anxiety, depression
types of loss (loss of amenity )
loss of enjoyment of life, loss of job satisfaction, loss of family life etc.
causation
the direct relationship between the defendants breach and the plaintiff loss
the plaintiff must prove that the defendants breach was a necessary condition of the loss suffered
causation ‘but for…’
but for the defendants breach would the harm have occurred
‘but for [defendants breach] plaintiffs loss would not have occurred. T/F [defendants breach] was a necessary condition
causation-intervening event
event may occur that breaks chain of causation
possible for defendant to avoid liability if they can prove their breach was not the true causes of the loss
burden of proof
responsibility of proving the facts of the case (onus)
burden of proof rests on the plaintiff. This means that they must present evidence to establish the elements of the civil wrong.
standard of proof
the degree to which the a case must be proven in court
In civil law, the plaintiff must proves that the wrongdoing occurred on the ‘balance of probabilities.’
This means that the plaintiff’s version of events is more likely to have occurred than the defendants
counter claims
*A separate claim made by the defendant in response to the plaintiff’s claim, asserting that it is the plaintiff who is actually at fault
- Counterclaims have independent procedural existence
- The defendant has the burden of proof in relation to proving the elements of the counterclaim.
limitation of action
*the restriction on bringing a civil claim after the allowed time
- For almost all civil claims, there is a time period within which the aggrieved party can sue the
wrongdoer.
purpose of limitation of action
- Ensure civil cases are resolved in a timely manner
- Ensure reliable evidence is readily available
- Ensure that the defendant does not have a potential case pending for an unlimited amount of time
Limitations of actions act 1958 (vic)
sets out the time limits
*Defamation - 1 year
*Under tort law where there is personal injury - 3 years
*Under tort law where there is no personal injury (e.g. negligence, nuisance) - 6 years
*Breach of contract - 6 ears
planintiffs -class actions
(representative proceedings or group proceedings.)
*The lead plaintiff represents the class in the proceeding. The other people in the class are called group members.
components of a class action
- seven or more people have claims against the same defendant; and
- The claims concern the same, similar or related circumstances; and
- The claims give rise to a common issue of law or fact
Becoming part ot a class action opt out system
- Victoria has an opt-out system for class actions.
- Once the class has been defined by the court, it a person meets the relevant criteria, they are automatically part ot the class action
- People can opt out of a class action via writing.
- The case can only be argued once. All members of the class are considered to have their claim heard and settled by its conclusion (i.e. can’t bring an individual claim after the class action)
Plaintiffs - Other victims
A plaintiff can also be a person who has indirectlv suffered loss as the result of another party
- A person suffers loss due to the death of a family member and sues the party that they believe is responsible
- A witness of a traumatic event who has suffered nervous shock
Defendants - employers
Employers have the right, ability and duty to control the activities of their employees. Therefore, employers can become vicariously liable for the breaches of their employees.
has vicarious responsibility
The employee must have been acting in the ‘course of their employment as opposed to a ‘frolic of their own’
defendants - employers
Vicarious liability
the legal responsibility of a third party for the wrongful acts of another
negligence purpose
negligence requires individuals who owe a duty of care to another person to prevent foreseeable (predictable) harm from occurring
negligence
a type of tort (a civil wrong)
elements of negligence
- Defendant owed the plaintiff a duty of care
- Defendant breached their duty of care
- Defendant’s breach caused harm to the plaintiff
- Plaintiff suffered harm or loss
duty of care - negligence
obligation to be careful towards another person and prevent foreseeable harm from occurring to them
when is duty of care owed
a person owes a duty of care to another if the risk of harm was ‘reasonably foreseeable’
if the risk is reasonably foreseeable than the ‘neighbor principle’ applies
presumed duty of care examples
*it is reasonably foreseeable that the actions of a teacher will harm a student
*it is reasonably foreseeable that the actions of a doctor will harm a patient
*it is reasonably foreseeable that the actions of a manufacturer will harm a consumer
when is duty of care breached- negligence
the duty of care is breached when a person fails to do what a reasonable person would have done in the same situation
a person has breached their duty if
*it is reasonably foreseeable that the breach will result in harm to the plaintiff
*the risk was not insignificant (not far fetched/fanciful)
*a reasonable person in the same situation would have taken precaution to eliminate the risk
neighbour principle
neighbour refers to the relationship between two parties who are directly impacted by each others actions or omission
established in
donoghue v stevenson
negligence- causation
the plaintiff must prove that the defendants breach was a necessary condition of their loss or harm
negligence- loss, damages, injury
plaintiff can only seek legal remedy if they can prove that they have suffered injury, loss of damages
the loss cannot be too remote from the breach . the plaintiff must prove that this specific type of loss was reasonably foreseeable
reasonable foreseeability structure- breach
it is reasonably foreseeable that [specific breach] could cause harm to [type of person P is]
- It is reasonably foreseeable that leaving a hammer unattended in the Middle School could harm to Clarendon students.