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Summary LAW OF DELICT JOINT WRONGDOERS
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It!goes!without!saying!that!damage!can!be!caused!not!only!by!a!single!wrongdoer,!but!also!by!more!JOINT&WRONGDOERS&
!
than!one!wrongdoer!i.e.!joint!wrongdoers!
!
At!common&law&a!distinction!was!made! • Presently,!the!position!is!regulated!by!Apportionment&
between:! !!!! of&Damages&Act&34&of&1956&–&this!Act!abolishes!
! common!law!distinction!between!joint!wrongdoers!and!
Joint&wrongdoers&–!where!persons!co> concurrent!wrongdoers!
operated!consciously!to!commit!a!delict;!and! • Joint&wrongdoers&!are!now!defined!as!persons!who!are!
! In!accordance!with!this! jointly&and&severally&liable!in!delict!for!same!damage!
Independent&or&separate&wrongdoers! distinction,!liability!of!the! • Same&damage&!=!ALL!damage!suffered!by!the!plaintiff!–!
(concurrent!wrongdoers)!–!where!more!than! 2!kinds!of!wrongdoers!was! if!the!plaintiff’s!damage!is!causes!in!part!by!one!
one!person!by!independent!wrongful!conduct! treated!differently!at! wrongdoer,!in!part!by!another!wrongdoer!and!in!part!by!
contributed!causally!to!the!same!harmful! common!law! both!wrongdoers!jointly,!they!are!not!joint!wrongdoers!
consequence! ! in!terms!of§ion&2&of&the&Act!
! !
• A!person!can!thus!only!be!sued!as!a!joint!wrongdoer!if!he!was!indeed!delictually!“liable”!as!against!the!plaintiff!
• If!joint!wrongdoers!comply!with!this!requirement,!the!Act!is!applicable!irrespective!of!whether!they!acted!negligently&or!intentionally!
• Joint!wrongdoers!are!in!solidum!liable!for!full!damage!–!plaintiff!therefore!has!right!to!sue!whichever!joint!wrongdoer!he!chooses!for!the!full!amount!of!
the!damages.!
• Joint!wrongdoers!may!also!be!sued!in!same!action!–!if!so,!the!court!may!order!that!joint!wrongdoers!shall!jointly!or!severally!liable,!and!that!the!
payment!by!one!of!them!shall!absolve!the!others!from!any!liability!to!plaintiff!
• If!the!court!is!satisfied!that!all!joint!wrongdoers!are!before!it,!it!may!apportion!damages!among!them!on!the!basis!of!their!relative!degrees!of!fault,!and!
may!give!judgment!against!every!wrongdoer!for!his!part!of!the!damages!
• i.e.!plaintiff!(A)!suffers!damage!amount!to!R20!000.!!B,!C,!D!and!E!(all!joint!wrongdoers)!are!before!the!court!as!joint!wrongdoers.!!Respective!degrees!of!
fault!are!20%,!30%,!40%!and!10%!>!court!may!now!give!judgment!against!B!for!R4000,!C!for!R6000,!D!for!R8000!and!E!for!R2000!
• Where!a!plaintiff!or!defendant!in!an!action!notifies!a!joint!wrongdoer!of!action!(section!2(2)!notice)!before!litis!contestation,!the!defendant!may!claim!
recourse!(contribution)!from!the!joint!wrongdoer!if!he!(defendant)!has!paid!full!amount!of!damages!to!plaintiff!as!a!result!of!judgement!against!him!
!
ABSA&Brokers&(Pty)&Ltd&v&RMB&Financial&Services&2009&(6)&SA&549&(SCA)!
• Effect!of!section&2(2)¬ice!=!not!to!make!addressee!a!party!to!the!action!
• Such!effect!is!brought!about!by!serving!a!3rd&party¬ice!(under!Supreme!Court!Rule!13!)!on!the!person!involved.!
• If!no!such!notice!is!given,!there!is!no!right!of!recourse!against!a!joint!wrongdoer!unless!the!court!condones!the!neglect!for!good!cause!
• i.e.!A!sues!B!for!R10!000!and!B!pays!the!full!amount,!B!may!(if!he!has!notified!joint!wrongdoer!C)!institute!a!recourse!action!against!C.!!So!if!B!was!40%!
negligent!and!C!60%,!B!will!be!able!to!claim!R6000!from!C.!
• Right!of!recourse!or!recovery!of!such!a!defendant!is!directed!at!claiming!an!amount!which!taking!into!account!respective!degrees!of!fault!of!joint!
wrongdoers,!is!considered!to!be!fair!
©!Alda!Vorster! ! !
• If!the!plaintiff!recovers!only!part!of!his!damages!from!a!joint!wrongdoer,!he!may!sue!any!other!wrongdoer!for!the!balance!
• If!a!joint!wrongdoer!pays!more!than!is!justified!by!degree!of!his!fault,!he!may!exercise!his!right!of!recourse!against!any!of!the!other!joint!wrongdoers!
