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Title: Delict
Description: Detailed exam ready notes for the course of delict or tort, including cases with summaries. Written by a third year student at the University of Glasgow who obtained a grade B, using these notes.
Description: Detailed exam ready notes for the course of delict or tort, including cases with summaries. Written by a third year student at the University of Glasgow who obtained a grade B, using these notes.
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Delict
...
g
...
Private law – governing relationships between individuals (N
...
private relationships are not free
from state interventions due to being in the public interest) e
...
marriage, minimum wage, child
abuse
...
g
...
Real rights – a right which you can defend against the world at large i
...
anyone who interfered with
your rights
...
e
...
Stair’s structure of obligations: conventional obligations (obligations entered into by voluntary
agreement e
...
contract) and obediential obligations (obligations put upon men not by their own will
– imposed without personal agreement)
...
Intentional delicts – deliberately causes harm to another person, their property or their economic
status
...
Delict deals with, who is liable? For what are they liable? Delict looks at who bears the liability
...
Civil Liability
...
Delict is how we shift responsibility from the victim to the wrongdoer or the insurers of the wrong
doer
...
In Scotland Delict only
covers civil law
...
This is only in Scots Law
...
In English law it is called the law of ‘Tort’
Delict is made up of mainly case law
...
The duty to compensate arises ‘Ex Lege’ (as a matter of Law)
The wrongdoer’s obligation is obediential (arises by virtue of law), not conventional (arising by virtue
of agreement Primary obligation – Don’t cause the harm
...
Secondary obligation -‐ make right if you do compensation
...
g
...
Similarly there is a delictual – DUTY OF CARE
...
Also omissions – what you ought to have done
...
gg
failing to grit the roads, failing to fence a hole, there is not a claim until someone falls through the
hole
...
Damnum Injuria datum – a loss wrongfully caused
...
E
...
driving
wrecklessly hit a student, you are liable in the law of Delict
...
Culpa required for the negligent person to be negligent – this can evolve from the
circumstances
...
Damnum absque Injuria – Loss without wrongful conduct
...
You just need to take it on the chin
...
g
...
Injuria sine damno – Where there is wrongful conduct but no loss
...
E
...
an unlit hole, there is no liability until someone hurts themselves
...
In Delict we always refer to PURSUER
...
The pursuer must show that he will be the ‘loser’ if no remedy is granted
...
Personal Liability
The person at fault must bear the consequences
...
Where 2 or more persons have contributed to the same Delict
...
E
...
if there are 5 people involved, then the pursuer can claim against only 1
...
Several Liability
...
This is mostly used in
employment
...
g
...
N
...
B) Intentional Delicts
...
Pursuer: B, the person whom A intended to harm
...
Delict of harassment
...
This was introduced to deal with
stalking
...
K
...
The 2nd applies to
Scotland
...
The main section is
section 8 (1) Every individual has a right to be free from harassment and, accordingly, a person must
not pursue a course of conduct which amounts to the harassment of another and –
The act does not define a ‘course of conduct’ however a single act will not suffice – this can be
implied from the use of the word ‘course’ – may be a break between incidents (Marinello – 2year
period between incidents)
Section 1 (3) ‘conduct includes speech, harassment of another includes causing the person alarm or
distress; and a course of conduct must involve conduct on at least two occasions
...
Section 8 (1) states it can only be harassment if the person intended the behaviour to be harassing
...
If both of these are shown then what can the victims do? See Section 8 (5) + (6)
...
The interim interdict is convenient
and also it can be granted before the proceedings and before the final judgement
...
There is also Section 8 (5) (b) (ii) a non harassment order can be granted
...
Liability can be vicarious or attracted by commercial entities (Ferguson, Roberts – bank customer
with small overdraft and exceeded credit card limit once
...
547 attempted calls,
said clearly didn’t want to talk to them
...
McGuire v Kidston – parties were both in their 60’s and had met through a dating agency, they had a
sexual relationship
...
On appeal the court ruled that a non harassment order is more serious than an interdict and
should only be granted where an interdict is insufficient
...
Couple were divorcing, and there was already an
interdict in place per other previous proceedings
...
On appeal
the question was could an interdict and non harassment order both be granted? It was concluded
that it was not competent to grant both at the same time, however because in this case the interdict
was concluded from a previous case and before the 1997 act came into place, then there was
nothing stopping it being granted
...
Sisters were appealing against an injunction that had been granted against them
for harassing Jones (verbal abuse in Asda, in the street etc)
...
High Court dismissed
the appeal
...
The court ruled that this was enough to infer a course of conduct, it was not necessary
to show it was planned
...
Causing alarm and distress
...
Recent Scottish Cases
...
