Professional Documents
Culture Documents
GENERALNEGLI
GENCE
GENERAL
Hay
nesvHar
wood[
193511KB145
Fact s:Thepl ai
ntif
fwasapol iceconst ableondut yinsidea
policest ati
on.Int hest reetwher ethest at
ionwaswer eal ar ge
number of peopl ei ncluding children.The def endant l eft
,
unat tendedt o,hi
st wohor seswi thav anattached.Thepl aintif
f
saw t hehor sesr unningawayandcomi ngdownt hest reet
.He
rushedt ostopthem andi nthepr ocesssust ainedinjuries.
Held:Thedef endanthadbeennegl igentinl eavinghi shor se
unat tendedt oand, si
ncet hepoli
cewer eunderagener aldutyt o
protectl i
feandt hedef endantoughtt ohav econt empl atedt hat
someonemi ghtat temptt ost opthehor se,heowedt hepl aintif
f
adut yofcare.
Principle:Negl i
gencei nl aw meanst henegl ectofsomedut y
owedt ot hepersonwhomakest hecl aim.
THECONCEPTOF"
DUTYOFCARE"
Heav
envPender(
1883)11QBD503
Facts:Thedef endantwasadockownerwhopr ov i
dedst agi ng
outsidet hedockf orpur posesofwor ksont heshi p.Heent er ed
i
ntoacont r
actwi t
hashi pownert omakeast agingf oruset owor k
ont heshi p.Theshi powneral socontractedashi ppai ntertopai nt
theousi deoft heshi p.Thepl ainti
ffwasanempl oy eeoft heshi p
painterand,whi l
ehewasont hestagingpainti
ngt heshi p,oneof
theropesbr okeandhef ellandi nj
uredhimself.
Held:Thedef endantwasunderadut ytotakecar et hatther opes
heusedwer efitfortheirpur poseandt husli
ablet ot hepl ai ntif
f
alt
hought herewasnocont ractbetweent hem.
Pri
nci pl
e: Apersonmayoweadut yofcar etoanotheri ndependent
ofacont ractprovidediti sr easonablethatinj
urymayr esultf rom
wantofcar e.
PerBr
ettMRatpp.507and508:
"Ifaper
soncont
ract
s
•
2
withanot hert ouseor dinar ycar eorski lltowar dshi m or
hispr oper tytheobl igat ionneednotbeconsi der edi nt he
l
ightofa dut y ;i ti s an obl i
gat ion ofcont ract.I ti s
undoubt ed,howev er,t hatt her emaybet heobl i
gat ionof
suchadut yf r
om oneper sont oanot heral thought her eis
nocont r actbet weent hem wi thr egar dt osuchdut y .Two
dri
ver smeet i
ng hav eno cont ractwi theachot her ,but
undercer tainci r cumst ancest heyhav ear eci procaldut y
towar dseachot her .Sot woshi psnav i
gat ingt hesea.Soa
rai
lwaycompanywhi chhascont ract edwi thoneper sont o
carryanot herhasnocont ractwi tht heper soncar r
iedbut
hasadut ytowar dst hatper son.Sot heowneroroccupi er
ofahouseorl andwhoper mi tsaper sonorper sonst o
comet ohi shouseorl andhasnocont ractwi thsuch
personorper sons, buthasadut yt owar dshi m ort hem.I t
should be obser ved t hatt he exi stence ofa cont ract
betweent woper sonsdoesnotpr ev entt heexi stenceof
thesuggest eddut ybet weent hem al sobei ngr aisedby
l
awi ndependent lyoft hecont r
act ,byt hef act swi thr egar d
towhi cht hecont racti smadeandt owhi chi tappl iesan
exactlysi mi l
arbutacont ractdut y....Thequest i
onswhi ch
wehav et osol vei nt hiscasear e:whati st hepr oper
defi
ni ti
onoft her elationbet weent woper sonsot hert han
the r elat i
on est abl i
shed by cont ract ,orf raud,whi ch
i
mposesont heoneoft hem adut yt owar dst heot hert o
obser ve,wi thr egar dt ot heper sonorpr oper t
yofsuch
other,suchor dinar ycar eorski llasmaybenecessar yt o
preventi njuryt ohi sper sonorpr oper ty ;andwhet hert he
presentcasef allswi thinsuchdef i
nition.Whent wodr ivers
ortwoshi psar eappr oachi ngeachot her ,suchar el at i
on
ari
sesbet weent hem whent heyar eappr oachi ngeach
otheri nsuchamannert hat, unlesst heyuseor dinar ycar e
andski llt oav oidi t,ther ewi llbedangerofani njur ious
coll
ision bet ween t hem.Thi sr elat ion i sest ablished i n
suchci rcumst ancesbet weent hem, notonl yi fitbepr ov ed
that t heyact ual lyknow andt hinkoft hisdanger ,but
whet hersuchpr oofbemadeornot .Iti sest abl i
shed, asi t
seemst ome, becauseanyoneofor dinarysensewhodi d
thi
nkwoul d atonce recogni
se t hati
fhe did notuse
ordi
narycareand skillundersuchci r
cumstancesthere
would be such danger.And ev eryone ought,byt he
univ
ersal
l
yr ecogni
sedrul
esofr i
ghtandwrong,tothi
nkso
muchwi t
hregardtothesafety
3"
ofot herswhomaybej eopar disedbyhi sconduct ;and
i
f,bei nginsuchci r
cumst ances,hedoesnott hi
nk,and
i
n consequence negl ects,ori fhe negl ect st o use
ordinarycar eorski l
l,andi njuryensue,t hel aw,whi ch
takescogni sanceofandenf orcest her ulesofr ight
andwr ong,wi l
lforcehi mt ogi veani ndemni tyf ort he
i
njury.I nt hecaseofar ailwaycompanycar ryinga
passengerwi th whom i thas notent ered i ntot he
contractofcar riaget hel awi mpl iest hedut y ,because
i
tmustbeobv ioust hatunl essor dinarycar eandski l
l
beusedt heper sonalsaf et yoft hepassengermustbe
endanger ed.Wi thregar dt ot hecondi t
ioni nwhi chan
owneroroccupi erleav eshi shouseorpr oper tyot her
phraseologyhasbeenused,whi chi ti snecessar yt o
consider.I famanopenshi sshoporwar ehouset o
customer si tissai dt hathei nv i
test hem t oent er,and
thatt hi
si nv i
tationr aises t her el ati
onbet weent hem
which i mposes on t he i nv i
tert he dut y of usi ng
reasonablecar esot okeephi shouseorwar ehouse
thatitmaynotendangert heper sonorpr oper tyoft he
personi nvited.Thi si sinasenseanaccur atephr ase,
and as appl ied tot he circumst ances a suf fi
cient l
y
accur at
ephr ase."
"
4
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Der
ryvPeek(
1889)14App.cas.337
Facts:Byst atute,noper soncoul dusest eam powert omov e
carri
agesexceptwi tht heconsentoft heBoar dofTr ade.A
companyofwhi cht hedef endant swer edi r
ector
s,appl iedt o
usest eam powert omov etheircar ri
ages.Pendi ngtheconsent
oftheBoar d,thedef endant si ssuedapr ospectusst ati
ngt hat
thecompanyhadt hepowert ousest eam power .Thepl ai nti
ff
rel
yingont hisacqui redshar esi nthecompany .TheBoar d
subsequent lyrefusedconsentandt hecompanywaswoundup.
Held:Thedef endant sowedt heplainti
ffadut yofcar ebutsi nce
thedef endant smadet hest atementi nt hehonestbel iefthati t
wast r
ue, theywer enotl i
able.
Pri
nciple:I faper sonmakesast atementi ntendingi tt obe
rel
iedonbyot hers,t heper sonowesadut yofcar et ot hose
whom hei ntendt or elyont hest atement .
Princi
ple:Apersonowesadutyofcar
et oal
lthosewhom hecan
reasonablyf
oreseehi
sact
ionsmayinj
ure.
5"
PerLor dAt kinatp.580:" Atpr esentIcont entmy self
wi t
hpoi nt
ingoutt hati nEngl ishl awt heremustbe,and
i
s,somegener alconcept i
onofr elati
onsgi v i
ngr i
set oa
dut yofcar e,ofwhi cht hepar ticularcasesf oundi nt he
booksar ebuti nst ances.Thel i
abilityf ornegl igence,
whet hery oust yl
ei tsuchort r
eati tasi not hersy stems
asaspeci esof' culpa' ,isnodoubtbaseduponagener al
publ i
csent imentofmor alwr ongdoi ng f orwhi ch t he
offendermustpay .Butact soromi ssionswhi chany
mor alcodewoul dcensur ecannoti napr acticalwor l
dbe
treatedsoast ogi v ear ightt oev eryper soni njur edby
them t odemandr eli
ef .Int hi swayr ul
esofl aw ar i
se
whi chl imi
tt her angeofcompl ainant sandt heext entof
theirr emedy .The r ulet haty ou ar et ol ovey our
neighbourbecomesi nl aw,y oumustnoti njurey our
neighbour ;and t he l awy er 's quest ion,Who i s my
neighbour ?r eceivesar estrictedr eply.Youmustt ake
reasonabl ecar et oav oidact soromi ssi onswhi chy ou
canr easonabl yf oreseewoul dbel ikelyt oi njurey our
neighbour .Who,t hen,i nl aw i s mynei ghbour ?The
answerseemst obe' personswhoar esocl oselyand
directlyaf fectedbymyactt hatIoughtr easonabl yt o
hav et hem i ncont empl ationasbei ngsoaf fectedwhenI
am di r ect
ingmymi ndt ot heact soromi ssionswhi ch
arecal ledinquest ion'."
PerLor dThanker t
onatp.602:" Therecanbenodoubt ,
i
nmyopi nion,t
hatequal l
yinthelawofScot l
andandof
Englandi tli
esupont hepar t
yclaimingr edressinsucha
case t o show t hatt here wassome r el
ation ofduty
between herand t he defenderwhi ch r equir
ed the
defendert oexer cisedueandr easonabl ecaref orher
safety.Itisnotatal lnecessarythatther eshouldbeany
dir
ectcont ractbetweent hem,becauset heactionisnot
based upon cont ract,butupon negl igence;buti tis
necessar yf orthepur suerinsuchanact i
ont oshow
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
ther
ewasadutyowedt oherbyt
hedefender,
becausea
mancannotbechar gedwithnegl
i
gencei fhehasno
obli
gat
iont
oexer
cisedil
i
gence
addany
thi
ngt
oit
."
PerLor dMacmi l
l
anatp.619:" What ,t
hen,ar et he
cir
cumst anceswhi chgi v
er i
set othisdut yt ot ake
care?I nthedai lycont actsofsoci alandbusi nessl i
fe
humanbei ngsar et hrowni nto,orpl acet hemsel ves
i
n,ani nfinit
ev arietyofr elati
onswi ththeirf ell
ows;
andt hel aw canr eferonl yt othest andardsoft he
reasonabl emani nor dert odet erminewhet herany
parti
cularr elat
iongi vesr i
set oadut yt otakecar eas
betweent hosewhost andi nt hatr elati
ont oeach
other.Thegr oundsofact ionmaybeasv ari
ousand
manif oldashumaner rancy ;andt heconcept i
onof
l
egalr esponsibili
tymaydev elop in adapt ation to
alt
eringsoci alcondi ti
onsandst andards.The
crit
erionofj udgmentmustadj ustandadapti t
selfto
the changi ng circumst ances ofl i
fe.The cat egories of
negli
gence ar e nev erclosed.The car di
nalpr inci
ple of
l
iabil
it
yi sthatt hepar tycompl ainedofshoul dowet ot he
partycompl ai
ningadut ytotakecar e,andt hatt hepar t
y
compl ai
ningshoul dbeabl et
opr ovethathehassuf f
ered
damagei nconsequenceofabr eachoft hatdut y.Wher e
thereisroom f ordi ver
sityofview, i
tisindeterminingwhat
cir
cumst anceswi llest
abl i
shsucha r el
ati
onshi pbetween
thepar t
iesast ogi verise,ontheonesi de,toadut yt
ot ake
care,andont heot hersidetoar i
ghtt ohavecar etaken."
caretoavoidinj
uri
ngthem.Heowest hem adutynot
toconvertbyhisowncar elessnessanar t
icl
ewhich
heissuestothem aswholesomeandi nnocenti
ntoan
art
icl
ewhichisdangeroustolif
eandhealth.
"
l
ikel
ytoaf
fectt
hepl
aint
if
fori
fther
eisar
easonabl
efor
eseeabi
l
ityof
damagetotheot
her
.
Atp.1030:"Thesecasesshowt hat
,wherehumanact i
on
formsoneoft heli
nksbetweent heori
ginalwr
ongdoing
ofthedefendantandt helosssuffer
edbyt heplai
ntif
f,
thatact
ionmustatleasthavebeensomet hi
ngveryl
ikel
y
tohappeni fitisnott ober egar
dedasnov usactus
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
i
nterv eniensbr eakingt hechai nofcausat i
on.Idonot
thi
nkt hatamer ef oreseeabl epossi bi
li
tyi sorshoul dbe
sufficient,fort hen t hei nterveni
ng human act i
on can
mor epr operlyber egar dedasanew causet hanasa
consequence oft he or iginalwr ongdoi ng.Buti ft he
i
nterv eningact ionwasl ikelyt ohappenIdonott hi
nkt hat
i
tcan mat terwhet hert hatact ion was i nnocentor
tort
iousorcr imi nal.Unf or t
unately,tort
iousorcr iminal
acti
onbyat hirdpar tyi sof tent he'veryki ndoft hing'
whichi slikelyt ohappenasar esultoft hewr ongfulor
carelessactoft hedef endant .Andi nthepr esentcase,
ont hef actswhi chwemustassumeatt hi sstage,Ithink
thatt het akingofaboatbyt heescapi ngt rai
neesand
thei
runski lf
ulnav i
gat ionl eadingt odamaget oanot her
vesselwer et hev eryki ndoft hingt hatt heseBor st al
offi
cer soughtt ohav eseent obel i
kely.
"
PerLor dMor ri
sofBor t
h-y
-Gestatp.1034:"Ont hese
factsanor malorev enmodestmeasur eofprescience
andpr evi
sionmusthav eledanyor di
naryperson,but
ratherspecial
l
yanof f
iceri
ncharge,toreal
i
set hatthe
boy smightwishtoescapeand
bel i
kelyt
oinjuretheowner sofy acht
s.Theywer e
personssoclosel
yanddirectl
yaf f
ectedbywhatt he
off
icersdi
dorfail
edtodot hattheyoughtreasonabl
y
tohavebeeni
nt hecont
empl at
ionoftheoff
icers.