!
1.#PREJUDICE#SUFFERED#BY#A#SPOUSE#AS#A#RESULT#OF#THE#
SPECIAL(CASES
! CONDUCT'OF'THE'OTHER'SPOUSE'AND'A'THIRD'PARTY
MARRIAGE&IN&COMMUNITY&OF&PROPERTY&(COP)!
Before&1971:! MARRIAGES&OUT&OF&C0P!
• A!spouse!married!COP!could!not!be!regarded!as!a!joint!wrongdoer!with!a!3rd!party!against!prejudiced! • Because!spouses!married!out!of!COP!each!have!
(innocent)!spouse!–!this!came!form!a!rule!that!a!spouse!married!in!COP!could!not!commit!a!delict! their!own!estate,!there!is!no!joint!estate!which!may!
against!other!spouse!and!so!such!spouses!could!not!sue!one!another!ex!delictio!
• Reason!for!this!=!joint!estate!–!liability!would!be!senseless!because!innocent!spouse!would!have!to!be!
prevent!them!from!suing!each!other!ex!delictio!
compensated!from!singe!joint!estate! • There!is!no!reason!why!one!spouse!may!not!be!a!
• In!accordance!with!this!earlier!position,!court!ruled!innocent!spouse!(whether!husband!as!controller! joint!wrongdoer!with!a!3rd!party!against!other!
of!joint!estate,!or!husband!or!wife!with!a!claim!for!compensation!for!bodily!injury)!could!claim!full! spouse.!
amount!of!damages!from!3rd!party!–!afterwards,!3rd!party!could!not!exercise!a!right!of!recourse! • Apportionment&of&Damages&Amendment&Act&and!
against!guilty!spouse,!because!guilty!spouse!was!not!regarded!as!a!joint!wrongdoer!
• This!was!the!case!whether!husband!(as!administrator!of!joint!estate)!claimed!patrimonial!damages,!or!
Matrimonial&Property&Act&do!no!change!this!
husband!or!wife!claimed!compensation!(non>patrimonial!damages)!for!bodily!injuries! position!
• Most!decisions!held!that!3rd!party!could!also!not!claim!a!reduction!of!damages!in!accordance!with!
section!1(1)(a)!!of!the!Apportionment!of!Damages!Act!34!of!1956!because!plaintiff!had!‘no!fault!in! !
relation!to!the!damage’!(as!required!by!the!section)!and!also!because!other!spouse’s!contributory!fault!
could!not!be!imputed!to!him!
AFTER&1971:&amendment&of&Apportionment&of&Damages&Act!
• A!spouse!married!in!COP!may!now!be!deemed!to!be!a!joint!wrongdoer!with!a!3 rd!party!against!the!
other!spouse!
• So!prejudiced!(innocent)!spouse!may!recover!her!full!claim!for!patrimonial!or!non>patrimonial!
damages!from!3rd!party,!while!3rd!party!then!has!right!of!recourse!against!joint!estate!through!guilty!
spouse!as!joint!wrongdoer.!!However,!despite!fact!that!this!spouse!is!not!regarded!as!a!joint!
wrongdoer!with!3rd!party,!innocent!spouse!may!still!not!(because!of!existence!of!joint!estate)!institute!
an!action!against!guilty!spouse.!
SINCE&1984,&POSITION&FURTHER®ULATED&BY&&THE&MATRIONIAL&PROPERTY&ACT&99&OF&1984!
• Act!distinguishes!between!patrimonial!and!non>patrimonial!damage!(in!respect!of!delictual!damages)!
Van&der&Merwe&v&Road&Accident&Fund&(Woman’s&Legal&Resource&Centre&trust&as&amicus&curiae)&
2006&4&SA&230&CC&&amended!the!Matrimonial&Property&Act&(section&18&(b)&=!innocent!spouse!is!
allowed!to!institute!an!action!against!other!spouse!for!compensation!of!patrimonial!and!non>patrimonial!
loss!flowing!from!bodily&injuries!
• this!is!possible!because!this!compensation!is!now!separate!property!of!the!innocent!spouse!–!the!
objection!that!the!existence!of!the!joint!estate!made!such!a!claim!senseless!has!thus!!disappeared!
• Innocent!spouse!may!sue!other!spouse,!or!3rd!party,!or!both!
• Act!also!provides!that!if!a!spouse!married!in!COP!is!delictually!liable!for!damages,!such!
compensation!(and!any!costs!awarded!against!him)!is!!to!be!recovered!from!his!separate!estate!(if!
any)!before!plaintiff!has!recourse!to!joint!estate!
• If!the!joint!estate!is!used!for!this!purpose,!an!adjustment!in!favour!of!the!innocent!spouse!(for!her!
estate)!must!take!place!upon!dissolution!of!joint!estate.!
!
©!Alda!Vorster! ! !
!
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