Workplace bullying, R was a prison officer who sued for alleged
bullying due to trade union activity, she claimed she was victimised by the trade union rep
...
N
...
Dickie v Flexcon Glenrothes Ltd
...
Claims he was ridiculed and abused and sued his employer for £500,000 for psychiatric illness
...
If reading the judgment
the main points are Para 65 – 81
...
Thereafter she still remained to receive paperwork, bills, and
threats of litigation from BG
...
Ms
Ferguson funded the legal costs herself
...
Ferguson succeeded
...
It is also used in
England against animal rights activists, for example we know it must be a course of conduct and if
animal rights activists attack Cambridge Uni, then Oxford, the individuals Uni’s cannot take action
but when it is shown as a course of conduct – however it is worth noting that this applies in England
only, it does not apply here as our legislations is for ‘individuals’ to take actions and not corporate
envisagement
...
The threat of or use of force against another person
...
Ewing v Earl of Mar – spat at pursuer
...
Reid v Mitchell – no need for malice
...
M
knocked R off sty trying to involve him in the romping
Intentional wrongs relating to persons – Assault
...
Bell Principals
...
Assault can also constitute a
civil wrong
...
If the assault does not result in physical harm, the damages awarded will not be large despite the
insult caused to the victim
...
English authority
but likely to be followed by the Scottish Courts
...
This is particularly important
in the cases of doctors and dentists
...
Mainly
reasonably conducted games and sporting activities
...
Medical and Dental Injuries
...
A doctor need only disclose to patients the risks that are main to the procedure and
which are regarded by a responsible body of medical opinion as proper to disclose
...
Secondly if the
doctor or dentist does not disclose important details that a responsible body of medical opinion
would have disclosed and a patient comes to harm then the patient can sue the doctor
...
Patients should sign a general consent form however this is not clear of when a doctor should inform
a patient of particular risks
...
Bolton Hospitals NHS Trust v O -‐ The trust sought a declaration that O, a woman who was 39 weeks
pregnant, temporarily did not have capacity to consent to a caesarean section and that it would be
lawful to carry out the operation even if O again withdrew consent at the point when she was about
to be given anaesthetic for the operation
...
There was a greater than 95 per cent chance of a failure if a
vaginal delivery were to take place, with a serious risk that O and the baby would die
...
It was held that a patient was entitled to refuse treatment even if there were no
good reasons for so doing
...
Moyes v Lothian Health Board – do all potential risks need to be notified before consent? Have you
been given enough info to consent? Patient suffered stroke during vein/artery exam, should’ve been
warned of risks due to previous reactions, no requirement to be informed of every risk
...
In general consent from the victim prevents the claim of delictual liability for assault
...
Marco v Merrans – 2 young men liked 1 lady, fight outside her house, 1 cut forehead from bottle,
not reasonable
...
3 possibilities for self-‐defence (set out in Ashley v Chief Constable of Sussex Police – relative of man
shot by police where he lived)
1
...
2
...
3
...
Lewis v Buckpool Golf Club – 2 men on golf course, not good golfers, S drove off from the fifth tee
when L was putting on the fourth green
...
The question which had to be answered was whether there was a real risk, of which S
ought to have been aware, that he would mis-‐hit the ball and not drive it straight down the fairway
...
He therefore held that L was entitled to recover damages in the sum of 15,500 pounds from S
...
If an assault takes place as the victim provoked it then damages will be reduced
...
Validity of Consent
See blue book – cover later on
...
Assaults on Children
...
A v United Kingdom – ECHR held that the parents’ reasonable chastisement defence was a breach of
the child’s rights under Article 3 to be protected from ‘inhumane or degrading treatment or
punishment’
Reasonable chastisement of children
1937 Act s12 – any attack is reasonable
...
A v UK – girl hit by cane by friend, incompatible with Art 3? And inconsistent?
ECHR Art 3 – no one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or
punishment
...
At his trial there was evidence the boy's behaviour had been of
concern to his parents for some time and that the boy's father had expressed to the headmaster 'it is
about time he was taught a lesson by some authority
...
The
situation being tense, the headmaster decided to deal with the boy at his own home and took him
there with the approval of his parents
...
He smacked him about four
times
...
After summary trial the accused was acquitted
...
Guest v Annan -‐ The appellant was charged with assaulting his 8 yr old year-‐old daughter by
repeatedly striking her on the buttocks with his hand, to her injury
...
She was
found to have a bruise on one buttock
...
Held, that there was no evidence to justify the sheriff in concluding
beyond reasonable doubt that the appellant had acted with the necessary evil intent; and appeal
allowed and conviction quashed
...
Parting buttocks by guard
...
Seduction and entrapment
In the case of seduction, the woman would give consent to sexual intercourse but her consent may
be reduced because it was obtained by the man as a result of deception or abuse of position
...