"
"Inanswer i
ngthequesti
onwhi chIhav eposed,hel
p
willsomet i
mesbeder i
vedbyconsi deri
ngthewayin
whi chclai
msar i
singinpar t
icul
arcaseshav ebeen
deal twith by t
he court
s.Par ti
culardecisi
ons i
n
relati
on to clai
ms ar i
sing f r
om set s of fact
s
compar abletot hose being investi
gated may,if
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Smi thvLit
tl
ewoods[19871AC241
Facts:Somechi l
drensetfi
redel
iberatelyi
nt hecinemaoft he
defendantswhich wasnoti n use.Thef i
reescalated and
burnedt headjoi
ningpremisesoft heplainti
ffs.Therewas
evidence that the chi
ldr
en and t eenagers had usual l
y
overcome the securi
tyatthe cinema and t here had been
previousatt
emptst osetfi
rethere.Howev er,thedefendants
di
dnotknowofsuch
previ
ousacts.
Held:Sincethecinemai
tselfdidnotposeanyfi
ret
hreatand
thedefendantshadbeenignorantoft
heprevi
ousat
temptsto
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
setfir
et her
e,theywer enotunderanydut yt oanti
cipatethe
fi
reandt husnotli
able.
Pri
nciple:Anoccupieroflandmayoweadut ytooccupiersof
adjoi
ningpremisesinr espectofactsoftrespassonhi sland
whichcausedamaget ot headjoi
ningpr
emi sesifsuchact s
arereasonablyfor
eseeableintheci
rcumstances.
"
Thesecondquest ioni swhet hert hatgener alduty
encompassedaspeci fi
cdut yt oexer ciser easonablecare
topr ev enty oungper sons'obt ainingunl awf ulaccesst o
theci nema,and,hav i
ngdoneso,unl awfullysetti
ngi ton
fi
re.The answert ot hatquest ion,i n accordance wi t
h
gener alpr inciples governing alike the l aw ofdel i
ctin
Scot l
and and t he law ofnegl i
gence i n Engl and,must
dependonwhet hertheoccur renceofsuchbehav i
ourwas
reasonabl yf oreseeable byLi t
tlewoods.I tshoul d have
beenr easonabl yforeseeablebyLi tt
lewoodsi ftheyhad
known oft heact ivi
ti
esofy oung per sonsobser ved by
certaini ndivi
dual sinthel ocali
ty.Butt heydi dnotknowof
suchact i
vi
tiesbecauset hei ndividualsconcer neddi dnot
i
nf orm ei t
herLi ttl
ewoodsort hepol iceoft hem, nordidthe
police t hemsel v es obser v
et hem.I nt he absence of
i
nf ormat ion about such act i
viti
es, ei ther from t he
i
ndi vi
dual sr eferredtoorf r
om t hepol ice,Iam ofopi ni
on
thatt heoccur renceoft hebehav iouri nquest i
onwasnot
reasonabl y f oreseeable by Li ttl
ewoods. I concl ude,
therefore? t hat the gener aldut y of car e owed by
Lit
t l
ewoods t ot he appel l
ants di d notencompass t he
specif i
c duty r
eferr
ed
t
oabov
e."
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
t nGh
si ana
"l
ie
reasonablytohaveantici
pat
edthattheywoul dbeseton
fi
reandt husorot her
wisecreateasubst anti
alr
iskof
damaget onei ghbouri
ngpropert
iesiftheydidnottake
precauti
ons,theclai
msmustf ai
l.
"
CBSSongsLt dvAmst r
andConsumerEl ect
ronicsPl
c[19881AC
1013Facts:Thepl ai
nti
ff
s,copy
rightowner sint hemusictrade,
suedthedefendantsi
n,amongother s,negli
genceonthegrounds
thatt
hedefendantsbymanufact
ur i
ng, adver
ti
singandoff
eri
ngf or
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
t nGh
si ana
salehi -
fisystemswi thfacil
i
tiesf orrecordingathighspeedf r
om
pre-recorded cassettes ont
o bl ank t apes,had author i
sed and
i
ncitedmember soft hepublictoinfringetheircopyri
ghtsandwer e
i
nbr eachofadut yofcareowedt ot hem.
Held: Ont hequestionofdutyofcar e, i
twashel dthat,
althoughthe
defendant sowedadut yofcar enott oi nf
ri
ngeoraut hor i
sethe
i
nfringementoft heplaint
if
f'scopy ri
ght,theyowed no dut yto
prevent,discourageorwar nagainstsuchi nf
ri
ngement .
The
Capar
ovDi
ckman[
1990]2AC605
Fact s:Thepl aintiff
shadj ustbegunbuy i
ngshar esi nal imited
l
iabi l
itycompanywhent heannualaccount soft hecompanywer e
publ i
shedi ncompl iancewi tht heCompani esAct .Rel yingont he
account sthepl ainti
f f
spur chasedmor eshar esi nor dert ot ake
overt hecompany .Theaccount scont ainedi naccur aciesandt he
plaintiff'sinv estmentf ail
ed.They sued t he di rectors oft he
companyf orcer tif
yingt heaccount sal legingt hatt heyoweda
dut yofcar et obot hshar eholder sandpr ospect i
vei nv estorsin
publ i
shi ngt heaccount soft hecompany .
Hel d:Si nce the pur pose oft he statutoryr equi r
ementwast o
enabl et heshar ehol dersexer ciset heircl assr ightsi nagener al
meet ings,thedef endant swer enotl iablet othepl aint i
ff
sast hey
wer enotwi thint heircont empl ati
onatt het imeofpr epar i
ngt he
account s.
Princi ple: Liabi li
ty f or economi c l oss due t o negl i
gent
mi sstat ementi sconf i
nedt ocaseswher ethest atementoradv i
ce
hasbeengi v
ent oaknownr ecipientf oraspeci f i
cpur poseof
whi cht hemakerhasbeenawar eanduponwhi cht her ecipi
ent
hasr eliedandact edt ohi sdet riment.Tohol dt hataper sonowes
adut yofcar et oanot her ,i
naddi t
iont othet estsoff oreseeabi l
ity
andpr oximity,i
tmustbef air
,justandr easonabl etoi mposesuch
dut yundert heci rcumst ances.
negli
gence,Ithi
nkt helawhasnowmov edinthedirecti
on
ofat t
achinggreatersi gnifi
cancet othemor etradit
ional
categori
sati
onofdi st
inctandr ecogni
sablesi
tuati
onsas
gui
dest ot heexistence,t hescopeandt heli
mitsoft he
var
ieddutiesofcarewhi chthelawi mposes.
"
Andatpp.620and621:" Thesal i
entf eat ureofal lt hese
casesi st hatt hedef endantgi vingadv i
ceori nf ormat ion
wasf ullyawar eoft henat ur eoft het ransact ionwhi cht he
plaintiffhad i ncont empl at i
on,knew t hatt headv i
ceor
i
nf ormat ionwoul d becommuni cat ed t o hi m di rectlyor
i
ndi rectlyandknewt hatitwasv er yl ikelyt hatt hepl ai ntif
f
woul dr ely on t hatadv i
ce ori nf or mat ion i n deci di ng
whet her or not t o engage i n t he t ransact i
on i n
cont empl ation.I nt hese ci rcumst ances t he def endant
coul dcl earlybeexpect ed,subj ectal way st ot heef fectof
anydi sclaimerofr esponsi bil
it
y ,speci ficallyt oant icipat e
thatt hepl ainti
ffwoul dr elyont headv iceori nf ormat ion
givenbyt hedef endantf ort hev erypur posef orwhi chhe
didi nt heev entr elyoni t.Soal sot hepl aintiff,subj ect
agai nt ot he ef fectofany di scl aimer ,woul di nt hat
situationr easonabl ysupposet hathewasent i
tledt or ely
ont headv iceori nfor mat ioncommuni cat edt ohi mf ort he
verypur posef orwhi chher equi red i t.Thesi t uationi s
ent i
relydi fferentwher east atementi sputi ntomor eor
l
essgener alci rculat ionandmayf or eseeabl yber el
iedon
byst r
anger st ot hemakeroft hest atementf oranyoneof
av ari
et yofdi fferentpur poseswhi cht hemakeroft he
statementhasnospeci fi
cr easont oant icipate.Tohol dt he
makeroft hest atementt obeunderadut yofcar ei n
respectoft heaccur acyoft hest atementt oal landsundr y
foranypur posef orwhi cht heymaychooset or elyoni tis
notonl yt osubj ecthi m,i nt hecl assi cwor dsofCar dozo
C.J.t o' l
iabili
tyi n an i ndeter mi nat e amount f or an
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
t nGh
si ana
i
ndet er
mi nate t i
me t o an i ndeterminate class:'see
Ultr
amar esCor porati
onvTouche( 1931)174N. E.441,444;
i
ti s also t o conferon t he wor l
d atl ar
ge a qui t
e
unwar r
ant ed entit
lementt o appropriatef ortheirown
purposes t he benef i
t of the exper t knowledge or
professi
onalexper ti
se att
ri
buted t ot he makeroft he
statement .Hence,l ooki
ngonlyatt heci r
cumst ancesof
thesedeci dedcaseswher eadut yofcar e
17EE
i
nr espectofnegl i
gentst atement shasbeenhel dtoexi st,
Ishoul d expect t of ind t hat t he ' l
imit or cont rol
mechani sm i mposedupont hel iabi
lit
yofawr ongdoer
towar dst hosewhohav esuf feredeconomi cdamagei n
consequenceofhi snegl i
gence'r estedi nthenecessi t
y
topr ove,int hiscat egoryoft het ortofnegl i
gence,asan
essent i
ali ngr edient of t he 'pr oximity'bet ween t he
plainti
ffandt hedef endant ,thatt hedef endantknewt hat
hisst atementwoul dbecommuni catedt othepl ai
nt i
ff,
eitherasani ndi vi
dualorasamemberofani dentif
iable
class,speci ficall
yi n connect i
on wi th a par ti
cular
transactionort ransactionsofapar ti
cularkind( e.g.ina
prospect us inv i
ting investment )and t hatt he plaintif
f
woul d bev eryl ikelytor elyoni tfort hepur poseof
deci di
ngwhet herornott oent erupont hattr
ansact ionor
uponat ransact ionoft hatki nd."
(
i) i
ncasesi nvolvi
ngi njurytospect atorscausedby
compet it
orsactingi ntheordinarycour seofplay,
thet esttobeappl i
edi ndet
ermi ningt heissueof
negligencei s'whetherornott hecompet it
ori n
quest i
onhascommi t
tedanerr orofj udgmentt hat
ar easonablecompet i
torbei
ngar easonableman
oft he spor t
ing wor ld woul
d nothav e made';
(Sharpe,para.10);
(
ii
) i
ndet
ermi
ningt
hatquest
ion,
thecour
tshoul
d
haveregar
dtothewholerel
evantsur
roundi
ng
fact
s and ci r
cumstances; (Wil
ks, per
Phil
l
imoreL],
atp.676;
Phee,para.
24)
;
(
ii
i) i
ndeci dingwhet herthecompet itorhascommi tted
aner r
orofj udgmentt hatar easonabl ecompet i
tor
woul dnothav emade,i ti srelevantt ohav eregar d
totheper ilswhi chmi ghtr easonabl ybeexpect ed
to occurand t he ext entt o whi ch the or dinary
spect atormi ghtbe expect ed to appr eciat
e and
taket her iskofsuchper il
s,( Hall,perScr ut
tonLJ
quot edi nWoodl ni dgebyDi plockLJatp. 67);int he
caseofagol fcompet i
tion:'
Spect at orswhopayf or
admi ssiont o golfcour sest o wi tnessi mpor tant
mat ches,t hought heykeepbey ondt heboundar ies
requiredbyt hest ewards, r
unt her iskoft hepl ayers
sli
cingorpul li
ngbal lswhi chmayhi tthem wi th
consi derablev elocit
y and damage' ,( Hall
,per
Scrut t
onLJatp. 209) .
'
l
he OJ m
manoft hespor t
ingworl
dwouldexpectballspott
ers
toappr eciatethattheywereatri
skofbei nghitbya
strayball
, part
icul
arl
ysowhenitwastheirtasktospot
stray balls,and t hat t
hose who performed that
functi
ont ookthatr i
sk.
[211]"Asacor oll
aryoft hatv i
ew, i
nmyj udgment , such
acompet it
orwoul dexpectt hatof f
icialssuchast he
pursuer,locat edwher ehewas,woul dmakehi msel f
awar eofpl ayont hesi xthhole.I nmaki ngt hatf i
ndi ng,
Ihav einmi ndMrThomas' sv iew t hat,becauset he
game ofgol fi s nota super vised spor t
,and gol f
coursesar enotsuper vised,bot ht hosepl ayingand
thosespect ating(orof fi
ciati
ng)needt obeobser vant,
awar eoft heposi tionofot her sont hecour seand
awar eoft hei rownsi t
uat i
on.Iam al somi ndfulofMr
Dernie'
sev idencet hat ,ifhewasr efereeingwhena
shotwas bei ng play ed,he woul d expectt hatt he
playerswoul dbewat chingoutf orhim, andt heywoul d
expectthathewoul dbewat chingoutf orthem.Dur i
ng
the cour se of Mr Der nie'
s cr oss- exami nation, I
gatheredthatMrCl ancywasi ntendingt osuggestt hat
MrDer niewaspar t
icularlyhighlyqual if
iedasar eferee
andt hathisv iewsmaynotr epr esentwhatt her eferee
ofor di
narycompet encewoul ddoandexpect .Inmy
view,howev er ,itisamat t
erofcommonsenset hat
bothspect at orsandof f i
cial
sshoul dbeexpect edt obe
awar eofthest at
eofpl ay,forthei rownpr otection."
andback,wi thnot i
mel efttopr epar eforandt akehi s
shot.Inanyev ent,asMrHomeraccept edi ncr oss-
exami nation,ev eni ft hedef enderhadwal kedf orwar d
tocheckt hear ea,andev enifitwer eclearwhenhedi d
so,ther i
skt hatsomebodymi ghtmov eint othear ea
asthedef enderwal kedbackt ohi sbal lwoul dremai n.
For t hat r eason, Mr Homer agr eed t hat goi ng
backwar ds and f or wards t ot he bal l' has t o end
somet ime' .Iacceptt heev i
denceofMrThomaswhi ch
Ihav er ecor dedi npar asl10and121oft hisopi nion
that,hav i
ngseent hecar t,thedef enderdi dt her ight
thi
ng.Wal kingf orwar dwoul dhav ei nt
erruptedthef l
ow
ofthegame,andputt hedef enderi nbr eachoft he
rul
esoft he t our nament .The f low oft he game i s
i
mpor tantenoughi nat ournamentl i
ket hi
sf ort he
organiserst o moni tort hepaceofpl ayand,i fany
groupf ellbehi nd, theywoul dbet oldtospeedup. "
Robi
nsonvChi
efConst
abl
eofWestYor
kshi
rePol
i
ce[
20141
EWCACiv15
Fact s:Inanattemptt oar restadr ugdealerwhowassel l
i
ng
drugsont hestreet
,thepol i
cemenandt hedr ugdealerwho
struggledwit
ht hem knockedi ntothepl ai
ntif
fwhowaswal ki
ng
pastandshewasi nj
ured.Shesuedt hepoli
ceinnegligence.
