Table of Contents
Tort tables.........................................................................................................................4
Trespass to the person: assault and battery.......................................................................4
Assault..........................................................................................................................................4
Battery..........................................................................................................................................6
Defamation..................................................................................................................................7
Negligence.........................................................................................................................9
Duty of care.......................................................................................................................9
Established duty situations...............................................................................................10
Novel duty?......................................................................................................................11
Reasonable foreseeability (Reasonable foresight of harm to the claimant)................................11
Proximity and fairness (Sufficient proximity of relationship between C and D)..........................11
Justice and reasonableness (Is it fair, just and reasonable to impose a duty).............................11
case examples...............................................................................................................................................11
Omissions to act.........................................................................................................................14
Limited duty: pure economic loss......................................................................................14
Pure economic loss.....................................................................................................................15
Economic loss caused by acquiring a defective item of property................................................................15
Economic loss unconnected to physical damage to the claimant’s person or property.............................15
Actions..........................................................................................................................................................15
Statements and special relationships...........................................................................................................16
Defences under this section........................................................................................................17
Exclusion of liability......................................................................................................................................17
Exclusion clauses...........................................................................................................................................17
Exclusion notices...........................................................................................................................................17
Pure psychiatric harm.......................................................................................................18
Different types of victim: primary and secondary.......................................................................18
Secondary relationships................................................................................................................................19
Secondary victims: proximity of relationship...............................................................................................19
Proximity in space and proximity of perception...........................................................................................20
Breach of duty of care......................................................................................................20
How D ought to have behaved in circumstances (standard of care)............................................20
Standard of care:..........................................................................................................................................20
Special standards..........................................................................................................................................21
Under-skilled defendants.............................................................................................................................21
Children.........................................................................................................................................................21
Whether Ds conduct fell below the required standard (question of fact)...................................21
Magnitude of risk..........................................................................................................................................21
Cost and practicalities...................................................................................................................................21
Ds purpose....................................................................................................................................................22
Common practice..........................................................................................................................................22
Current state of knowledge and limitations of reasonable..........................................................................22
, The defendant caused harm to the claimant as a result of the breach of the duty of care
(causation)..................................................................................................................................23
Proving a breach..............................................................................................................23
Causation.........................................................................................................................23
Factual causation........................................................................................................................23
Proof of causation......................................................................................................................23
Material contribution.................................................................................................................23
Divisible injury: proportionate damages.....................................................................................24
Factual causation: material increase in risk................................................................................24
When C suffers more than one injury one after another.............................................................24
Breaking the chain of causation: intervening Acts......................................................................25
Intervening acts: the action of the claimant.................................................................................................26
Remoteness of damage..............................................................................................................26
Similar in type rule........................................................................................................................................26
Egg-shell skull rule (take your victim as you find them)...............................................................................26
Defences..........................................................................................................................27
Contributory negligence.............................................................................................................27
Seatbelts.......................................................................................................................................................27
Crash helmets...............................................................................................................................................27
Drunken drivers............................................................................................................................................27
Children.........................................................................................................................................................27
Rescuers........................................................................................................................................................28
Dilemma cases..............................................................................................................................................28
Voluntary assumption of risk (Volenti non fit Injuria).................................................................28
Assumption of risk and workers...................................................................................................................28
Rescuers........................................................................................................................................................29
Illegality......................................................................................................................................29
Remedies.........................................................................................................................30
Nominal damages.......................................................................................................................30
Special damages.........................................................................................................................30
General damages........................................................................................................................30
Damages for personal injury.......................................................................................................30
Non-pecuniary losses....................................................................................................................................30
Pecuniary losses............................................................................................................................................31
One action rule...........................................................................................................................31
General and special damages.....................................................................................................31
Medical expenses.......................................................................................................................31
Private medical treatment............................................................................................................................32
Loss of earnings..........................................................................................................................32
Loss of earnings pre-trial..............................................................................................................................32
Loss of earnings post-trial (future loss of earnings).....................................................................................32
Lost working years due to accident.............................................................................................32
, Loss of earnings- children...........................................................................................................33
Services provided to the claimant...............................................................................................33
The cost of care..........................................................................................................................33
Other pecuniary expenses..........................................................................................................33
Deductions from damages and exceptions.................................................................................33
Provisional damages and periodic payments..............................................................................33
Damages on death......................................................................................................................34
The deceased claimant.................................................................................................................................35
The Fatal Accidents Act 1976 – right of action for wrongful act causing death...........................................35
Right of action for wrongful act causing death...........................................................................36
Fatal Accidents Act 1976 – bereavement damages.....................................................................................37
Fatal Accidents Act 1976 – Assessment of damages....................................................................................38
Vicarious liability of the employer....................................................................................38
Worker must have committed a tort..........................................................................................38
worker must be an employee.....................................................................................................38
Tort committed in course of employment..................................................................................39
Employer’s duty to employees..........................................................................................42
competent staff............................................................................................................................................43
Adequate plant and equipment...................................................................................................................43
Safe system of work......................................................................................................................................44
Safe workplace..............................................................................................................................................44
What occupiers owe to visitors – Occupiers liability Acts 1957..........................................49
What occupiers owe to trespassers – Occupiers Liability Act 1984....................................55
Duty of occupier to persons other than his visitors....................................................................56
Action for defective products............................................................................................60
Claim in contract – Consumer Rights Act 2015 (start with this)...................................................60
Consumer Protection Act 1987...................................................................................................62
Negligence..................................................................................................................................66
Private nuisance...............................................................................................................70
Trespass to land...............................................................................................................77
Essay questions................................................................................................................79
Discuss the ways in which an employer can be liable to an employee for injury deriving from the
workplace...................................................................................................................................79
By reference to the case law explain when the court will impose liability for omissions. Focus on
the police, emergency services and local authorities..................................................................80
Foreseeability in negligence.......................................................................................................83
Novel duties...............................................................................................................................85
PEL and PSH question.................................................................................................................88
Strict liability for the Consumer Protection Act 1987..................................................................91
, Tort revision tables:
Trespass to the person:
Tort tables
Trespass to the person: assault and battery
Trespass to the person is actionable per se and so the claimant need not prove any tangible
physical harm in order to sue
Assault
Identify Cs and Ds
Nature of loss for C Personal injury (broken leg/heart attack)
Which tort will be Assault
relevant + definition An intentional act by the defendant that causes another person to reasonably apprehend the
immediate infliction of a battery upon him.
Elements for each Intentional conduct by D
tort Requires intentional conduct (Lord Denning in Letang v Cooper [1964] 2 All ER 929)
It is not necessary for the defendants to intend the consequences of their actions Wilson v
Pringle [1986] 2 All ER 440 .
Reasonable apprehension by C
it is necessary for D to intend that C apprehends the infliction of a battery Bici v Ministry of
Defence [2004] EWHC 786 (QB)
Of immediate infliction of a battery
words can amount to assault R v Ireland [1998] AC 147 .
Words can ‘negative’ an assault Turberville v Savage (1669) 86 ER 684 .
The defendant intended to cause shock to the claimant who suffered some tangible damage
as a result. New tort created as a result (intention to cause shock which causes some
tangible damage as a result) Wilkinson v Downton [1897] 2 QB 57
follow up case which reformulated elements
Rhodes v OPO [2015] UKSC 32 .
1. a conduct element requiring words or conduct directed at the claimant for which
there was no justification or excuse;
2. a mental element requiring an intention to cause at least severe mental or emotional
distress; and
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