By use of fraud/deceit or use of dominating
influence
...
P trusted D
...
Murray v Fraser -‐ a young naive girl was duped into having intercourse by a trusted family member
who told her nothing would happen, she became pregnant, the defender was held liable in
seduction
...
Cathcart had sex with Brown on two occasions
...
She brought a claim to court and was awarded £300 damages
...
The most common
example is bigamy
...
g
...
Burke v Burke –
understood D was divorced even though lived with ex wife
...
‘Next to life there is liberty
...
The loss suffered is both the loss of liberty and the affront caused by the pursuer
...
This is a fundamental right
...
Mackenzie v Cluny Hill Hyropathic Co – woman guest at a hotel, who was detained by the manager
for 15 mins, awarded £400
...
Hotel vicariously liable for manager
...
The defender pleaded that her averments were irrelevant
...
Authorities on wrongful arrest reviewed
...
Police called, women kept in
room, required to remove clothes then released
...
Misuse of private information
Something with a commercial value e
...
famous people
A reasonable expectation of privacy – takes account of all circumstances
...
Murray v Newspaper
Justifying publication of private information
Von Hannover – photographs out with family
...
Court agreed justified to see how she reacted when
father was ill
...
general interest
2
...
prior conduct
4
...
circumstances
Von Hannover 3 – princess Caroline and husband in Africa holiday home
...
Intentional Delicts relating to property
...
A person who deliberately enters another’s land, may be interdicted from doing so again
and is liable to pay damages if he has caused any harm to the property
...
Complained a sheep belonging to W strolled onto
road and into his garden
...
Dumbreck v Robert Addie & Sons (Collieries) Ltd – Definition of trespass ‘a temporary intrusion into
property owned by another without the permission of the owner’
Heritable property is owned from the heavens to the centre of the earth (a coelo usque ad centrum)
however, because of this there is statute which provides that it is ok for aircraft to fly over a
person’s house without liability for trespass – Civil Aviation Act 1972 Section 76
...
Interim interdict was granted
...
There is no liability in damages for simply entering property
...
Generally trespass will not give rise to damages unless there has
been actual damage done, it will mainly result in interdict
...
R was awarded damages as N was negligent in using
this much force, N tried to appeal and appeal dismissed
...
Sheriff =
aemulatio vincini exists, but was he acting in harm or ‘out of spite’?
Tresspass
Only where moveable property can be occupied
Phestos Shipping v Kurmiawan – protest over not paid wages
Passing Off
Goodwill; passing off: There is a common law remedy against piracy/copy cats
...
It will include the name of the business, if it is a
product then it can be the name of the product, the shape, or the colour (e
...
Heinz, distinctive
turquoise colour) these distinctions are sometimes called the get up’
...
Passing off emerges when a person uses the ideas of these successful products to manufacture a
product of their own
...
Generally the product is also inferior
...
Sometimes, lookalike products will be manufactured by the same companies, e
...
tissues, so there
would be no litigation, where this is not the case then there can be a delictual claim
...
What do you need to prove for an action in this area? It needs to be shown that the defenders
conduct was done in fact to harm the pursuers business
...
existence of goodwill in ‘get up’ of goods/services
2
...
damage or likelihood of damage (to goodwill) *normally assumed if 1 & 2 are satisfied
...
(Hotel Cipriani Srl v Cipriani (Grovesnor Street) Ltd – hotel sued for
restaurant passing off
...
) (Société case – casino couldn’t prove UK
clientele)
Goodwill in descriptive terms (Cellular clothing co case – goodwill in clothing? Provided
person using descriptive term can establish a secondary meaning (brand & description) it can
have goodwill) (Salon services v Direct salon services – descriptive name, but a small change
in name is sufficient to distinguish)
Continuation of goodwill (after stopped) (Sutherland v V2 music Ltd – previous band called
liberty
...
g
...
Quality of goods – ‘extended passing off’ (Diago – Vodkat, alcohol content significantly less
than vodka – passing off
...
Agreed confusion
...
Also, labels frequently come off and
goods are infrequently used
...
The claimant manufactured it in Holland and had a large export to England
...
The claimant was successful
...
Gleneagles Hotels Ltd v Quillico – An action was brought in passing off
...
They wanted to use the word Glen
Eagles and the picture of an eagle, the same as the Gleneagles hotel
...
The court ruled this was intended to damage
...
Irvine v Talksport Ltd – Involved Eddie Irvine, the radio produced promo leaflets with Eddie holding a
portable radio emblazoned with Talksport on it
...
This was an
unethical use of product placement; the image had a commercial value in the sporting world
...
The claim was
successful
...
Both companies dealt with dry rot, wet rot etc
...
