INTRODUCTION TO LAW LAW1101

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INTRODUCTION TOLAWLAW1101

• Week 6
• Module 6 Torts - Negligence

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Torts

• Negligence
• Assault
• Trespass
• Nuisance
• Passing off

• Defamation
• Detinue
• Conversion
• Deceit

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Torts

• Negligence
• Assault
• Trespass
• Nuisance
• Passing off

• Defamation
• Detinue
• Conversion
• Deceit (later)

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Negligence

• Elements
• 1. Duty of Care
• 2. Breach of Duty
• 3. Causation of injury
• 4. Remoteness -damages caused cannot be too remote

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Duty of Care

• Reasonable foreseeability
• Donoghue v Stevenson 1932 AC 562
• Proximity
• Jaensch v Coffey (1984) 155 CLR 549
• Hill v Van Erp (1997) 71 ALJR 487

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Breach of Duty

• Standard of Care - the reasonable prudent
  person
• INDICATIVE FACTORS
• Probability of Risk
• Bolton v Stone 1951 AC 850
• Gravity of the Harm
• Paris v Stephney Borough Council 1951 AC 367
• Burden of Eliminating the Risk
• Pariss Case
• Caledonian Collieries Ltd v Spiers (1957) 97 CLR
  202
• Utility of the Conduct
• Watt v Hertfordshire County Council 1954
• 1 WLR 835

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Causation

• The but for Test
• Cummings v Sir William Arrol Co Ltd 1962 1
  All ER 623
• Chain of causation broken by intervening cause

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Remoteness of Damage

• Reasonable Foreseeability
• Kind or type of damage
• The Wagon Mound Cases
• No 1 1961 AC 388
• No 2 1967 AC 617

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Some Examples

• Drivers
• Children
• Shops
• Defective structures
• Landlords
• Doctors
• Auditors
• Hotels

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Defences

• Contributory negligence
• Voluntary assumption of risk

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Vicarious Liability

• Definition
• Employers responsible for the tortious acts of
  their employees in the normal course of their
  employment
• Employees v Independent Contractors
• Some Tests

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Summary

• Elements
• 1. Duty of care
• Reasonable foreseeability
• Proximity
• 2. Breach of Duty of Care
• Risk of harm
• Seriousness of harm
• Burden of eliminating the risk
• Utility of the conduct
• 3. Causation
• but for test
• 4. Remoteness
• Reasonable foreseeability of the kind or type of
  damage
• Defences
• Contributory negligence
• Voluntary assumption of the risk
• Vicarious liability