Hel d:Itwoul
dnotbef ai
r,justandr easonablet oimposeadut y
onpol i
ceoff
icersdoingt heirbestt ogetadr ugdealeroffthe
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
st
reetsafel
yandthustheplaint
if
f'
sactionmustfai
l
.
Pr
inci
ple:A dut y ofcar e would be imposed i
funderthe
ci
rcumstances,
iti
sf ai
r,j
ustandreasonabl
etoimposeadut
y.
PerLadyJust i
ceHal lett
,VP atpar s.40— 42:40.
"Second,t heCapar otestappl i
est oal lcl aimsi nt he
moder nlawofnegl i
gence.Thet hirdst ageoft het est
mayhav ebeent ri
ggeredbyt hedesi ret oconst rainthe
dev elopmentoft helaw ofnegl i
gencei nr el
at i
ont o
claimswhi chdonoti nv olvedi rectphy sicaldamage,
buti thasbecomepar toft hegener allaw.I nthev ast
maj orit
yofcl ai
mst heanswert ot hequest ionposedat
thet hir
dst ageoft het est—whet heri tisf airjustand
reasonabl et oi mposeadut y— maybeobv i
ousbuti t
stil
lappl i
es.Icanseenoj ustif
icationi nt hecasel aw
ort het extbooksf orrest r
icti
ngi tsappl icat i
ont ot he
mor e di ff
icul tareas.I n any ev ent ,Mi ss Wi ddett
accept st he f i
rsttwo st ages oft he Capar ot est;
foreseeabi lit
yandpr oximi tyappl yt oal lcl aimsand
theywi l
linev it
ablyinvolvesomeexami nat ionofwhat
mi ghtbe cal l
ed public pol i
cy .The cour twi llonly
i
mposeadut ywher ei tconsi dersi trightt odosoon
thef acts.
r
easonabl
etoimposeadut yareaddr
essedint urn,
what
everthenatureofthehar
m.Anexampl eoft hi
s
whi
chwasnotr eli
eduponbycounsel
,ist
hedecision
i
nSmi t
handOthersvTheMi ni
str
yOfDefence[2013]
3WLR
Atpar
s.46and47:[46]"
Thatbr
ingsmetomyt
hir
dconcl
usi
on.
Thegener
alpr
inci
plei
sthatmostclai
ms
23u•
47." This' i
mmuni t
y '(Iuset heter m asshor thand)
woul dbeofl i
ttl
eOfnopr acti
calbenef i
ti fi twas
restri
cted i nt he way Mi ss Wi ddet t suggest ed.
Ar r
esti
ng cr iminalsv ery commonl y car ries some
form ofr isk.Yet,ther eisanobv iouspubl icint erest
i
nnoti mposi ngadut ywhichmi ghtdet ert hepol ice
from remov i
ngadr ugsdeal erf r
om t hest reets.Mi ss
Wi ddettposedt her hetori
calquest ion:whatwoul d
the publ i
ct hink ift he police,int he pr ocess of
arresti
ngcr i
minals,coul dinjureinnocentmember s
oft hepubl i
cwi thimpuni t
y?Theansweri s:pr ov i
ded
thepol i
ceactwi thinr eason,t hepubl icwoul dpr efer
toseet hem doingt heirjobandt akingdr ugdeal ers
offt he st r
eet.Itwi llbe ofl i
tt
le comf or tt o Mr s
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Robi
nson,butt
he ri
sk t
o passer
s-by l
ike heri
s
tr
umpedbyther
iskt
osoci
etyasawhole."
Andatpar .51:"
Thus,Iam sat isfiedthethree-
stage
Capar otestdoesapplytot hepr esentacti
on.Ifso,i
t
i
sapar adigm exampleofwhyt hecour t
sareloathe
toimposeadut ytowardsi ndi
vidualmember softhe
publicont hepoli
ceengagedi nt hei
rcorefuncti
ons.
I
twoul dnotbef air,j
ustandr easonabl etoimposea
dutyonpol iceoffi
cersdoingthei rbesttogetadr ug
dealeroffthestr
eetsafely
."
Morcom vPer
sonalRepr
esent
ati
vesoftheEst
ateof
Bi
ddick(
deceased)[
20141EWCACi v182
Facts:Thedef endant,thepl ai
ntif
f'
snei ghbour,volunt
eeredto
holdapol etosuppor talofthatchonwhi chtheplainti
ffwasto
standtocar ryoutsomewor k.Thedef endantlefttoanswera
phonecal landtheplainti
fffell
.
Held:Sinceitwasf oreseeablethatthedef endant'
sfailur
eto
performt hetaskhehadassumedwoul dcausei njur
iestothe
pl
ai nt
if
f,hewasl iabl
e.
Princi
ple:Aper sonwhov oluntari
lyacceptsadut yassumest he
dutytoper f
or mthetaskcar efull
y.
i
njury.Therecanbenodoubt ,insuchci r
cumst ances,
thati
twoul dnormal lybef ai
randr easonabletof i
nd
thatadut yofcar ear ose.Howev er,MrBur nsadds
i
ntot heequationt hatMrMor com expresslydenied
thathewasr el
ying upon MrBi ddicktot akeany
weightort hather egardedMrBi ddi
ck'spositionas
being 'saf
ety cr
it
ical'
.MrBur ns submi tsthatt he
absenceofsuchr elianceiscrit
icali
nnegatingadut y
ofcarei nt
hiscase."
Morcom.Hi sunder t
akingwast okeept hehat chdoor
l
atched.Itseemst omet hatitwasent i
relyf oreseeabl e
that
,shouldhef ailtodoso,t hehatchdoormi ghtf al
l
open,whetherthr
oughv i
brationorpressur e.Ther ei sno
needt oimportanyel ementof' r
easonabl er el
iance'i n
suchacase,asmi ghtber equiredinacaseofeconomi c
l
oss,inordertoleadt ot heexi st
enceofadut yofcar e.
OnceMrBi ddicktookuponhi msel
fthet askofensur i
ng
thatthelat
chr emainedcl osedi tseemst omet hathe
assumedadut ytoper f
ormt hattaskcarefull
y ,eveni fMr
Morcom didnotseeMrBi ddick'sr
oleasanel ementi nhis
ownsafety.
"
Woodl
andvEssexCount
yCounci
l[201411Al
lER482
Facts:The pl ai
ntiff
,a mi norpupi lata schoolr un by the
defendantsufferedseri
ousbr ai
ni nj
uryduri
ngswi mmi nglessons
i
nnor malschoolhour sowi ngtothenegl i
genceoft heswimmi ng
teacherand t he lif
eguard,both ofwhom wer ei ndependent
contract
ors.Thepl ai
nti
ffsuedallegi
ngt hatthedefendantsowed
him anon-delegabledutyofcare.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Held:Si
ncet heswi mmi ngl
essonhadbeenani ntegralpartofthe
school'
steachingf unct
ionsandtheplainti
ffwasent rust
edt othe
schoolforthepur posesoft eachi
ng,thedef endantowedhi ma
non-del
egabledut yofcareandwast husl i
abl
ef orthenegligence
oftheswimmi ngt eacherandtheli
feguard.
Pri
ncipl
e: Assi gning a non- del
egable dut y is act i
onable
negli
gence.
•
26
the schoolassumed an obligati
on to per
form and
del
egatedt oit
scontract
ors.I
tmustf oll
ow thati
fthe
l
atterwerenegli
gentinperf
ormingthosefuncti
onsand
the chil
d was inj
ured as a resul
t,the educat
ional
authori
tyisi
nbreachofduty.
"
l
ov eaf fair
,shesuf feredser i
ousi njur
yt oherment alheal thas
wel las cer t
ainf i
nanciallosses.She sued t he defendants
vicariouslyinnegligenceal l
egingt hatthemanagerowedhera
dutyofcar enott o haveanaf fairwi t
hherbecauseoft he
posi t
ionhewasi nashersoci alworkerbutthathehadbr eached
thatdut y by del i
beratel
yi ntending to cause di str
ess and
psy chologicalharm bydecidingtohav eanaf f
airwithher .
Hel d:Undert heci r
cumst ances,i twoul d notbef air,justand
reasonabl etoi mposeacommonl awdut yofcar eont hemanager .
Pr i
nciple:Thecommonl awdut yofcar ewill
notbei mposedona
defendantwher eundert hecircumst ancesoft hepar ti
cularcase
i
ti snotf air
,justandreasonabl etoimposesuchadut y.
PerLordPent l
andatpp.740and741,par s.45— 47:
[
45]"Asr egardstheav ermentsofnegl i
genceont he
par
tofMrBennet t
,insummar ythepursueraversthat
hehadadut ynott oent erintoasexualr el
ati
onship
wit
hherbecauseoft heposi ti
onoftrustheoccupi ed
and i
nv iew ofhi s state ofknowl edge aboutt he
pur
suer'
spsy chol
ogical
v ulner
abil
i
ty.
[46]" I
nt hepar ti
cul arcircumstancesoft hepr esent
caseassetoutbyt hepursuerinherpl eadings.Idonot
considerthatitwoul dbefair,j
ustorr easonablef orthe
commonl aw toimposeonMrBennet tadut yoft he
scopeav er r
ed.Itisi mportanttoscr utini
set hef act
ual
basisoft hepur suer '
scasecl osel
y,par ti
cularl
yinv i
ew
oft he nov elt
y oft he duty ofcar ef orwhi ch she
contends.Essent ially,asitseemst ome,t hepur suer
enteredintoaconsensualsexualr el
at i
onshipwi thMr
Bennet tatat imewhent hel aw consider edhert obe
full
ycapabl eofdoi ngso.Shewasanadul twithfull
27.
ment alcapacity
.She wasnotsuf f
eri
ng fr
om any
recognised f
orm ofment aldi
sorderorhandicap;
according to her aver
ment s her mentalhealth
diff
icul
tieswereinthedi
stantpast
.Sheacceptsthat
shehadexper iencednosymptomsi nthi
sregardfor
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
•
28
pur
suer
.
[47] " I
n my opi nion,t he consensual adul t sexual
rel
ationshi pwhi chdev el
opedbet weent hepur suerand
MrBennet ti sf arr emov edf rom t het ypeofsexual l
y
abusiv er elationshi pwher et hecommonl aw hasbeen
prepar edt ohol dt hatt herei sadut ynott oengagei nt he
rel
ationshi p— cases i nvol vi
ng t he sexualabuse of
chil
drenorofper sonssuf feri
ngf rom ment alhandi cap
areobv iousexampl es.Itwasnodoubtmi sjudgedand
professi onallywr ongf orMrBennet ttohav eanaf fai
r
witht hepur suer ,butt hati sal ongwayf rom say i
ngt hat
i
twasact ionabl ynegl i
gentf orhi mt odoso.Whati fthe
rel
ationshi phadt urnedoutt obeast abl e,happyand
endur i
ng one? Woul d Mr Bennet t stil
lhav e been
consider ednegl igentasamat terofl awf orencour aging
orper suadi ngt hepur suert oent erintoi t?Thel ogicof
thepur suer'sar gumentwoul dt endt oindi catet hathe
woul d be.Iv ent uret o suggestt hatt hi
swoul d bea
surprisingst ateofaf fai
rs.Whenonet hinksaboutt he
pursuer '
scasei nt hisway ,itseemst o met hatt he
damagesheal legedl ysufferedandt helosseswhi chshe
seekst or ecov err eal l
yflow f r
om t hebr eakdownoft he
rel
ationshi pr at hert hanbei ngt her esultofMrBennet t'
s
decisiont oent eri ntoi torhi sallegedef f
or tst opersuade
thepur suert odoso. "
PerArdenLJatpars.55— 57:[
551"Onthatbasi
s,t
he
quest
ionoftheexi
stenceofadutyofcarefal
lstobe
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
determinedbyr ef
erencetothet hree-par
ttestl
aiddown
i
nCapar oIndustri
espl cvDi ckman[ 1990]2AC 605,
[
1990]1Al lER568,[ 1990]BCLC273.Nodi ff
icul
tyfor
presentpurposesarisesonthefirsttwopartsofthetest
,
namel y
whetherther
ewasar elati
onshipwhichwassuf fi
cientl
y
proxi
mate between MLA and OPO and whet hert he
damage was f oreseeable. The crit
ical questi
on i s
whetheri
twouldbef ai
r,justandreasonabl
et oimposea
dutyofcareonaparenttowar dshi
schild.
56] "
[ The l
astt
wo sent
encesf
rom t
he j
udgmentof
Phil
li
psMRi nHar r
isvPerry,onwhichMrNi ckli
npl aces
parti
cul
arrel
iance,inmyj udgmentdonotassi st:iti s
i
mpossibletor eadthem asl ay
ingdownsomegener al
proposi
ti
onthatapar entowesadut yofcarewhenev er
hecausesachi l
dtobeexposedt oanunacceptablerisk.
Mi
tchel
lvGal
sgowCi
tyCounci
l[20091AC874
Fact
s:Thedeceasedwasat enantofthedef
endanttoget
herwit
h
anei
ghbour
.Theneighbouronseveral
occasi
onsthreat
enedtoki
ll
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
SmithvLi
tt
lewoodsOr
gani
sat
ionLt
d,atpp272-
279,
perLor
dGoff.
att
ent
ivetheyweretothei
rordi
nar
yduti
esaslandl
ords
themoreoneroust
hedutytowarnwoul
dbecome.
House f ol
lowed in Br ooks v ComrofPol ice ofthe
Met ropol is[2005]1 WLR 1495 and agai ni n Smithv
ChiefConst ab1eofSussexPol ice:seeVanCol l
evChi ef
Const abl eoft heHertfordshir
ePol ice[2009]1AC225.I
woul dt aket hesameappr oachtot hiscase.Thesi t
uati
on
woul dhav ebeendi fferentiftherehadbeenabasi sfor
sayingt hatt hedefendershadassumedar esponsibi
l
ity
toadv iset hedeceasedoft hestepst hattheywer etaki
ng,
ori
nsomeot herwayhadi nducedt hedeceased
33"
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
tor el
yont hem t odoso.I twoul dt henhav ebeen
possibletosaynotonl ythatther ewasar el
ationship
ofpr oximitybutt hatadut yt owar nwaswi thi
nt he
scopeoft hatr el
ationship.Buti tisnotsuggest edi n
thi
scaset hatt hi
sev erhappened,andMrMcEachr an
verypr oper l
yaccept edt hathecoul dnotpr esenthi s
argumentont hisbasi s.Iwoul dconcl udet herefore
thatitwoul dnotbef air,j
ustorr easonabl etohol dthat
thedef ender swer eunderadut ytowar nt hedeceased
oft he st eps t hatt hey wer et aking,and t hatt he
common l aw case t hati s made agai nstt hem i s
i
rrel
ev ant.Iwoul dal sohol d,asagener alrule,thata
dutyt owar nanot herper sont hathei satr i
skofl oss,
i
njuryordamageast her esul
toft hecr iminalactofa
thi
rdpar tywi llari
seonl ywheret heper sonwhoi ssaid
tobeundert hatdut yhasbyhi swor dsOfconduct
assumedr esponsi bil
ityf orthesaf etyoft heper son
whoi satr isk."