Hotel Cipriani Slr v Cipriani (Grosvenor Street) Ltd – The well known luxury hotel chain brought an
action against a restaurant in London as the public would assume that the restaurant was linked
with the chain
...
If these remedies are established then what is the applicant generally seeking? – An Interdict
...
Breach of Confidence
...
The essence of this is where A provides info to B, and there exists a confidential relationship
between them, B is under an obligation not to divulge that info
...
It will generally arise where a ‘reasonable person’ would
have deemed the information confidential
...
information must have necessary quality or confidence about it
2
...
must be an unauthorised use of that info to the detriment of the party communicating it
Second criteria was difficult to satisfy (e
...
if drop a diary and someone finds it, no confidentiality) so
LA v Scotsman Publications LTD extended it to protect information in absence of direct relationship
where it is clear that it was confidential
...
A – The nature of the information
Must be specific – Bailey v Graham – levi roots sued by employee/er for using recipe disclosed in
confidence
...
Can it be embodied in property? Waste systems case – Scottish company purchased machinery from
American company
...
Scottish company went into liquidation and company sold machine
...
Maccaba v Lichtenstein – Maccaba was an orthodox Jew and he claimed for misuse of private
information
...
L had extracts of letters that M was sending to a married woman,
declaring his love and intentions for her; he also offered the husband money to release the woman
so he could be with her
...
The court favoured with L, saying it was not private info ‘as a general rule correspondence
is private, however unsolicited contents of these letters including the offer of the payment for
money was shocking and immoral and he couldn’t expect this to be kept private
...
Wasn’t a subscriber, deal with other
shop to stream results
...
Duke of Argyll v Duchess of Argyll -‐ There was a private handwritten diary that was revealed to the
press by an employee
...
Privacy issues
Murray v Express Newspapers; J K Rowling, succeeded in an action, a photo of her child appeared in
a newspaper
...
This claim also included the beach of Article 8 of the ECHR ‘the right to a private
family life’ It was discussed in this case whether the claimant should have expected this e
...
given
that they are a celebrity, it was also taken into consideration where they were, the absence of
consent and how the info got into the hands of the publisher
...
during course of employment, duty of good faith and fidelity of employer
...
Protection of trade secrets after employment = implied term in contract to not disclose
trade secrets
...
Terms in contract about what happens after employee leaves = post employment
contractual protection
...
The paper
had published a paper with the headline ‘F1 boss had sick Nazi orgy with German Hookers’ it was
also placed on their website, with a Nazi theme
...
There was a follow up about a week later which the headline stated
‘Nazi hooker tells all’
...
Mosley stated that this was private and personal
...
The newspaper claimed that Mosley had no reasonable
explanation to privacy and even if he did have then the info was of public interest because he was
president of F1
...
His claim was successful and he was
awarded £60,000
...
Campbell v MGM – Action brought by Naomi Campbell
...
Newspaper published an
article which disclosed her drug addiction and also that she was getting therapy
...
She sued for breach of confidentiality and it was a long running
litigation
...
Then HoL held
in NC favour – it was quoted for breach of confidentiality ‘the threshold test is whether information
is that of a private nature of a reasonable person of reasonable sensibility, placed in the same
situation as the celebrity – if they would find the breach offensive’ in Naomi case the answer was
yes, this could set back her recovery – yes she had lied about her addiction but the publication went
beyond this
...
g
...
Breach of public interest will sometimes
succeed
...
Sold chickens out of vans, Fowler was a van
driver, left business to set up competitor
...
1
...
nature of information – is it obviously confidential?
3
...
Can the information be readily isolated from information which employee is free to use? –
can you separate confidential information from skills used from employee development?
Duke of Argyll v Duchess of Argyll – divorce on Duchess’ adultery
...
Duchess sued Duke for selling information to newspapers
...
McKennit v Ash – Ash wrote book including details about McK, relied on friendship – relied on
breach of confidence
...
g
...
Sunday times published information but meant some of public were wrongly
convicted – public interest
...
Common law will support the unregulated competition between companies
...
Difference
between normal competition of business’ and behaviour leading to delicts
...
For example; supermarket pricing wars
...
There were three important cases here; all three appeals were heard at the same time to allow the
law lords to make a consideration on the area of the law and make a clear ruling to provide clear
guidance
...
Mainstream Properties v Young – MP were developers who claimed that Y had been interfering with
MP employees contracts
...
The two main principals
1) Inducement of breach of contract
2) Inflicting harm/causing loss by unlawful means
1
...
C approaches B and induces them
to enter contract – B breached contract with A, A can sue B
...
Requirements set out in Global resources Group:
1
...
Implies there is a continuing contract between A &
B
...
C must know their actions have the effect of inducing breach of contract
...
g
...
