Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Law of Torts Syllabus (July-October 2022) : Ashby V White (1703) 2 Council (2003) 3 All 1122
Law of Torts Syllabus (July-October 2022) : Ashby V White (1703) 2 Council (2003) 3 All 1122
Elements of Torts-
• Duty of Care- Donogue v. Stevenson (1932) AC 562; Anns v. Merton LBC (1997) 2 All ER 492;
Caparo's (1990) 1 All ER 568 Test-Modern approach of duty of care; Incremental approach
endorsed by UK through Australian authority in Sutherland Shire Council v. Heyman [1985] 50
ALR 1, (1985) 157 CLR 424 ; Cases covered as examples- MPRTC v Basanti Bai (1971) IILLJ
273 MP, Mclouglin v O’Brain [1983] 1 AC 410, [1982] 2 All ER 298, Jocob Mathew v State of Punjab
(2005) 6 SCC 1, Roshwell v Chemical co [2008] 1 AC 281; Home office v Dorset Yatch co [1970] UKHL
2, [1970] AC 1004.
• Breach of Duty- objective test- standard of a reasonable man- factors relevant to establishing
standard of care –
• a) Factors Extraneous to the Defendant eg. likelihood of harm Bolton v. Stone; seriousness of
harm; social utility of defendant's activity; cost of avoiding the harm; hurly-burly of life; general
practice of community
• b) Factors dependent upon the defendant- eg. Child defendants Mullin v. Richards, intelligence
and skill; special knowledge about the claimant; informality-disability Roberts v. Ramsbottom and
Mansfield v. Weetabix Ltd.
• Res ipsa loquitor
• Causation- a) Causation in fact - the 'but-for' test; loss of chance- Hotson v. East Berkshire Area
Health Authority; Gregg v. Scott; hypothetical conduct of the claimant; material contribution to
the harm- Bonnington Casting Ltd. v. Wardlaw, McGee v. National Coal Board
• b) causation in law- Novus Actus Interveniens-break in the chain of causation- Natural Cause,
Claimant's own conduct, Third Party Baker v. Willioughby and Jobling v. Associated Dairies
compared and contrasted
• c) Remoteness of Damages- Re Polemis; Wagon Mound case
Module III: Intentional Invasions in person, property and economic interests - (12
lectures)
• Trespass to the person - battery, assault, false imprisonment- effects on safety and liberty,
remedies as writ, criminal law, criminal and civil law and overlapping areas, difference
between compensation and fine, when trespass to person takes place, principle of directness
and harm, difficulty in deciding the matter, Wagon Mound cases, Latest principle, how law
of negligence overlaps with trespass to person, Wainwright v Home Office, Bavisetti Venkata
Surya Rao v Nandipati Muttayya, R v Governor of Brockhill Prison, Bird v Jones
• Trespass to land - Difference between trespass and occupier’s liability and nuisance,
continuing trespass, horizontal trespass, defenses- license, right to entry, remedies, Gregory v
Piper, British waterways Board v Severn Trent water Ltd, Minister of Health v Bellotti, Robert v Hallett,
Konskier v B Goodman Ltd, Watson v Murray, Basely v Clarson, Kelsen v Imperial, Smith v Stone
• Wrongful interference with goods- conversion, human dead body- Dobson case, Fowler v
Lanning.
• Defamation- distinction between Libel and slander, Yousoupoff v Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer- Pictures
limited, Reynolds defense, Defamation Act 2013
• Defenses