SPECI
FICDUTYSI
TUATI
ONS
TheRescuePri
nci
ple
BakervT.
E.Hopki
ns[195913Al
lER225
Facts:Thedef endantcompanywasengagedi nempt yi
ngawel l
,
usingapump.Theengi neoft hepumpcr eatedfumesi nt hewel l
andt wowor kmenoft hecompanyent eredtocheckt hepr obl
em
butwer eov ercomebyt hef umes.Adoct orwhowascal ledto
thescenedescendeddownt hewel lt
or escuethem al t
houghhe
waswar nednott ogo.Hewasal soovercomebyt hef umesand
diedshor tl
yafterhehadbeenbr oughtup.Thecour tfoundt hat
thedef endanthadbeennegl igentinallowingt hewor kment o
entert hewel lsincenocl earwar ni
ngswer egiventhem andt he
met hodempl oy edwasnott hebest .
Held:Si nceitwast henat uralconsequenceoft henegl igence
createdbyt hedef endantthatt hedoctorwoul dattemptt osav e
otherv ictims,thedefendantowedadut ytothedoct or.
Principle:Adef endantowesadut yofcar etoaper sonwhot r
ies
tor escueanot herindangeri fthedangerwascr eatedbyt he
negligence oft he defendantand i twas f or
eseeabl et hat
someonewoul dgot otherescue.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
PerMor ri
s LJ atpp.222 and 223:" Itis submitted,
howev er,t
hatt heact ionofDrBakeri ndescendingt he
wellwasanov usact usi nterveniens,and itisf urt
her
submi tted that t he def endant company coul d not
reasonabl y hav ef oreseen t he possi bi
li
ty of such a
disasterast hatwhi choccur r
ed.I nmyj udgmentt hese
submi ssionsar ewhol lyunsust ainableonceitisheldthat
thecompanywer enegl i
genti ncr eat
ingasi tuati
onof
greatdangerandf urtherinf ail
ingt owar nthei
rservants
ofitori nfail
i
ngt oensuret hattheirservantswouldnotbe
exposedt oit.Therei shappi l
yi nal lmenofgoodwi llan
urget osav ethosewhoar einper il
.Thosewhoputmeni n
perilcanhar dl ybehear dt osayt hattheynev erthought
thatr escuemi ghtbeat tempt edorbehear dtosayt hat
ther escueatt emptwasnotcausedbyt hecreati
onoft he
peril
I
f,howev er,A bynegl igencepl acesB i nper i
lin
suchci rcumst ancest hati ti saf oreseeabl er esul
t
thatsomeonewi l
ltryt or escueBandi fCdoesso
try—ought C i n any appr opr iate sense t o be
descr i
bed as a ' volunt eer '
?I n my j udgmentt he
answeri sNo.Iconf esst hati tseemst omet obe
i
ndeedungr aciousofAev ent osuggesti t.Cwoul d
nothav eagr eedt or unt her i
skt hatA mi ghtbe
negligent,f
orCwoul donl ypl ayhi spar taf t
erAhad
been negl igent.C' si nt ervention comes at t he
momentwhent her eissomesi tuationofper i
land
thecauseofort her esponsi bil
ityf orthecr eat i
onof
theper i
lmaybequi t
eunknownt oC.I fC,act uated
byani mpulsivedesi retosav elife,act sbr av elyand
prompt lyandsubj ugat esanyt i
mor ousov er-concer n
forhisownwel l
-bei
ngorcomf ort,Icannott hinkt hat
i
twoul dbeei therr ati
onalorseeml yt osayt hathe
freelyandv oluntari
lyagr eedt oi ncurt her isksoft he
situati
onwhi chhadbeencr eatedbyA' snegl i
gence.
"WhenDrBakerarr
ivedatthewell
,hepr
oceededt o
actasthepr
ompti
ngsofhumani t
ydir
ect
ed.Het r
ied
to sav
el if
e.He t ried t
o savethe defendant
company'
sserv
ants.Hewasdoubt l
esstr
yingtodo
theverythi
ngthatt hecompanyhopedcoul dbe
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
35"
PerWilmerLJatp.242: "
Assumi ngt her escuernott o
haveactedunr easonably
,t heref
ore,itseemst ome
thathemustnor mallybelongt othecl assofper sons
who oughtt o be withi
nt he cont empl ation oft he
wrongdoerasbei ngcloselyanddi rectl
yaf f
ectedby
thelat
ter'
sact.Int hepresentcaset hef actthatDr
Bakerwasadoct orisofi t
selfsigni f
icant.Hav i
ng
regar
dt ot he nature oft he perilcr eated by t he
wrongfulactofMrHopki ns, i
twasonl ytool i
kelythat
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Cut
lervUni
tedDai
ri
es[
1933]2KB297
Facts:Thedef endant '
shor sebol t
edandr anpastt heplai
nti
ff'
s
house enteri
ng an adj oi
ning gar den.The dr i
ver had t r
ied
fr
uitl
essl
yt o st op i
tbutcoul d notand cal l
ed f orhelp.The
defendantenteredt headj oininggar dentohel pst opthehor se
butthehorsethr ewhi m down, causi
nghi mi nj
uri
es.
Held:Sincethepl
ai nti
ffwasundernodut yt
ohol dthehor sebut
hadtri
edt odosoknowi ngt heriskitposed,thedef endantwas
notli
able.
,apersonactsknowi
ngtheri
sksinvol
vedi
n
t
heactunderci
rcumstanceswher
eheisnotunderanydut
y
t
oact,
nodutywouldbeowedt ohim.
somet i
mesputont hel egalmaximv o/ent
inonf i
t
i
njuria;someti
mesi ti sputt hatanew causehas
i
nterv enedbet
weent heor i
ginall
iabil
it
y,ifany,of
theowneroft hehorsewhi chhasr unaway .That
new causei stheactionoft heinjuredperson,and
that new cause i ntervening prevents li
abil
it
y
attachingtot
heowneroft hehorse."
37.
i
nor dert o sav ehi msel f,t o at t
emptt o arresta
runaway hor se.But i nt he pr esent case t he
respondentofhi sownmot ionget sov erahedgei n
responset othewor ds' Hel p,hel p! 'andi mper i
lshis
l
ifeorl imbsbyt r
y i
ngt ohol dt hehor se.Howev er
heroi
c and l audabl e may hav e been hi s act,it
cannotpr oper l
ybesai dt hati twasnoti nt helegal
senset hecauseoft heacci dent .Fort hatr easonI
comet ot heconcl usiont hatt hej urycoul dnotf i
nd
thattheappel lants'negl igence,whi chIwi llassume
tohav eexi sted,wast hecauseoft hedamage.The
acti
ont hereforef ail
sont het hr eshol d,becauseof
thefai l
uret oshow t hatt henegl i
gencecausedt he
damage of whi ch compl aint i s made. The
appellant s can al so pr oper ly say t hat the
respondentagr eedt oacceptf reel yandv oluntar
il
y,
withf ul
lknowl edgeoft her iskher an,t hechances
ofthei njuryhesuf fered.Thecasei sonewher ethe
maximv o/entinonpti njur i
aappl ies. "
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Vi
deanvBr
it
ishTr
anspor
tCor
por
ati
on[
1963]2QB650
Fact s:The deceased' s son had gone on t he r ai
loft he
defendantwhi l
eat rolley was appr oaching.Af terf ai
l
ed
attempt st ostopt hedr iver,hewentont other ailtosavehi s
sonandwaski lledwhi let hesonwassev erelyi nj
ured.The
deceasedwast hest ationmast erofthedef endantbuti twas
foundt hathi ssonwasat r
espasser .
Hel d:Althought hesonhadbeenat respasserandwasowed
nodut ybyt hedef endant s,theyowedadut ytot hedeceased
sincei twasf oreseablet hathewoul dgot ot her escue.
Principle:Ther escuerofat respasserhasar ightofact i
on
independentoft het r
espasser .
"
Thef at her'scaseseemst ohav eat tract edmuch
l
essat tention t han t heson' s.Thej udge,It hink,
decidedagai nstt hef atheront hegr oundt hathe
couldnotbei nabet t
erposi ti
ont hanhi ssonwas,
andt hebur denofMr .FoxAndr ew' sar gumentwas
similar, namel y,t hati fthet ruckdr i
verhadnor eason
toexpectt hepr esenceoft hechi ldont hel i
ne,st il
l
l
essr easonhadhet oexpectt of i
ndt hef at hert her e.
Idonott hinkt het wocasesst andorf allt oget her
l
iket his.Theset rucksar enotapar toft her egul ar
trai
nser v i
cewhi chr uns( oroughtt or un)atst at ed
hoursandwi ththear ri
valofwhi cht heempl oyeesof
theBr i
tishTr anspor tCommi ssionmustbet akent o
bef ami l
iar.Thet r
ucksar eoccasi onalv i
si tors,wi th
nost at edt i
mesandnowar ningoft heirappr oach.I t
i
s,t o my mi nd,mostsi gni fi
cantt hati ti s an
i
nstruct iont ot ruck- dri
verst hatt heymustappr oach
stati
onswi thcar e.Thei nfer encef rom t hi si st hat
theymustt akecar et hatther ear enoper sonsont he
l
ine,mor eespeci al l
yr ail
wayser vantsengagedi n
maint enanceandl ikedut ies.Oneoft heseser vant s
was t he dead st at i
onmast er.He was a per son
whosepr esenceont het rackwaswel lwi t
hint he
contempl ationoft hedr iver.Hecoul dnotbesai dt o
beat respasser .I ft hechi ldhadsuf fer ednot hing
and
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
Chadwi ckvBr i
ti
shTr ansportCommi ssi
on[196712Al lER945
Fact s:Twot rai
nscol li
dedonar ai
lclosetotheplaint
iff
'shouse.
Hev ol
unt ar
il
ytookpar ti
nther escuemi ssi
on.About90peopl e
diedf rom t heacci dentandsev eralother
swer einjuredand
trapped.Hesuf feredanxietyneur osisasar esul
toft hehor r
or
exper i
enceandsued.
Hel d:Sinceitwasr easonablyf oreseeablet
hatsomeonemi ght
comet ohel pint heev entofsuchacci dent,thedef endants
owedt heplainti
ffadut yofcar e.
Pr i
nciple:At ort
feasorowesar escueradut yofcar eifitwas
reasonabl yforeseeableundert heci r
cumstancest hataper son
mi ghtcomet other escueoft hev icti
m ofhi
st ort
iousact .
PerWal
l
erJatpp.951and952:"
Didt
hedef
endant
s
owea
dutytot heplaint
iffwhowasnott heirser
vantbutwho
hadcomet ot heiraid?Thet esti s:Whatoughtt he
defendantst ohav ef oreseen?..
.Int hepresentcase,
thedef endantswer enegl i
genttowar dstheirpassengers.
Asar esult
,passenger swer einjuredandputi nperil
.
Alloft hatcoul dr easonablyhav ebeenf oreseen.It
couldal sobef oreseent hatsomebodymi ghttryand
rescuepassenger sandsuf ferinjuryinthepr ocess,
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
andinmyopini
ont
hedefendant
sowedadutytoMr
Chadwi
ckwhowaswit
hint
heareaofcont
empl
ati
on.
"
WagnervI
nter
nat
ional
Rai
l
wayCompany282N.
Y.176
(
1922)
Facts:Thepl ainti
ffandhi scousinboar dedacarofanel ectri
c
trai
noft hedef endant.Theconduct ordidnotclosethedoor
andt hepl aintiff
'scousinwast hrownout .Thecarwentahead
beforest oppi ngandt hepl ai
ntif
fwal kedbacki nthedarkt o
l
ookf orhiscousi nwher euponhef el
lbeneaththegroundand
wasi njur
ed.
Held:Thedef endantowedadut yofcar et otheplai
nti
ffasa
rescuer.Pr i
nci pl
e:At ort
feasorowesadut yofcar
etoaper son
whogoest other escueofhi svicti
m.
41u
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
•
42
RRco. ,69N.Y158;Donnel l
yvPi ercyCont r
acting
co.,222N.Y210; Bir
dvSt .Pau/F.Ins.co. ,224N.Y.
47,54) .sosweepi nganexcept ion,ifr ecognized,
woul dleavelit
tl
eoft her ul
e.'Thehumanmi nd,
' as
wehav esai d(PeoplevMaj one,91N.Y.211, 212) ,
'
acts wi th celeri
ty whi ch i t i s somet imes
i
mpossi bl
e t o measur e.' The l aw does not
discri
mi nat
ebet weent herescuerobl i
viousofper il
andt heonewhocount sthecost .Itisenought hat
theact, whetheri
mpul siv
eordel i
ber at
e, i
st hechi l
d
oftheoccasi on."
Whi
tevChi
efConst
abl
eofSout
hYor
kshi
rePol
i
ce[
19991
1Al
lERI
Fact s:Fol l
owi ng a st adium di sast erin whi ch about95
peopl edied,thepl aintiff
swhower epol iceof f
icersondut y
assisted i ntheaf ter mat hoft hedi sast er
,carryi
ng dead
bodi esandhel pingt hei njured.Theywer el at
erdiagnosed
ofpost -tr
aumat i
cst ressdi sorder.Thedi sasterwascaused
byt henegl igenceofaseni orpoliceof f
icer.Theysuedt he
defendantongr oundst hatt hedef endantowedt hem adut y
ofcar easr escuer s.
Held:Thedef endantowedt hepl aintiff
snodut yofcar eas
rescuer ssincet hepol iceof ficer
swer enoti nanyper sonal
dangerort houghtt ohav ebeeni nanyper sonaldanger.
Principle:Inor dert obear escuerf orthepur posesoft he
recov eryofcompensat ionf orpur epsy chiat
richarm t he
plainti
ffmustatl eastsat isfythethr eshol drequir
ementt hat
heobj ectivel
yexposed hi msel fto dangerorr easonably
believedt hathewasdoi ngso.