CL transferred stock – breach? Court held no inducement
3
...
Not enough to say it is a foreseeable consequence (Millar v Bassey – contract with recording
company to make album, so recording company breached contract with musicians
...
OBG case changed this saying you need to set out to
intend to breach)
4
...
g
...
BMT put into standard contract, a specific term
that customers could not sell for 6months unless agree with trader association
...
There may be a defence of justification (e
...
Brimelow v Casson – touring theatre company)
2
...
Conspiracy
Involves more than one actor
...
e
...
Harris Tweed case – breach by V was lawful
...
Unlawful means: people get together and act in unlawful way to cause harm to the pursuer
...
e
...
Constantin Media case – E bribed officer of bank to secure sales
...
Wasn’t clear and struggled to establish loss suffered
...
Unintentional harm is actionable in Delict only if it is done in breach of a legal duty owed by the
defender to the Pursuer
...
In order to understand if there can be a claim, the following need to be shown
...
b
...
d
...
Firstly we need to establish if there is a duty of care owed
...
These were set out in
the following cases
...
REASONABLE FORSEEABILITY –
Who in law is my neighbour – those who would be so closely and directly affected by my act that I
ought to reasonably have them in my contemplation
...
In the heavy rains of 1994, the Kelvin flooded and caused
the bridge to collapse
...
The police positioned their car facing North over the bridge with the lights on to draw attention to
the hazard
...
Mr Gibson was a passenger in a
car and they came from the south and went into the Kelvin
...
Orr was the police chief constable of Strathclyde Police at the time and he was vicariously
liable for the negligence of the other two police officers
...
Did Mr Orr owe a duty of care to Mr G? The decision in this personal injury action was added for the
first time? WAS IT FAIR JUST AND REASONABLE TO IMPOSE A DUTY OF CARE
Mitchell v GCC – Problem arising from neighbourhood dispute
...
Mr Mitchell was assaulted and killed by his neighbour ‘X’
...
Mitchell had complained to the house and a
meeting between Mr Mitchell, X and a housing representative was agreed
...
The private law element was that GCC had breached their duty of
care as a Land Lord
...
Also Duty of Care in relation to Nervous Shock
...
The law has tried to control
this area
...
Alcock v Chief Police blah blah
...
The court said – no you just got a fright
...
The courts are looking for something more than beyond a normal human reaction
...
A defender owes a primary
victim a duty of care not to cause psychiatric injury or nervous shock where it is reasonably
foreseeable that the primary victim will suffer physical injury
...
e
...
Until 1983 the position was that no duty of care was owed to secondary victims per Bourhill v Young
...
Then Alock v Chief Police of blah blah blah (dearness, nearness and hearness!)
Alcock v Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police – hillsborugh disaster, vicarious liability, various
claimants cousins fiancés etc, various situations, supported the three points and that parents, child
and spouses ok as close ties of love and affection
...
Set out the 3 part test
1
...
Must be close proximity to the accident or at its immediate aftermath
...
Must be direct perception
...
White v Chief Constable – Police officers who were involved at Hillsbourgh
...
Greater X v Greater X – Fireman assisting in road accident was father of victim but he failed on
another ground
...
Derivative Economic Loss – Economic lost to the pursuer which derives from physical injury to
pursuer person or property
...
e
...
The employers loss is secondary economic loss-‐ NOT
RECOVERABLE
...
Caparo Industries Plc v Dickman, brought in the tripartite test
...
Where there is close proximity between the pursuer and the defender
Where it is fair just and reasonable to impose a duty of care
...
NOW, ONCE THE DUTY OF CARE HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED NEED TO ESTABLISH
THE BREACH OF THE DUTY OF CARE
...
•
(2) Injury to P’s person or property must be a reasonable and foreseeable consequence of
D’s conduct
...
Firstly the defender must have acted voluntarily – Waugh v James Allan – didn’t act voluntarily
...
This always depends on the circumstances
...
Court ruled it was not reasonably
foreseeable that this would happen
...
The defender will be judged
against the ‘reasonable person’ in that position i
...
reasonable blind person
...
The parents got
permission from all the guests and supervised the party
...
The 11 year old boy brought the action against the supervising parent claiming they
had failed to provide reasonable care, in the first instance he was successful and then on appeal the
parent was held not liable and had not breached the duty of care, it was no reasonable it would be
that serious
...
O collided with
L and L sued as a result
...
For a child to be culpable then it has to be of a
very high degree
...
-‐
Probability of injury to P –
McIntosh v City of Edinburgh Council 2003 SLT 827 – Employee asked to hold a 50k weight whilst
on a ladder – probable this would happen!
Bolton v Stone – cricket ground where the pursuer was hit by a ball
...
