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Summary Comparative Tort Law Synthesis
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1.2 Introduction & Torts in SystemsTORT LAW
Elements needed for a tort:
- Accident: unforeseen event with negative consequences → extra-contractual liability
- Parties: injurer and victim (sometimes more)
- Loss: = tort > social loss
- Remedy: shift of (financial) loss from victim to the injurer = purpose of tort law
→ injunction / specific performance / damages
Legal elements of a tort: need to prove these to establish tort
- Damage: harm must have been suffered
- Protected interest: body, health, property, pure economic losses, immaterial losses
- Causation: by the injurer > proximate cause when causal chain + division of liability if multiple
- Intent / negligence or strict: & contributory / comparative negligence
→ LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY: cutting causal chain, limit protected interests, victim conduct
Functions of tort law:
- Corrective justice: ex post → making the injurer pay, damages ≠ harm
- Deterrence: ex ante, reducing accidents through heavy financial costs > better for intentional torts
- Risk distribution: speak risk | pool risk | buy insurance → but make rich pay nevertheless
- Less procedural costs: cost of finding injurer, of trial, of collecting judgement
- First-party insurance: protecting oneself from risk
- Third-party insurance: protecting oneself from liability → but dilutes incentive to be careful
- Compensation: damage = harm
+ change policy, set norms, limit violence
FRENCH GERMAN ENGLISH
Historical Development
From mix of Roman, canon Germany as collection of small From common law to unify
and customary law until 17th states with different legal nation under sovereign king →
century traditions lower courts bound to higher
→ centralisation of power after → unification after ones so creation of uniformity
that French-German war → No civil code, based on writ
Revolution: Napoleon Code Civil Code (BGB) - long system
Civil drafting process because need
- more legal certainty political convergence
- confirm legal unity - political tool for unification
- minimise judges discretionary - judiciary important to fill in
power gaps
Highlights of Systems
DISTRIBUTIVE JUSTICE DISTRIBUTIVE CONDUCT CORRECTIVE JUSTICE
- Deductive civil code, logical - Complex civil code, internal - No civil code
- Concise court decisions, no references - Official role of precedent
precedent - Reliance to precedents - No reliance on commentaries
- No commentaries - Reliance on commentaries - Rare strict liability, many
- Strict liability as general rule - Negligence as general rule torts system → efficiency
based
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, Tort Law Sources
- Cour de Cassation decisions - BGH decisions because - Precedents (long decisions
- Art 1240-1244 constitutional rights protected with speeches)
- Loi Badinter (road traffic in tort law - Statutes (Occupier’s Liability,
accidents) - Paras. 823 I, 823 II, 826 Animals Act, Human Rights
⇒ victim friendly Act, etc.)
FAULT LIABILITY MAIN TORTS
Art 1240: for own acts Liability in damages Tort of Negligence
Art 1241: for omissions Para. 823 I: REQUIREMENTS
REQUIREMENTS: intention/negligent, unlawful - Duty of care: relationship
- Damage - Protected interest: life, body, prior to the harm inflicted. To
- Causation health, freedom, property, establish this
- Faute: violation of statutory another right (1) Hedley Byrne: assumption
rule | breach of existing → to business, to personality of resp.
unwritten duty | non-intentional - Consequential economic (2) Caparo Test: foreseeable
criminal faute | abuse of rights losses: YES harm, proximity, duty of care
→ objective standards Para. 823 II: breach of statute fair just reasonable
CASES: Clement Boyard + faute → used when no precedent
Para. 826: intentional damage - Breach of the duty: not acting
⇒ reparation: specific contrary to public policy as reas. per.
performance and damages - Limitations: bonos mores - Causation: factual + legal
evolution + intention as strict causation
requirement - Damage
REQUIREMENTS: breach of Omissions: no duty to act!
statute, unlawful, intention / Only if
negligence, causation, damage - Creation of risk, assumed
responsibility
STRICT LIABILITY - Status implies responsibility
Tort of Trespass (intentional
Art 1242: responsibility du fait Strict liability for things: tort)
des choses → specific act for dangerous “Interference with body/liberty,
Art 1242 (1): responsibility of activities direct and intentional” → need
acts of another person DEFENCES: to show all elements
→ children, employees, - External cause - Trespass to the person:
building, animals - Contributory negligence battery, assault, defamation
+ Loi Badinter (motor’s) (libel/slander)
REQUIREMENTS: Strict liability for persons: DEFENCES: self-defence,
- Fact of the thing + possibility to claim consent, medical necessity,
custodianship → factual non-pecuniary losses factual statement, opinions,
[custody of conduct / structure] + safety duties qualified privilege
- Link between owner and DEFENCES: Wilkinson v. Downton (indirect)
accident - Prove supervision correct - Trespass to goods/land:
DEFENCES: - Vicarious liability → remedies: injunction (intent
- Intervening cause: force not necessary) / damages
majeure, third party, victim’s [employer >< employee → conversion: taking object of
conduct liability: regarding whether smn else
- Contributory negligence: employer could have changed DEFENCES: permission,
lowers damages the conduct of the employee] necessity, inevitable accident
CASES: Blieck decision (other Tort of Nuisance
persons), Jand’heur II (custodian of - Private (Rylands v Fletcher) /
thing),Teffaine (under supervision) public
2
, Other Comments
Custodianship ≠ owner Pure Economic Losses: not Pure economic loss: only if
- custody of thing’s conduct: protected but assumption of responsibility / duty of
- Expansive use of para. 823 I: care to provide accurate information
transporter liable
- custody of thing’s structure: compensation for personal injury + liability for Smaller torts / strict: occupier’s
omissions (safety duties) liability, product liability, breach of
owner liable - Const. right to business statutory duty, defamation, infringement of
→ need direct contact or - Contractual liability to third privacy, vicarious liability
psychological causation → no strict liability for parents
parties
& children
- Unfair Competition Act
→ what is the most difficult / easiest judrisdiction for recovery?
→ how do national jurisdictions compare to ECHR rights?
→ What differences and similarities do you see in the requirements for recovery between the
jurisdictions?
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