PerLordSt ey
natpp.37and38:" Thelawhasl
ong
recogni
sedt hemor alimper
ati
veofencouragi
ng
cit
izens t
or escue per
sons i
n peri
l
.Those who
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
altruisti
callyexposet hemsel v est odangeri nan
emer gencyt osav eot hersar ef av ouredbyt hel aw.
Ar escueat temptt osav esomeonef r
om danger
wi l
lber egardedasf oreseeabl e.Adut yofcar et oa
rescuermayar i
seev eni fthedef endantowedno
dut yt ot hepr imaryv ictim,f orecampl e,because
thel atterwasat r
espasser .Ifar escueri sinjuredin
ar escueat tempt ,apl eaofv ol ent inonf itinjuri
a
wi l
lnotav ailawr ongdoer .Apl eaofcont ri
but or
y
negl i
gence wi llusual lyr ecei v e shor tshr i
ft.A
rescuer 'sacti nendanger inghi msel fwi l
lnotbe
treated as a nov us act us i nterveniens. The
meani nggi ventot heconceptofar escuerint hese
situat i
onsi sofnoassi stance
43"
'
l
ie
i
nsol v
ingtheconcret
ecasebef oretheHouse.Her
ethe
questi
on is:who may r ecov
eri nr espectofpure
psychi
atr
icharm sust
ainedasar escuer
?
•
44
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
MonkvpcHar
ri
ngt
onLt
d[20081EWHC1879
Facts:Theplai
nti
ffwasaf or
emanataconstruct
ionsit
ewhen
aplatform col
lapsed,owi
ngt othenegli
genceofthecr ane
dri
ver,and fel
lon t wo worker
s,one dyi
ng and the ot
her
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
sustai
ning seri
ous inj
uri
es.The pl ai
nti
ffhad hear
d oft he
acci
denti mmedi at
elyithappened and when hegott ot he
scene,hecr awledundertoseei fhecouldsaveany.Hel at
er
suff
eredpost -
tr
aumat i
cstr
essdisorderandsued.Att
hetr
ial,
45u
hel edevidencet hathebelievedhehadcausedt heaccidentsince
hewasr esponsibleforsupervisingtheinstall
ati
onofthepl at
form;
andt hathet houghtt heplatform hadfal l
enonhi m whilehewas
under.
Held:Sincet heplaint
iff
'sbeli
efwasani rrati
onaloneatthet i
me, i
t
wasnotr easonablyforeseeabl ethathewoul dsuff
erthedamage
compl ai
nedofandt hushisact ionmustf ail
.
Princi
ple:Ar escuerwhosuf f
erspsy chi
atricinj
urywil
lnotsucceed
unlesshepr ov esthatheobj ectivel
yexposedhi mselftodangeror
reasonablythoughthewasdoi ngso.
28. "Thenextquest i
oni st her ef
orewhet her ,ingi ving
suchassi st ance,MrMonkobj ect i
v el
yexposedhi msel ft o
dangerorr easonabl ybel i
ev edt hathewasdoi ngso.I tis
notal legedt hatMrMonkobj ect i
velyexposedhi msel ft o
danger .I ti s,howev er,cont ended t hathe r easonabl y
believedt hathewasput t
inghi sownphy si
calsaf etyatr isk
whenassi stingt heinj
ur edmen, int woway s.First, MrMonk
saidi n hi s ev i
dence t hat,i n ordert o gett ot he f allen
platform,hehadt opassunder neat hanotherper i-platform
whi chwasst illatt
achedt ot het opoft heconcr etecor e,and
thather emember sl ookingupashewentunderi tand
thinkingthatt hisplatform mi ghtf allaswell.Idonotaccept
thisev idence.Iconsi deri tunl ikel
yt hatMfMonk,whose
attentionwasf ocussedonget tingt owher ethei njuredmen
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
werelyi
ng,woul
dhavegivenanyt
houghtatal ltowhetherit
wasr i
skyt
opassunderneat
htheotherplat
form.Ashesai d
hi
msel f
,'
whenthecr
unchcomes,yougot ohel ptheperson'
.
ButifMrMonkhadgiventhematteranythought ,t
her
ewas
noreasonwhyheshouldhavebel
i
ev edthatthe
"
46
otherplat
for
m mi ghtsuddenl
yf al
lofitsownaccord;
andi fMrMonkhadhadsuchaf ear,hecouldeasi
ly
haveav oi
dedpassingdirect
lybeneaththeotherperi
-
plat
form,astherewasnoneedf orhi
mt odosoinorder
togettothefall
enplat
for
m.
coll
apse.Moreov
er,evenifoneofthejointshadgi v enway,
whileIcanunderst
andaconcer nthatt hismightl eaveMr
O'Sull
i
vantr
apped,itappearstomemostunl i
kelythatthis
wouldhaveresult
edi nanyinjur
ytoany oneelsewhohad
cl
imbed underthe platf
orm.Therei s no ev idence that
anybody el
se who at t
ended the scene had any such
concern.For example,Mr Sar sfi
eld,who as Ihav e
descri
bedal
sowentt ogiveaidtoMfO' Sull
iv
an
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
underneat
ht he f
all
en pl
atf
orm,gave ev
idence whi
ch I
accept—thatheneverf
elti
nanyper
sonaldanger
.
32. "
It heref
orerejectasi mprobableMfMonk' s
ev i
dence thathe believed he was put ti
ng his own
phy si
calsafetyatriskwhenhewentt ot heaidofMr
O'Sull
ivanandMrCar r
oll;al
ternat
ivel
y.ifhedi dhave
suchabel i
ef,itwasnotar easonableone.I tfol
lows
thatMfMonkcannotest abl
ishthathewasapr i
mary
victi
m onthebasi sofhisinvolv
ementasar escuer.
"
Sadi
ePhi
l
li
psvJamesDur
gan[
199111I
R89
Fact s:Thepl aintif
fs,acoupl e,wer eengagedi ncl eani
ngt he
defendant '
s pr emises att he defendant'
sr equest.The f i
rst
plainti
ffsli
ppedonadef ectivegascookerwhi l
ehol dingacl oth
andi tcaughtf ire.Thesecondpl aintiffi
nanat t
emptt odragt he
fi
rstpl aint
if
ff rom thekitchenwher ethefir
estartedwasal so
i
njur ed.
Held:I tisreasonabl yforeseeablet hatwherefir
eisnegl igent l
y
started,aper sont ryi
ngt oputoutsuchf i
reinordert opr event
i
njur ytopersonsorpr opertymayl ikelysuf
fersomei njuri
es.
Principle:Arescuepr i
ncipleapplieswher ethedamagecaused
tot her escueri saf oreseeableconsequenceoft henegl igent
actoft hetortfeasor.
PerFi
nlayCJatp.94:"
Ihav
ecomet
otheconcl
usi
on,
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
wi
thregar
dtothelegali
ssuesari
singinthi
scase,
that
t
hefoll
owi
ngistheposit
ion.Iam sat
isf
iedt
hatwhati
s
•
48
describedast hepr incipleofr escue,andwhati s
dealtwi thi nOgwovTay l
or[ 1988]AC 437,t rul
y
consistsonl yofasi tuati
oni nwhi chthecour twi ll
rul
easaf oreseeabl econsequenceoft henegl igent
commencementofaf irethatper sonsseeki ngt o
putoutt hatf i
re,eitherbyr easonoft heirdut yas
offi
cersofaf irebrigadeorbyr easonoft heirdesi r
e
toprev entdamage, whet hertoper sonsorpr operty,
maybei njuredbyt heex i
stenceoft hef i
re.I tis
essentiall
y,t herefore,adoct r
ineoff oreseeabi l
it
y
and cannot ,i n my v i
ew,come i nt
o oper ation
withoutan i ni
tialnegl igencecausi ng thef ire.In
those ci r
cumst ances,i tseems t o me thatt he
manneri nwhi cht hel earnedt rialjudgeappear sto
haveappl i
edwhathedescr i
besast hedoct ri
neof
rescuei sinlawi ncor rect.
condi
ti
onoft
hecookerandi
tssur
roundi
ngar
ea.
491M
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Keat
ingvHur
rel
l[2000]
A11ER(
D)1051
Fact s:Thepl aintif
fandt hef i
rstdef endantwer ewal kingwhen
theymeta nei ghbour .The f i
rstdef endantbecame abusi ve
towar dst henei ghbourandpunchedhi m.Thepl aint i
f ftri
edto
i
nt ervenebypul li
nghi m andt heybot hf elli
nt hemi ddl eofthe
roadandacardr ivenbytheseconddef endantst ruckt hem both.
Thepl ainti
ffsuedal legi
ngbot hdefendant sowedhi m adut yof
car eundert her escuepr i
ncipleasar escuer .
Hel d:Si ncethef i
rstdefendantwasact i
ngunl awful l
yandt he
plainti
f factedlawf ull
ytopr eventhimf r
om f urt
herbr eachesand
sincei twasf oreseeablet hatt hepl ainti
ffwoul di nt erveneto
prev enthimf rom t heunlawf ulact,t
hepl ai
ntif
fmustsucceed.
Principle:Adut ywoul dbeowedt other escuerifhisint erventi
on
wasr easonabl yf oreseeableal thought hedef endantowedno
dut ytot hepersonbei ngrescued.
PerMi chaelSupperstone QC ( si
tt
ing as a Deput y
Judgeoft heHighCourt):"
Inmyj udgmentthegener al
principl
esr el
ati
ngtotheexistenceofadutyofcaret o
rescuersi s clear
.In Hani son v BRB MrJust ice
Bor eham saidatpage684:
'
Thequest i
ont hathastobeconsi der
edisthi
s:isa
manwho, t
hroughlackofcar
eforhisownsafet
y,puts
himselfi
ntoasituati
onofdanger,
andwhoought,asa
reasonabl
e person,to havef or
eseen t
hatanother
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
NERVOUSSHOCK
Bourhil
lvYoung[ 19431AC92
Facts:Thedeceased dr ov
ehi smot orcyclenegl i
gentl
yatt op
speedandcol li
dedwi thacaranddi ed.Thepl ainti
ff
,apr egnant
woman,whowasabout45f eetf rom thesceneoft heaccident
heardthesoundbutdi dnotseei t.Shesuf feredsev er
ener vous
shockasar esultandgav ebir
t hlat
ert oast i
llbornchild.Shesued
theexecutor
soft hedeceasedf ordamages.
Held:Thedutyofcar eapersonowesi ncludest hedut ytoprevent
i
njurybyshock,butsi ncet hedeceasedcoul dnotr easonably
for
eseet hei
njurysuffer
edbyt hepl ainti
ff,heowedhernodut y.
Pri
ncipl
e:Inj
urybyshocki sr ecoverablei fthei njur
ywasr easonabl
y
for
eseeableundert hecir
cumst ances.
r
easonabl
ycontemplatedast heareaofpotentialdanger
whi
chwoul dariseast heresultofhisnegligence,and
t
hequesti
oninthepr esentcaseiswhethertheappel l
ant
waswithi
nthatarea.
51•
PerLordRussellofKil
lowenatp.102:" Cani tbesai d
thatJohnYoungcoul dr easonablyhaveant i
cipated
thataperson,situat
edaswast heappel l
ant,woul d
beaf f
ect
edbyhi spr oceedi
ngt owardsCol intonat
thespeedatwhi chhewast r
avell
ing?Ithinknot .His
roadwasclearofpedest ri
ans.Theappellantwasnot
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
withi
nhisv i
sion,butwasst andingbehi ndt hesol i
d
barri
er of the t r
amcar . His speed i n no way
endangeredher .Int heseci r
cumst ancesIam unabl e
toseehowhecoul dreasonabl yant i
cipatet hat,ifhe
camei nt
ocol l
isionwi thav ehi
clecomi ngacr ossthe
tr
amcari nt
oGl enlockhar tRoad,t her esultantnoi se
wouldcausephy sicali nj
urybyshockt oaper son
standi
ngbehindt het ramcar .I
nmyopi ni
on,heowed
no dutyt othe appel lant,and was,t herefor e,not
guil
tyofanynegl igencei nrelati
ont oher .
"
PerLor dMacmi ll
anatp.103:" I
tisnol ongernecessar y
toconsi derwhet hert hei nf li
cti
onofwhati scal ledment al
shockmayconst i
tuteanact ionablewr ong.Thecr ude
viewt hatt hel awshoul dt akecognizanceonl yofphy si cal
i
nj uryr esulti
ngf rom act ualimpacthasbeendi scarded,
andi tisnow wel lrecogni zedt hatanact ionwi llli
ef or
i
nj urybyshocksust ainedt hrought hemedi um oft heey e
ort heearwi thoutdi rectcont act.Thedistinctionbet ween
ment alshockandbodi lyi nj
urywasnev erasci enti
fi
cone,
forment alshocki spr esumabl yinallcasest heresultof ,
oratl eastaccompani edby ,somephy si
caldi sturbancei n
thesuf ferer'
ssy stem.And ament alshockmayhav e
consequencesmor eser ioust hant hoser esulti
ngf rom
phy sicali mpact .Buti nt hecaseofment alshockt her e
areel ement sofgr eat ersubt l
etythani nt hecaseofan
ordinar yphy sicalinjuryandt heseelement smaygi ver i
se
todebat east ot hepr eci sescopeofl egalliabili
ty.
"
appel l
ant?Theappel l
antwasnotwi t
hinhislineofv i
sion,
forshewasont heot hersideofat r
amcarwhi chwas
standingbet weenhi m andherwhenhepassedandi t
wasnotunt ilhehadpr oceededsomedi st
ancebey ond
hert hathecolli
dedwi ththemot or-car.Theappellantdid
notseet heaccidentandsheexpr esslyadmi t
sthather
'
terrordidnoti nvolv
eanyel ementofr easonabl
ef earof
i
mmedi atebodilyinj
urytoher sel
f.
'Shewasnotsopl aced
thatt her
ewasanyr easonablelikeli
hoodofherbei ng
affectedbythecy cli
st'
scareless
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
driv
ing.Int heseci r
cumst ancesIam ofopi nionwith
the majorit
y oft he learned judges ofthe Second
Divi
sionthatt hel ateJohnYoungwasundernodut yto
theappel l
antt of oreseet hathisnegli
gencei ndriv
ing
atanexcessi v espeedandconsequent l
ycoll
idingwith
amot or
-carmi ghtr esultini nj
urytoher,forsucha
result could not r easonably and pr obably be
antici
pated.Hewas, therefore,notgui
l
tyofnegl i
gence
i
naquest i
onwi ththeappel lant.
"
Ki
ngvPhi
l
li
ps[
195311QB429
Fact s:At axidri
veroft hedefendant,whil
er ever
singhiscar ,hi
t
thepl ainti
ff'
ssononhi stri
cycle.Thedamagewassl i
ghtbutt he
plainti
ffwhowasabout7080y ardsawayhear dhim scr eam.