-‐
Gravity of injury to P –
Bollito v Arriva London [2008] EWHC 48 – Running to catch a bus and pushed the doors to stop
them from closing, bus driver was having none of it and began to drive off
...
-‐
Value/utility of D’s conduct –
Gilfillan v Barbour 2003 SLT 1127 – Mr Barbour had left the concert hall on a wet rainy night, he
was driving a punto, at the junction at the Gallowgate he was waiting to turn right
...
There was a terrible collision and Mrs Barbour died
...
Mr G’s conduct may
be reasonable in an emergency but on counterclaim Mr G failed to drive responsibly and Mr B
was inattentive to the situation
...
-‐
Practicality of taking precautions (availability of precautions etc) –
Piccolo v Larkstock Ltd 2007, unreported QBD
...
What precautions did the florist have in place to look after the water
– she just mopped up when needed, so therefore liable
...
Collins sued her employer (Victoria Wine) She
was a manager in a shop in Edinburgh
...
she asked for
security meshing, the employer said no this gave the wrong impression and then she asked for 2
members of staff this was not allowed either
...
-‐
‘Normal’ practice (trade/professional/business)
Hutchison v North Lanarkshire Council 2007 GWD 04-‐65 – Fell into pot hole
...
e as a reasonable man in these situations would have acted or did the defenders
actions fall below the standard of the reasonable man?
ONCE IT’S ESTABLISHED THAT THE DUTY OF CARE HAS BEEN BREACHED WE
MUST SHOW THAT THE BREACH CAUSED THE INJURY COMPLAINED OF BY
THE PURSUER (CAUSATION)
The pursuer must show that the negligence of the defender resulted in the harm that the pursuer is
complaining about and THE PURSUER MUST SHOW THE CASUAL CONNECTION BETWEEN THE
DEFENDERS BREACH OF DUTY AND THE HARM SUFFERED TO THEM
...
FACTUAL CAUSATION – causa sine qua non
...
This is a question
of fact
...
To use latin terminology, The defenders breach of duty must be a ‘causa sine qua non’ of the
pursuers harm
...
It must be shown that but for the defenders conduct the pursuer would not have
suffered any harm
...
Kay’s tutor v Arran and Ayrshire Health Board – a young child suffering from meningitis was brought
to the hospital was given a massive overdose of penicillin, and as a result was left deaf
...
The House of Lords stated that the onus was on the father (the pursuer) to prove that but
for the overdose the child would not have been made deaf
...
Bolithio v City and Hackney Council – A doctor failed to attend a child and the child died
...
Although the doctor
breached her duty of care for not attending her, a panel of expert doctors stated even if the doctor
did attend to her she would not have intubated her in the circumstances and the child would still
have died
...
Clough v First Choice Holidays – Mr C was drunk and slipped of a wall that divided two pools, he fell
into to the paddling pool and broke his neck, he claimed that the defenders should have painted the
wall with non slip paint
...
When there are more than 2 causing factors THE EFFECTIVE CAUSE;
The defenders breach of duty must also be the causa causans, the real and effective cause (the ‘legal
cause’) of Pursuers injury or loss
Wardlaw v Bonnington Castings Ltd – Worker contracted illness from dust in the factory
...
Mr McGhee contracted dermatitis
and sued his employer stating they failed to provide washing facilities
...
Defenders should bear some liability but
they materially increased the risk of Mr McGhee contracting dermatitis
...
The defender only contributed to one part of the
danger the dust
...
The house of lords stated
that in a situation like this, if it can be shown that the defenders breach materially contributed or
materially increased the danger they would still be liable
...
Fairchild v Glenhaven Funeral Services – three conjoined appeals, all employees exposed to asbestos
dust, and contracted a kind of lung cancer so could no longer work
...
House of Lords the claims were successful,
causation was modified that if there was more than one source and you could identify the exact
source then this was ok, if you can’t prove the exact source then this materially adds to the risk of
harm then this will be sufficient to establish factual causation
...
Think about A dropping a brick on B’s foot and breaking his toes, B has to go to hospital in an
Ambulance, but the Ambulance driver is a maniac and causes an accident in which B dies
...
BUT he has not been the causa causans – the direct
cause
...
The act that breaks this chain is called the novus actus
interveniens
...
A third party
However the onus rests on the defender to prove this novus actus interveniens
...
Is the act reasonably foreseeable? If it was this will not break the chain of causation
...
She
stood on the toilet and put her foot on the toilet roll holder then subsequently fell and hurt herself
...
** nb she was contributory negligent for putting
that weight on the toilet roll holder! **
McKew v Holland and Hannen and Cubbits (Scotland) Ltd – Mr McKew had an accident at work and
due to this he had a weak leg which was prone to giving way
...
He claimed his employers were negligent
...