Whenhel ookedovert osee,shedidnotseet heboybutsawt he
tri
cy cl
eundert hetaxi.Theboyhadr unhomebutt hepl aint
if
f
suf f
eredner vousshockandsued.
Hel d:Itwasnotr easonablyf or
eseeablet hatbyr ev
ersing
hiscar ,hewoul dcausener vousshockt oaper sony ards
awayandt husnodut ywasowed.
Principle:Injur
ybyshocki sonl yrecoverableonlywher e
the i njur
y i s r easonably f oreseeable under t he
circumst ances.
PerSingletonLJatpp.435and436:" I
ft her
ewasno
dutyowed t ot he appell
anti n Bour hi//vYoung,I
cannotseehowt herewasanyowedbyt hedefendant
tothemot heront hef act
soft hi
scase.I nBonr hi/
/v
Young,Lor dRussel lofKi l
lowenandLor dMacmi l
lan
adoptedt hewor dsofLor dJami eson:'Nodoubtt he
dutyofadr iverist ousepropercar enottocausei nj
ury
topersonsont hehi ghwayori npr emisesadj oi
ningt he
highway,buti tappear stomet hathisdut yisli
mitedt o
persons so pl aced t hatt hey may r easonably be
expectedt obei njuredbyt heomi ssi
ont ot akesuch
•
70
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
care.'AndLor dMacmill
anadded:' Thedutyt otake
carei st he dutyto avoi
d doing oromi tt
ing to do
anythingt hedoingoromitti
ngt odowhi chmayhav e
asitsr easonableandprobableconsequenceinjuryto
others,andt hedutyisowedt ot hosetowhom i nj
ury
mayr easonabl yandpr
obablybeant i
cipat
ediftheduty
i
snotobser ved.'
-
"Canitbesai
dthatt
hedri
ver(
oranydri
veri
nt hewor
ld)
coul
dreasonabl
yorpr
obabl
yanti
cipat
ethati
njury—ei
ther
•
71
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
t
hosewhi
char
etoor
emot
e."
PerHodsonLJatp.443:" I
tiscl
eart hatt heact
ionwi l
l
l
ief orinj
urybyshockwhenev eraper sonisplacedi n
reasonablef ear of immediat
ei njuryt o himsel f
,
provided thatthedefendantcouldr easonabl
yhav e
foreseentheriskandoughttohaveguar dedagainstit
.
As Lor d Russellsai
d38:'I
n consider i
ng whet hera
personowest oanotheradutyabr eachofwhi chwi l
l
render him l i
abletot hatother i n damages f or
negligence,i
tismateri
alt
oconsiderwhat
55.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
BaordmanvSander son[1964]WLR1317
Facts:Thedefendantwentwi ththeplaint
if
fs,
af at
her
andasonof8y earsofage, toagar agetocol
lecthis
car.Whilethedefendantwasr eversi
ngoutofthe
garage,henegli
gentlyi
njuredtheson.Thef at
herwho
waswi thi
nearshothear dthescreamsoft hesonand
rantothescene.Hel atersuff
eredner v
ousshock.
Held:Si
ncethedef endantknewtheplai
nti
ffwaswithi
nearshot
andwasl i
kel
yt ocomet othescene,heowedhim adutyofcare
andthuswasl i
able.
Pri
ncipl
e:Adef endantowesadut yofcaretothenearrel
ati
ves
ofanypersonnegl i
gentl
yinjur
edwhower eknownt obewi t
hin
ear
shotandlikelytocomeupont hescene.
Duli
euvWhite[1901]2KB669
Facts:Thepl
aint
iff
,apr egnantwoman,wasbehi ndthebarof
herhusbandwhent heser vant
soft hedefendantnegli
gentl
y
droveapairofhor sevansi ntothebar.Theplai
nti
ffsuff
ered
nerv
ousshock,becamei llandgav ebi
rt
htoachi l
dwhowasan
i
diot.
Hel
d:Si
ncet
hef
ri
ghtcausedphy
sical
inj
ury
,itwasact
ionabl
e.
Pri
nciple: Damage which resul
tsfrom a nervous shock
occasionedbyfri
ghtisact
ionabl
eevenint
heabsenceofdir
ect
i
mpact ,provi
dedphysi
cali
njur
yhasbeencausedt
othepl
ainti
ff
.
PerKennedyJatp.673:"Fir
stofall
,i
tisargued,fr
ight
causedbynegli
genceisnotinit
sel
facauseofact i
on-
ergo,noneofitsconsequencescangiveacauseof
acti
on.InMit
chel/vRochest
erPg.Co.,t
hepoi nti
sput
thus:'That t
he result may be nervous disease,
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
bl
i
ndness,
insani
ty,
orev
enami
scar
ri
age,
in
nowaychangest hepr i
nci pl
e.Theser esul t
smer ely
shew t he degr ee off r
ightort he ext entoft he
damages.The r i
ghtofact i
on mustst i
lldepend
upont hequest i
onwhet herar ecov erymaybehad
forf ri
ght .
'Wi thal lr espectt ot hel ear nedj udges
whohav esohel d,Ifeeladi fficultyinf ollowingt his
reasoni ng.No doubt damage i s an essent ial
elementi nar i
ghtofact i
onf ornegl i
gence.Icannot
successf ull
ysuehi m whohasf ai l
edi nhi sdut yof
usingr easonabl eski llandcar et owar dsmeunl essI
canpr ov esomemat er i
alandmeasur abledamage.
Ifhisnegl i
gencehascausedmenei theri njuryt o
proper ty nor phy sical mi schi ef, but onl y an
unpleasantemot i
on ofmor e orl ess t r
ansi ent
duration,an essent ialconst it
uentofa r ightof
action f ornegl igence i sl acki ng.' Fear ,
'as Si r
Freder i
ckPol lockhasst ated( 4),'t
akenal onef all
s
shor tofbei ngact ualdamagenotbecausei ti sa
remot eorunl i
kelyconsequence, butbecausei tcan
bepr ov edandmeasur edonl ybyphy sical effects.'It
may ,Iconcei ve, bet r
ulysai dt hat,viewedi nrelation
toanact ionf ornegl igence,di rectbodi lyi mpacti s,
withoutr esultingdamage,asi nsuf f
icientagr ound
oflegalcl aim ast hei nflicti
onoff ri
ght .Thatf right
—wher ephy sicalinjuryi sdi rectlypr oducedbyi t—
cannotbeagr oundofact ionmer elybecauseoft he
absenceofanyaccompany l
ngi mpactappear st o
me t o be a cont ention bot h unr easonabl e and
cont r
aryt othewei ghtofaut hor i
ty."
Andatp.675:" Iti
snot ,howev er,tobet akenthatin
my v i
ew ev ery ner vous shock occasi oned by
negl
igence and pr oducing phy si
cali njur
yt ot he
suff
erergivesacauseofact i
on.Ther eis,Iam
i
ncli
nedt othi
nk,atl eastonel imitat
ion.Theshock,
wherei toperatest hrough themi nd,mustbea
shock which ar i
ses f r
om a r easonabl efearof
i
mmedi ate personali njur
yt o onesel f.A.has,I
conceiv
e,nolegaldut ynott oshockB. '
sner v
esby
theexhibi
ti
onofnegl i
gencet owar dsC. ,ortowards
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
t
hepr
oper
tyofB.OfC.
"
PerPhil
l
imoreJatpp.682and683:" Ithi
nkthere
maybecasesi nwhichA.owesadut yt oB.notto
i
nfli
ctamentalshockonhi m orher ,andthatin
suchacase,i
fA.doesi nf
li
ctsuchashockuponB.
— as by ter
ri
fyi
ng B.— and phy sicaldamage
ther
ebyensues,B.mayhav e an acti
on forthe
physi
caldamage,t hough the medi um through
whichi
thasbeeninf
lict
edisthemind."
57.
Hambr ookvSt okes[ 1925]1KB141
Facts:Thedef endant '
sser vantl eftalorr
yunat tendedt o,with
theengi ner unni ng,onast eep.Thel or
ryst art
edof fandr an
downt hehi ll
.Thepl ai
ntif
f'swi f
e,whohadj ustpartedwi thher
chil
drenwhower eont hest reet,saw thel orryrunningdown
and became f rightened f ort hem.She was t ol d almost
i
mmedi atelyt hatachi ldwhol ookedl i
keherchi l
dhadbeen
i
njured.Shesuf ferednervousshockanddi edasar esult.
Held:Sincet heshockwascausedbywhatshesaw andnot
whatshewast old,andsi ncei twasasar esultoff earforher
chil
dren, shewasent it
ledtor ecov er.
Pri
nciple:Shockr esult
ingf r
om f earforthel i
feorsaf etyofone's
chil
dreni sact i
onabl e.
PerBankesLJatpp.151and152:" Accept i
ngt hel i
ne
ofr easoni ngill
ust r
atedbyt heseauthorit
ies, itfoll
ows
thatwhatamanoughtt ohav eanti
cipatedi smat er i
al
whenconsi deringtheext entofhi sdut y
.Upont he
author i
tiesast heystand, t
hedef endantoughtt ohav e
anticipatedt hati fhi
sl orr
yr anawaydownt hisnar row
street,itmi ghtt err
if
ysomewomant osuchanext ent,
through f earofsome i mmedi ate bodi l
yi njuryt o
hersel f
,t hatshewoul dr eceivesuchament alshock
aswoul di njureherheal th.Cananyr ealdistinct i
onbe
drawnf rom t hepoi ntofv i
ew ofwhatt hedef endant
oughtt o hav eant i
cipatedandwhat ,t heref ore,hi s
duty was,bet ween t hatcase and t he case ofa
womanwhosef earisforherchi l
d,andnotf orher self?
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Inmyopi ni
ont hestepwhi chtheCourtisaskedt o
take,undertheci r
cumst ancesofthepresentcase,
necessar i
lyfoll
ows f r
om an acceptance oft he
decisioninDulienvWhi te&Sons,andIt hinkthat
thedi ct
um ofKennedyJ. ,lai
ddowninquitegener al
termsi nthatcase,cannotbeacceptedasgoodl aw
applicabl
eInev er
ycase.
ei
thert
oher
sel
fort
oherchi
l
dren.
"
Schnei
dervEi
sov
itch[
1960]2QB430
Facts:Theplai
nti
ffandherhusbandwer ebei ngdri
venbythe
defendantwhen,owingtot hedef
endant'snegli
gence,t
hecar
wasi nv
olv
edinanacci dent.Thehusbandwaski ll
edinthe
accident and t
he plaint
iff was unconscious.When she
regainedconsci
ousness,shewast ol
dt hehusbandhaddi ed
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
andshesuf fer
ednervousshockasar esul
t.I
nanacti
onfor
damages,thedefendantcont
endedthatsi
nceshedi
dnotsee
thehusbanddi e,shewasnotent it
ledtodamagesforthe
nervousshock.
Held:Thepl ai
nti
ffwasent i
tl
ed t
o damagesf ort
heshock
suf
fer
edeu60
asar esul
toft
heacci
dentaswel
last
hehear
ingoft
hedeat
hoft
he
husband.
GuayvsunPubl
i
shi
ng[
1953]4DLR577
Facts:Thedef endantfal
selypublishedi nit
snewspaperthat
theplainti
ff'
shusbandandt hreechi l
drenhadbeenki l
ledin
an accident.The pl ai
ntif
fr ead this and suffer
ed shock
whichaf f
ectedherheal t
h.
Held:Thepl ainti
ffwasnotanei ghbourwi thi
nthemeani ng
ofthenei ghbourpri
ncipleandt hust hedefendantowedhim
nodut yofcar e.
Pri
nciple:Adef endant'
sdut yofcar ei sowedonl ytothose
whoar esocl osel
yanddi rectl
yaf fectedbyhi sactsOf
omissionst hatheoughtt ohav et hem inhiscontemplat
ion
asheengagesi nactsthatmi ghtaf f
ectthem.
McLoughl
i
nvO'Bri
an[1983]1AC410
Fact
s:The pl
aint
if
f'
s husband and t
hree chi
l
dren wer
e
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
i
nv ol ved in an acci dentowi ng tot he negl i
gence oft he
def endant s.Thepl ainti
ffwhowasaboutt womi l
esaway
wast old aboutt heacci dentaboutt wo hour slaterand
accompani edtot hehospi talwher ethev ictimswer esent .
Att hehospi t
al,shewast oldthatt hey oungestdaught er
wasdeadbutshesaw herhusbandandt heot herchi ldren
andt henat ureandext entoft hei
rinjury
.Sheal legedt hatas
ar esul tofwhatshehear dandsaw, shesuf feredshockand
i
njur yt o healthr esulting i n depression and change of
per sonal i
ty.Held:Thener vousshocksuf f
er edbei ngar esult
oft hei njuri
est oherf ami lyshesaw,shewasent i
tledt o
damages.
Princi ple:Damages r esul ting from ner v ous shock ar e
recov erableinnegligencei ftheshocki scausedbyt hesi ght
or hear i
ng of t he consequence of t he def endant '
s
negl igenceori tsimmedi ateaf ter
mat h.
PerLor dWi l
berfor ceatpp.418and419:" 1.Whi le
damagescannot ,atcommonl aw,beawar dedf or
griefandsor row, acl ai
mf ordamagesf or'nervous
shock' causedbynegl i
gencecanbemadewi t
hout
thenecessi t
yofshowi ngdi rectimpactorf earof
i
mmedi at e personal i njuri
es f or onesel f. The
reservationmadebyKennedyJ.i nDulieuvWhi te&
Sons[ 1901]2K. B.669, thought akenupbySar gant
L.J.inHambr ookvSt okesBr others[1925]1K. B.
141,hasnotgai nedaccept ance,andal thought he
respondent s,i nt hecour t
sbel ow,reser vedt heir
ri
ghtt or eviv
ei t,theydi dnotdosoi nar gument .I
think thati ti s now t oo latet o do so.The
argument sont hisi ssuewer ef ull
yandadmi rably
statedbyt heSupr emeCour tofCal i
forniainDi ll
on
vLegg( 1968)29A. L.R.3d1316.
"2.A pl ainti
ffmayr ecoverdamagesf or'nervous
shock'br oughtonbyi nj
urycausednott ohim-or
herselfbutt oanearr el
ati
ve,orbyt hefearofsuch
i
njury.Sof ar(subj
ectt o5bel ow),thecasesdonot
extendbey ondthespouseorchi l
drenoft heplaintif
f
(Hambr ook vSt okes Brothers[1925]1 K. B.141,
BoardmanvSander son[ 1964]1W. L.R.1317,Flinzv
Berry[1970]2Q. B.40— i ncludi
ngf osterchil
dren—
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
(
whereli
abil
i
tywasassumed)andseeKi
ngvPhi
l
li
ps
[
1953]1Q.B.429)
.