The defenders were liable for the first injury but were not liable for the second
...
Injured head and was off work, his skin condition flared up
and he developed depression
...
Lord
ordinary awarded £3500, skin and depression was not caused by the accident it was caused by anger
at the accident
...
British Steel tried to appeal to
House of Lords appeal unsuccessful, the aggravation of the skin and depression could both fall within
the scope of British steels liability -‐ casual connection
...
Corr v IBC Vehicles – Mr C was employed by IBC
...
After the surgery he suffered from PTSD
...
Before the accident he was a general all round good guy, married
...
3 days later he
jumped to his death
...
Chain not broken
...
Leyland Ship v Norwich – 1st World War, torpedoed by Germans on English channel, ship taken to
English port by tug
...
Gale was due in with bad weather and harbour was concered
that the vessel may sink and cause an obstruction, Port authority arranged for it to be moved
outside the harbour and the ship sank
...
DEFENCES
Volenti non fit Injuria – to one consenting no wrong can be done, ‘voluntarily assumption of risk’
Based on this if you consent then you are waiving your right to sue
...
The pursuers consent may be
express or implied e
...
Hockey or Rugby
...
Sued the railway but she said while on the stand ‘it was just a chance that I
took’ – She accepted the risk
...
Appeal court upheld the defence of
volenti, there was an obvious risk and Mr P must have known and accepted the risk
...
Mr Q was a construction worker who damaged his lower back
...
He was put to work on a roof of a block
of flats, and then put to paving and excavating
...
Sued his
employer
...
They
were a firm of builders and heavy work is all they do, if the pursuer knew and accepted the risk then
the defenders were not liable
...
Contributory Negligence signifies that to some extent the Pursuer was responsible for the harm in
question
...
The defender must have suffered part of the damage through their own fault
...
The onus of proving Contributory Negligence rests on the defender
...
It will not defeat the claim
Main Case – Cork v Curby McLean – ‘the damages fall to be apportioned between the pursuer and
the defender according to the causative potency and blameworthiness of the respectful faults
...
Gawler v Raetting -‐ serious injury in RTA front seat passenger, the defender admitted liability but G
was CN for not wearing a seatbelt and was 25% reduction in the award for damages
...
Drunk driver
...
Gleeson offered to get into the boot of the car, there was
a serious accident
...
Pace v Cully – taxi driver had been told by the police not to wear a seatbelt in case passengers tried
to attack him
...
McKay v Borthwick – no seatbelt
...
Badger v MOD – Mr B died of lung cancer and had been exposed to asbestos
...
Anderson v Lyotier and Porejoie – Skiing in France in 2004
...
He sustained injuries and was left tetraplegic
...
On the last day Mr A was
pressured into joining a different party for ‘off piste skiing’ The trip was booked via Snowbiz (Mr
Lyotier – vicarious liability) Mr A was very anxious about it but decided to join, took the stiff upper
lip and thought if he didn’t do it then this could affect the rest of the group
...
Defence ran CN
...
There was a heavy onus on adult skiers to admit if they did not feel about for the task
even in instruction class, wrong to hold adult to abdicate all personal responsibility
...
If this happened to a child
it would have been different – ‘A reasonable adult cannot abdicate responsibility’
...
Forbes v Ferguson – Claimant run over by a van, the claimant was very drunk and stumbled into the
van, driver seen the man and the man banged on the side of the van so he reversed
...
St George v Home Office – Prisoner was alcohol and drug addict
...
The court held that he may have been at fault for becoming addicted to drugs, but
the Home Office were negligent in putting him on the top bunk
...
An employer may be liable to his employee for injuries sustained by them during the course of their
employment
...
e
...
Common Law duties
1) Duty on employer to employ competent employees, adequately qualified and experienced
Smith v Crosby
...
It
was unofficial
...
Employer
was not liable – he didn’t know about the initiation right
...
Employee ‘X’ for 4 years taunted plaintiff, employer was toald
about it, reprimanded X but never done anything about it
...
Court held that the employer breached his duty of care as was aware of the behaviour
...
Brisco v Sect of State – B was a prison officer and was involved in riot training exercise
...
Court ruled
the duty of the employer was to balance the risk of accident with the need to take precautions
...
3) To provide adequate supervision and direction of employees
...
The set about
him with a football and he was injured
...
4) To provide and maintain proper equipment/machinery/clothing
Given v James Watt College
...
Paris v Stephney Bros
...
Mr P was blind in one eye – employers have
to have concern to special employees
...
McGuiness v Endeva – Service engineer for t
...
company, called to Easterhouse, deprived area
...
Sued his employer as he couldn’t return to work
...
Sued under failure to devise and maintain a safe
working system, he thought there should have been double manning
...