"3.Subj ecttothenextpar agraph,thereisnoEngl ish
casei nwhi chapl ai
nti
ffhasbeenabl et or ecover
ner vousshockdamageswher etheinjur
yt othenear
relativeoccurred outofsi ghtand ear shotoft he
plaintif
f.InHambrookvSt okesBrothersanexpr ess
distincti
on was made bet ween shock caused by
whatt hemot hersaw wit hherowney esandwhat
.shemi ghthavebeent oldbyby standers,liabil
it
y
beingexcl udedinthelat
tercase.
"4.Anexcept i
onf rom,orIwoul dpr efertocallitan
extensionof ,t helattercase,hasbeenmadewher e
thepl ainti
ffdoesnotseeorheart heinci
dentbut
comesuponi t
simmedi ateaft
ermath.InBoar dmanv
Sander son t he fatherwas wi thi
n earshotoft he
accidentt ohi schi l
dandl i
kelytocomeupont he
scene:hedi dsoandsuf fer
eddamagef rom whathe
thensaw.I nMar shallvLionelEnter
pisesInc.[1972]2
0.R.177,t hewi f
ecamei mmediatel
yupont hebadly
i
njuredbodyofherhusband.Andi nBensonvLee
[1972]V. R.879,a si tuati
on existed with some
similari
tytot hepr esentcase.Themot herwasi nher
home100y ardsaway ,and,oncommuni cationbya
thir
dpar t
y,ranoutt othesceneoft heaccidentand
theresuf f
eredshock.
YourLordshi
pshavet
odeci
dewhet
herornott
oval
i
dat
e
theseex
tensi
ons.
f
ar,
itcanbeappl
i
edt
osuchcasesast
hepr
esent
.
•
64
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
"Lastl
y,asr
egar
dscommunicat
ion,
ther
eisnocaseI n
whichthelawhascompensat
edshockbroughtabout
bycommuni cat
ionbyat hi
rdpart
y.InHambr ookv
Stokes
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
PagevSmi
th(
No.
2)[
1995]3Al
lER272
Facts:Thepl ai
ntiff'
svehi cl
ecol l
idedwi ththatofthedef endant
owingt ot henegligenceoft hedef endant.Thepl ainti
ffdidnot
suff
er any phy sicali njury but al l
eged t hat the accident
exacerbated his chr onicf at
igue sy ndrome whi ch he had
suff
eredbef ore.Hesuedf ordamagesi nrespectoft hatment al
i
njury.
Held: Si nce t he def endant's negl i
gence had mat eri
all
y
contri
butedt othepl ai
ntiff'
scondi t
ion,hewasl iabl
e.
Pri
nciple:A def endanti sl i
ablei fhi s negli
gence causes Of
materiall
y cont r
ibutes t o cause or pr ol
ong t he pl ai
nti
ff'
s
conditi
on.
l
eadst oment aldi sturbancewhent hel ov edone
suffer s a cat ast rophe.They may be pr esenti n
fami l
yr elati
onshi psort hoseofcl osef riendship,
and may be st r
ongeri nt he case ofengaged
coupl est hani nt hatofper sonswho hav ebeen
mar riedt oeachot herformanyy ears.Itiscommon
knowl edge t hatsuch t ies exi st,and r easonabl y
foreseeabl et hatt hose bound by t hem may i n
certainci rcumst ancesbeatr ealriskofpsy chi
atri
c
i
llnessi ft helov edonei si njuredorputi nper i
l.The
closenessoft het iewoul d,howev er,requi retobe
provedbyapl aintiff
,thoughnodoubtbei ngcapabl e
ofbei ngpr esumedi nappr opr i
atecases.Thecase
ofaby standerunconnect edwi tht hev ictimsofan
accidenti sdifficult.Psy chiatri
ci nj
ur ytohi m woul d
notor dinaril
y,i nmyv iew,bewi t
hint her angeof
reasonabl efor eseeabi l
ity,butcoul dnotper hapsbe
entir
el yexcl udedf rom i tiftheci r
cumst ancesofa
catast rophe occur ri
ng v ery close t o hi m wer e
particularlyhor ri
fic."
Victor
ianRai
lwayCommi ssi
onersvCout
las(
1887)13App.
Cas.222Fact s:Thedefendantwasthegat
ekeeperofa
rai
lwaywhichcrosseda
•
68
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
road.Thedef endantnegligentl
yinvit
edt hepl ai
nti
fftocr oss
alt
hought herewasani mpendi ngtrai
n.Theplainti
ffmanagedt o
avoi dacol l
isi
onbutsuf fer
edsev er
eshockr esulti
nginpersonal
i
njur i
es int he form ofi mpai r
ed memor yand ey esightand
delicateheal t
h.
Held:The i njur
ies complained ofwer et oo remot efort he
defendantt obel iabl
e.
Principl
e:Damagesf ornervousshockandment alinj
uri
esar e
notr ecoverableiftheshockandt heinj
uri
esaret ooremotefrom
thenegl i
gentact .
consequencewhi ch,i
nt heor di
narycour seoft hings,
wouldflowf rom t
henegl
igenceoft hegat e-
keeper.Ifit
werehel dthattheycan,itappearstot heirLordships
thatitwoul dbeextendi
ngt hel i
abil
i
tyf ornegligence
muchbey ondwhatthatliabi
l
ityhashithertobeenhel d
tobe."
Chadwi
ckvBr
it
ishTr
anspor
tCommi
ssi
on(
supr
a)
Pr
inci
ple:Damagesarerecover
abl
eforner
vousshockcaused
ot
herthanbyfearf
oronesel
forchi
l
dren.
PerWall
erJatpp.950and951:"Idonotseeany
obj
ect
ioni
npr
inci
plet
odamagesbei
ngr
ecov
erabl
efor
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Tay
lor
vANov
o(UK)Lt
d[2014]QB150
Fact s:Thepl ainti
f f'
smot hersufferedi njur
iest oherheadand
footf oll
owing an acci dentdue t ot he negl igence oft he
defendant .Whi ler ecov eri
ngathome,aboutt hreeweeksl ater,
sheunexpect edlycol lapsedanddi ed.Thepl aintiffsuffer
edpost
-tr
aumat i
cst r
essdi sorderandsued.Thepl ai
nt if
fhadnotbeen
att hesceneoft heacci dentnorhadheseent heimmedi ate
aftermat h,butshewaspr esentwhent hemot hercol l
apsedand
died.
Hel d:Sincet hedeat hoft hemot herandnott heacci dentwas
thecauseoft hepl ainti
f f
'spsychi
atricinjury,thedef endantwas
notl i
ablesincet her ewasnopr oximat erelati
onshi pbetweent he
plaintif
fandt hedef endant .
Pr i
nciple:Tosucceedi nanact ioninnegl i
genceasasecondar y
victim,thepl aint
iffmustpr ovebothar elati
onshi pofpr oxi
mi t
y
wi t
ht hedef endantsuf ficientt
ofoundadut yofcar e,andal so
phy sicalproximityint imeandspacet ot heev entcausedbyt he
negl i
gence.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
27 " Butinsecondar yv i
ctim cases,thewor d'proxi
mity'is
alsousedi nadifferentsenset omeanphy si
calproxi
mityi n
ti
meandspacet oanev ent.Usedint hissense,i
tservesthe
purposeofbei ngoneoft hecont r
olmechani smswhi ch,as
amat terofpol i
cy,thel aw hasi ntr
oducedi nor dertoli
mi t
the numberofper sons who can cl aim damages f or
psychiat
ri
ci nj
uryassecondar yv i
cti
msort oputi ti
nlegal
terms,todenotewhet herthereisar elati
onshipofproxi
mi ty
betweent hepar t
ies.I nasecondar yv ict
im case,physical
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
proxi
mi t
ytotheeventisanecessar
y,butnotsuf
fi
cient
,
condi
tionofl
egal
proxi
mit
y.
71•
areashoul dbedef i
ned.Thishasi nv ol
vedthedrawingof
boundar i
es which have been cri
ti
cised as ar
bit
rar
yand
unfair
.Butt hi
si swhatt hecour t
shav edoneinanar ea
wheret heyhavehadt ofi
xt heambitofl i
abi
li
tywit
houtany
guidi
ngpr inci
pleexceptLor dAtki
n'sf amous,butelusi
ve,
test.
30 "Fir
st,i
tseemst omet hat
,ift
hejudgeisri
ght
,Ms
Tayl
orwould have been abletorecoverdamages f
or
psy
chiat
ri
cil
lnessev
eni fhermother
'sdeat
hhadoccur
red
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
•
72
Thati sbecausewher etheboundar iesofpr oximi t
yaredr awni n
thisdi ffi
cultareashoul d,sof araspossi ble,reflectwhatt he
ordinaryr easonabl epersonwoul dregar dasaccept abl
e.Thisi s
thei deat hatLor dHof fmannwasexpr essingi nt heFrostcase
[1999]2 AC 455 i nt he cont extofdi stinguishing between
diff
er ent cat egories of secondar yv icti
ms i n that case.
Accor dingly,unlesscompel l
edt odosobypr eviousaut hori
ty,I
woul dr efuset ohol dthatitisr easonablet oi mposel i
abili
tyon
Nov of orMsTay lor'
spsy chiatr
icill
ness.Idonotconsi dert hat
therei s anyaut hor i
tywhi ch compel s such a concl usion.I
explainbel owwhyIdonotacceptt hesubmi ssionofMrBar tley
Jonest hatanyoft heauthori
t i
esonwhi chher eliessuppor t
st he
decisionr eachedbyt hejudgei nthepr esentcase.
approach is potenti
all
yt o extend the scope ofl i
abil
it
yt o
secondaryv ict
ims consider
ablyf ur
therthan has been done
hit
herto.Thecour tshav ebeenast utefort hepolicyreasons
art
iculat
ed byLor d Steynt o confi
ne the rightofact i
on of
secondaryv i
ctimsbymeansofst ri
ctcont r
olmechani sms.In
myv iew,thesesamepol icyr
easonsmi l
i
tateagainstanyfurt
her
substanti
alextensi
on.ThatshouldonlybedonebyPar l
iament.
32 "
Itfoll
owst hat,i
nmyv iew,thej udgewaswr ongt
ohol d
thatthedeat hofMr sTay l
orwast her el
evant' ev
ent'forthe
purposes ofdeci ding the pr oxi
mit y question.A par adi
gm
exampl eoft hekindofcasei nwhi chacl aimantcanr ecover
damagesasasecondar yv ictimi sonei nvolvi
nganacci dent
which( i
)mor eorl essimmedi atel
ycausesi njuryordeathtoa
pri
mar yv i
cti
m and( i
i)i
swi tnessedbyt hecl aimant.Insucha
case,therelevanteventistheacci dent.
Itisnotal at
erconsequenceoft heaccident.AuldJput
thepoi ntwel linTay l
orvSomer setHeal thAut hori
ty
[1993]PIQRP262:seepar a11abov e.MsTay l
orwoul d
hav ebeenabl et or ecoverdamagesasasecondar y
victi
mi fshehadsuf f
eredshockandpsy chiat
ri
ci l
lness
asar esultofseei nghermot her
'saccident.Shecannot
recoverdamagesf ortheshockandi ll
nesst hatshe
sufferedasar esultofseei nghermot her'
sdeat hthree
weeksaf tertheacci dent.
"
StephenFl et
chervCommi ssioner sofPubl i
cWor ks[ 200311I R
463Fact s:Thepl ai
ntiffwasexposedt oasbest oswhi l
ei nthe
empl oymentoft hedef endantowi ngt othenegl igenceoft he
defendant .Heallegedt hatowi ngt other isktohi sheal thasa
resultoft heexposuret oasbest os,hehadsuf feredpsy chiatri
c
i
llnessalthoughmedi calexami nat i
onsshowedt hatt heriskwas
remot e.
Held:Si ncet her i
skwasr emot e,thef earofcont racti
ngt he
diseasehadbeeni rrational,resultingint hepsy chiatri
ci nj
ury
andt hust heplai
ntif
fmustf ail
.
Principl
e:Damages f orpsy chiatri
ci nj
uryr esulti
ng f rom an
i
rrati
onal fearofcontract i
ngadi seasear enotr ecov erabl
e.
PerKeaneCJatpp.479and480:"
Iseel
i
ttl
edi
ff
icul
ty
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
i
nar rivi
ngataconcl usiont hat ,inacasesuchast he
present ,itwasr easonabl yfor eseeabl et hatt hepl ai ntif
f
woul dsuf ferar ecogni sablepsy chiatricdi sor derasa
resul tofhi staki ngmedi caladv i
ceandbei ngi nf or med
thathe was atr isk ofcont racti
ng t he di sease of
mesot helioma,ev en t hough,at t he t i
me of t he
proceedi ngs,he had not act ually cont ract ed t hat
disease.Mor eov er,t hatr esul tshoul d al so f ollow,
i
rrespect iveoft heext entoft her i
sk.If,forexampl e, the
adv iceofPr ofessorCl ancyhadbeent hat ,asamat t
er
ofpr obabi l
it
y,hewoul dcont ractt hedi seaseandt he
plaintif
fhad,i nt he r esult,suf fered t he psy chi atri
c
disor derofwhi chhenowcompl ai
ns,i twoul dseem t o
meunj ustandanomal oust hatt hedef endant sshoul d
escapel i
abili
ty.Thef actt hatt headv i
ceher ecei ved
wast hathewasatnomor et hanav er yr emot er iskof
cont racting the di sease woul d notbe a r eason,i n
principle,f orr elieving t he def endant s ofl iabi lityi n
l
imi ne.I ftheyoughtt ohav ef or eseent hatt hepl ai ntif
f
woul dbeatr i
skofcont r
actingmesot heliomaand, asa
resul t
,mi ghtal sosuf ferpsy chi atri
ci njury,t hef actt hat
thepsy chiatri
ci njurywoul dnothav ebeensuf fer edbya
per son
•
74
of"ordinar
yfort
it
ude"isnotmat er
ial
;thegener
alpr
inci
plethat
thewr ongdoermusttakehisvicti
m ashef i
ndshi
m should,in
theabsenceofotherconsi
derat
ions,appl
y.
recover
ybypl aint
if
fsofdamagesf orpsychi
atr
icinj
uryresul
ti
ngfrom
ani r
rat
ionalfearofcont r
acti
ngadi seasebecauseoftheirnegli
gent
exposuret o healt
hr i
sks by theiremployer
s,wher et he ri
sk is
charact
erisedbytheirmedicaladvi
sorsasver
yremote."