Vicarious Liability
Qui facit per ailum facit per se’ He who acts through another acts thro himself
...
How do you prove vicarious liability?
1
...
e
...
Personal chauffeur to get from house to train, drives recklessly – Vicarious Liability
...
Then no liability, it’s just a one
off service
...
2
...
3
...
Method of payment – salary or one off payment, tax paid?
5
...
Having established that there is a relationship then move on
...
During a break, he went over to waste ground to have a fly smoke
...
When he lit a match it caused an explosion
...
Ques here was – was this done during the course
of employment? EMPLOYER NOT LIABLE
...
If work was authorised then LIABLE
If authorised work done in an unauthorised manner – LIABLE
If unauthorised work done in an unauthorised manner – NOT LIABLE
Employer’s time, premises, equipment used for the employees own purposes – NOT LIABLE
Century Insurance Co v Northern Ireland
...
His act was negligent – AUTHORISED WORK DONE IN AN UNAUTHORISED MANNER –
LIABLE
...
BB’s meant
to be going back to Glasgow, but managed to get the bus driver to take them a diversion via Dollar
...
Vicarious liability? AUTHORISED WORK
DONE IN AN UNAUTHORISED MANNER
...
Despite this he continued to use a 13 year old, there was an accident and the boy was hurt, he
claimed against his employers re vicariously liable
...
OCCUPIERS LIABILITY
...
At common law of DOC owed it all depends on the persons
entitlement to come onto the property i
...
guest, licensee, tenant – any of these then there is a duty
of care
...
Did the Pursuer owe a duty of care, did he breach the duty of
care, did the breach cause the loss?
Dumbreck v Addie – Action against the owner of a coalmine, a 4 year old was playing and got hurt,
he was a trespasser so no DOC owed
...
S 1 (1) The duty rests upon the occupier
...
In respect of dangers which are due to the state of the premises or to anything done or
omitted to be done by them
...
10 year old boy broke into a Derelict building, Council was in the
process of buying, and the seller was the CO-‐OP
...
Duty of
insuring the property was the council, but the occupier was the CO-‐OP as they still had control
...
Feely v CO-‐OP
...
Local Authority put a compulsory
purchase order on it
...
S3 (1) Where a landlord is responsible for repair and maintenance of leased premises then he (and
not the tenant) is liable as occupier
...
Cairns v Butlins – 80 year old woman having a picnic on grass frequented by campers, she fell into a
hold and sued Butlins, claim successful
...
(vessel vehicle or planes, caravans, oil rigs!)
Clark v Maersk – Oil rig classed as a moveable structure
...
Damp was caused by rising condensation from rising damp in
the building
...
Beggs v Motherwell – Forklift truck driver, injured because premises had railway sleepers and truck
got stuck
...
S1(1) Anything done or omitted to be done by them
...
Unfenced holes
(cairns v Butlins) asbestos
...
Claim
successful as the single pane was a hazard and they omitted to sort this
...
Mr H was thrown out of a nightclub by a bouncer
...
Kirk v Fife Council – Injured in a 5 a side football game
...
The janitor wanted to clear them up but the boys insisted on playing
...
It was a danger due to something that should but had not been done
...
Hill v Lovat – Receptionist of vets surgery
...
Had to go thro a
private garden and was bitten by the vets dog and her leg got infected, which resulted in a below the
knee amputation
...
What is the extent of occupier duty?
Duty to show reasonable care
...
In determining the reasonableness – need to show 1
...
The calculus of risk
...
Fencing was up on 3 sides of the square the 4th side was a wall, the boy claimed that they failed to
show reasonable care, ought to have fenced all four sides
...
Fagen v Highland Council – Woman drinking during the day, stopped at 8pm
...
30pm and stopped and sat on a bench
...
She
sued the council for a breach of Doc – area should have been fenced
...
NUISANCE
The defender is liable for any use of his property which causes insufferable trouble of annoyance
(PLUS QUAM TOLERABLE0) to the Pursuer (his neighbour)
It would usually be a continuing wrong
...
Noise was the construction of the grandstand being erected, metal clanging happened
every year
...
Pigeons roosting under a rail bridge and kept fouling on the pavements,
constantly used to upset people walking under the bridge
...
** If you are sued for noise nuisance, but it has been going on for months then you get a new
neighbour, can’t say you’re choice to move here – that’s not a defence! Test is if conduct is PLUS
QUAM TOLERABLE
Title: Delict
Description: Detailed exam ready notes for the course of delict or tort, including cases with summaries. Written by a third year student at the University of Glasgow who obtained a grade B, using these notes.
Description: Detailed exam ready notes for the course of delict or tort, including cases with summaries. Written by a third year student at the University of Glasgow who obtained a grade B, using these notes.