PerGeogheganJatp.517:" I
tisagainstthatbackgr oundoft he
casel aw,whi chIhav er ev
iewed,t hatthiscour tmustdeci de,as
amat terofpol i
cyandofr easonableness,whet herclaimsf or
damagesf orpsy chiatr
ici njuryonlyandr esulti
ngf r
om f earof
asbest os r el
ated diseases ofa degr ee whi ch i s obj
ect i
vely
i
rrati
onal arerecoverable.Tr adit
ional
ly,courtsdonotal way suse
theact ualwor d' poli
cy '
.Theymayat temptt o draw ar ti
fi
cial
l
imitst owhatcanber egar dedasbei ngr easonabl yforeseeabl e
ort heymay ,in consi dering proximit
yorot herquest ionsi n
rel
ationt ot heexistenceofadut yofcar e,i
nv oket heconceptof
reasonabl eness so t hata dut yofcar e wi l
lnoti nf actbe
i
mposedi fthecour tconsi der
si tunreasonabl et odoso.The
thi
rd cont r
olmechani sm whi ch thecour tmayi mposei si n
rel
ation t o parti
cularheadsofdamage or ,f i
nal l
y,theymay
expressl ydenyacl aim ongr oundsofpubl icpol i
cy.
quitedi ffer
entf r
om t hecaseofapl ainti
ffwhosuf fer
sf rom
traumat ic neurasthenial inked wi th phy si
cali ll
ness di r
ect l
y
result i
ng fr
om an acci dent.Fur ther
mor e,therewoul d bean
elementofunf air
nessoft hekindadv ert
edt obyLor dHof fmann
asbet weenempl oyeesexposedt osuchasbest oswhomayi n
factsuf ferfr
om gr eatanxietyfort heremai nderoft heirli
vesbut
notsuchascoul dbechar acterisedaspsy chiatri
cinjury,ont he
onehandandt hosewhosuf f
erf r
om suchanxi etywhi chcanbe
char acteri
sedaspsy chiatr
icinjury,ont heot her.Isitjustthata
wor rierwhohast otakemedi cationforhi swor ryreceivessums
i
nt heor derof€50, 000ormor ewher easwor r
ierswhodonot
hav et otakesuchmedi cationgetnot hing?Ithinknot ."
PECUNI
ARYLOSS
Candl
ervCr
ane,
Chr
ist
mas&Co.[
195112KB164
Facts:The plai
nti
ff desi
red toinvesti n a company and
request
ed t
he accounts oft he company.The MD oft he
companyinstr
uctedthedefendantswhower etheaccountants
ofthecompanyandwhower ealr
eadyprepari
ngtheaccount
st o
speedupwithit,
inf
ormingthem t
hat
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
thepl aintif
fwant edtoseei tforthepur poseofi nvestment .The
account swer epr eparedandshowedt othepl aint
if
f,who, relyi
ng
ont heaccount s,investedi nthecompany .Thepl ainti
fflosthis
i
nv estmentas t he account s were car elessly prepared and
cont ainedmanyi naccur acies.
Held:I nt heabsenceofanycont ractualrel
at i
onshipbet weent he
plainti
f fandthedef endant, t
hedef endantswer enotliabl
ef orthe
l
ossoft heplainti
f f
'sinvestment.
Principle:Damages i nt he form ofpecuni ar yloss ar e not
recov erableinnegl igenceint heabsenceoff r
aud.
100
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
101
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
mani sr esponsibl
ef orwhathest at
esi nacer ti
fi
cate
to any per son to whom he may hav er eason t o
supposet hatthecer ti
fi
catemaybeshown.Butt he
l
awofEngl anddoesnotgot ot hatextent
;itdoesnot
considerthatwhatamanwr i
tesonpaperi slikeagun
or ot her dangerous i nstr
ument , and, unl ess he
i
ntendedt odecei ve,thelaw doesnot ,intheabsence
ofcont r
act,hold him r esponsibl
ef ordr awi ng his
cert
if
icatecar el
essly.
'
'
"It
hinkthatthatisastruet odayasitwaswheni twas
sai
dbyBowen, '
L.J.Wrottesley,J.
,conti
nued, '
ther
ei s,
i
nmyopi nion,nothingi
nDonoghuevSt evensonwhi ch
makest hatbad l aw.Theexcept i
onsl aid down by
DonoghuevSt evenson'—t heexceptions
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Andatp.179and180:" Fi
r st
,whatper sonsar eundersuch
duty?Myansweri st hose per sons such as account ants,
surveyors,v aluers and anal ysts,whose pr ofessi on and
occupationitist oexami nebooks, accounts,andot hert hings,
andt omaker eportsonwhi chot herpeopl e—ot hert hant heir
cl
ients—r el
yint heor dinar
ycour seofbusi ness.Thei rdut yis
notmer elyadut ytousecar eint heirr
epor t
s.Theyhav ealsoa
dutytousecar eint heirwor kwhi chr esult
si nt heirr epor t
s.
Hereinliest hedi fferencebet weent hesepr ofessi onalmen
andot herpersonswhohav ebeenhel dt obeundernodut yt o
usecar einthei rstatements,suchaspr omot erswhoi ssuea
prospectus:Der r
yv .Peek ( now al ter
ed by st atute),and
tr
usteeswhoansweri nqui
riesaboutt het r
ustf unds:Low v .
104
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Bouveri
e.Thoseper sonsdonotbri
ng,andarenotexpect
edto
bri
ng,anyprofessionalknowl
edgeorskil
lint
otheprepar
ati
on
ofthei
rstat
ement s:theycanonl
ybe
n
mader esponsiblebyt helawaffectingper sonsgeneral
ly
,suchas
contract,estoppel,innocentmisrepr esent
ationorf r
aud.Butitis
verydi f
ferentwi t
hpersonswhoengagei nacal l
ingwhichrequir
es
specialknowl edgeandski l
l.Fr
om v eryearlytimesithasbeenheld
thattheyoweadut yofcar etothosewhoar eclosel
yanddi r
ectl
y
affected byt heirwor k,apartaltoget herf r
om anycont ractor
undertakingint hatbehalf
."
Andatpp.184and185:" Myconclusi
onisthatadutytousecare
i
nst atementisrecogni
zedbyEnglishlaw,andthatit
srecogni
ti
on
doesnotcr eateanydangerousprecedentwheni ti
sremembered
thatitisl
i
mi t
edinrespectofthepersonsbywhom andtowhom i t
i
sowedandt hetransact
ionstowhichitappl
ies.
"Onefi
nalword:Ithi
nkt hatthelaw wouldfailtoservethebest
i
nter
estsofthecommuni tyifitshoul
dhol dt
hataccountant
sand
audi
tor
soweadut ytonoonebutt hei
rcli
ent.I
tsinfl
uencewould
bemostmar kedincaseswher ethei
rcli
enti
sacompanyorf i
rm
cont
rol
ledbyoneman.I twouldencour ageaccountant
stoaccept
105
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
theinfor mat ionwhi cht heonemangi vest hem, wi thoutv erify ingit;
and t o pr epar e and pr esentt he account sr at heras a l awy er
prepar esandpr esent sacase, put tingt hebestappear anceont he
account st heycan,wi thoutexpr essi ngt heirper sonalopi nionof
them.Thi si s,t omywayoft hinki ng,anent ir
el ywr ongappr oach.
Ther eisagr eatdi fferencebet weent hel awy erandt heaccount ant.
Thel awy eri snev ercal ledont oexpr esshi sper sonalbel iefi nt he
truthofhi scl i
ent'scase;wher east heaccount ant ,whocer tifi
es
theaccount sofhi scl ient,i sal way scal l
edont o expr esshi s
personalopi ni onast owhet hert heaccount sexhi bitat rueand
correctv i
ewofhi scl ient '
saf fairs; andhei srequi redt odot hi s,not
somuchf ort hesat isfact ionofhi sowncl i
ent ,butmor ef ort he
guidance ofshar ehol der s,i nvest or s,r evenue aut hor it
ies,and
otherswhomayhav et or elyont heaccount si nser iousmat ter sof
business.I f we shoul d deci de t his case i nf av our of t he
account ant st herewi l
lbenor easonwhyaccount ant sshoul dev er
verif
yt hewor doft heonemani naone- mancompany ,because
therewi l
lbenoonet ocompl ainabouti t.Theonemanwhogi ves
them wr ongi nformat ionwi l
lnotcompl ai niftheydonotv erifyit.
Hewant st hei rbacki ngf ort hemi sleadi nginf or mat ionhegi ves
them,and hecanonl ygeti ti ft heyaccepthi swor d wi thout
verif
icat i
on.I ti sjustwhathewant ssoast ogai nhi sownends.
Andt heper sonswhoar emi sledcannotcompl ainbecauset he
account ant sowenodut yt ot hem.I fsuchbet hel aw, Ithinki ti sto
ber egr etted,f oritmeanst hatt heaccount ant s'cer t
ificate,whi ch
shoul dbeasaf eguar d,becomesasnar ef orthosewhor elyoni t.I
donotmy selft hinkt hati tist hel aw.I nmyopi ni onaccount ant s
oweadut yofcar enotonl yt ot heirowncl ient s,butal sot oal l
those whom t hey know wi llr ely on t heiraccount si nt he
transact ionsf orwhi cht hoseaccount sar eprepar ed."
106
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
anyliabi
li
tythatmayar i
se.Thepl ai
nti
ffenter
edi
ntoanadv er
tisi
ng
agreementwi ththecompanybutt hecompanywasl i
quidated.It
wasf oundthattheadv i
cebyt hedefendantswasnegl
igentl
ygi v
en
al
thoughnotf raudul
ently
.
Held:Thedef endantswouldhav ebeenliabl
etot
heplaint
if
fforthe
l
osssuf fer
edbutf orthediscl
aimer.
Pr
inci
ple:
Pur
eeconomi
clossi
sdamager
ecov
erabl
einnegl
i
gence.
PerLor
dRei
datp.583:
"Ar
easonabl
eman,
knowi
ngt
hat
u
hewasbei ngtrustedort hathisskillandj udgmentwerebeing
rel
iedon,woul d,Ithink,havet hreecour sesopent ohim.He
couldkeepsi lentordecl inetogi vethei nformati
onoradv i
ce
sought ;orhecoul dgi veananswerwi thacl earquali
fi
cati
on
thatheaccept ednor esponsibil
i
tyf oritort hatitwasgiven
withoutthatreflect
ionori nquir
ywhi chacar ef
ulanswerwould
require;or he coul d si mply answer wi t
hout any such
quali
ficati
on.Ifhechoosest oadoptt helastcoursehemust ,I
thi
nk,behel dt ohav eaccept edsomer esponsi
bil
i
tyforhis
answer bei ng gi ven car eful
ly,or t o hav e accepted a
rel
ationshipwi ththei nquir
erwhi chr equireshimt oexerci
se
suchcar east hecircumst ancesrequire."
PerLor dMor r
isofBor t
h-y-
Gestatpp.588—590:" MyLor ds,it
seemst omet hatifAassumesar esponsibi
lit
yt oBt ot ender
him del i
berateadv i
ce,ther
ecoul dbeal i
abil
i
tyift headv i
ceis
negligently given.Isay ' could be'because t he or dinar
y
courtesiesandexchangesofl i
fewoul dbecomei mpossi bleif
i
twer esoughtt oattachlegalobl i
gati
ont oev eryki ndlyand
fr
iendl yact.Butt heprinci
pleoft hemat terwoul dnotappear
tobei ndoubt .IfAempl oysB( whomi ght.forexampl e,bea
professionalmansuchasanaccount antorasol icitorora
doctor )f orr ewardt o give adv i
ce and i ft he adv i
ce is
negligentlygiventherecouldbeal i
abi
li
tyinBt opaydamages.
Thef actthatt headv i
ceisgi veninwor dswoul dnot ,inmy
vi
ew,pr eventliabi
li
tyfr
om ar i
sing.Quit
eapar t,howev er,from
107
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
empl oy mentorcont r
actther emaybeci rcumst ancesi nwhich
adut yt oexer cisecar ewi l
lar iseifaser vi
cei svolunt
arily
under taken.Amedi calmanmayunexpect edl ycomeacr oss
anunconsci ousman,whoi sacompl etestrangert ohim,and
whoi sinur gentneedofski ll
edat tenti
on:ifthemedi calman,
foll
owi ngt hef inet r
aditi
onsofhi sprofession,pr oceedst o
treattheunconsci ousmanhemustexer ciser easonableski l
l
andcar eindoingso. .
..I
canseenodi f
f erenceofpr incipleinthecaseofabanker .If
someonewhowasnotacust omerofabankmadeaf ormal
appr oacht ot hebankwi thadef ini
terequestt hatthebank
woul d gi v
e hi m del i
berate adv i
ce as to cer tainf i
nancial
mat tersofanat ur ewi t
hwhi cht hebankor dinari
lydealtthe
bankwoul dbeundernoobl igat i
ont oaccedet ot herequest:if
,
howev er,t hey under took, t hough gr atuitously,t o give
deliberateadv ice( Iexcl udewhatImi ghtcal lcasualand
per f
unct oryconv ersations)
•
82
108
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
theywouldbeunderadut yt
oexerci
ser easonabl
ecare
i
ngi v
ingit.Theywouldbeli
abl
eiftheywer enegli
gent,
alt
hough,therebeingnoconsi
der
ation,noenforceabl
e
contr
actualrel
ati
onshi
pwascreat
ed.
misstat
ementsareinquest
iont herecanbenol i
abi
l
ity
i
nt he makeroft hem unless thereis ei
thersome
contr
actual
orfi
duciar
yrel
ationship
83z•
withaper sonadv erselyaf fect ed byt hemaki ng of
them or unl ess, through t he maki ng of t hem,
somet hi
ngi scr eat
edorci r
culat edorsomesi tuat ionis
createdwhi chi sdanger oust ol ife,l
imborpr oper ty
.In
l
ogicIcanseenoessent i
alr easonf ordi sti
ngui shing
i
njurywhi chi scausedbyar elianceuponwor dsf r
om
i
njurywhi chi scausedbyar elianceupont hesaf et yof
thest agingt oashi porbyar elianceupont hesaf et
y
foruseoft hecont entsofabot tl
eofhai rwashora
bottleofsomeconsumabl el iquid.I tseemst ome,
therefore, thati fAclaimst hathehassuf feredi nj uryor
l
ossasar esultofact i
nguponsomemi sstat ement
madebyBwhoi snoti nanycont ractualorf iduci ar
y
rel
ationshi pwi thhim,t heinqui r ythati sfirstr aisedi s
whet herBowedanydut yt oA:i fhedi dt hef ur t
her
i
nqui ryisr aisedast ot henat ureoft hedut y.Ther emay
beci rcumst ancesunderwhi cht heonl ydut yowedbyB
toA i st he dut y ofbei ng honest :t here may be
cir
cumst ancesunderwhi chBowest oAt hedut ynot
only of bei ng honestbutal so a dut y of t aking
reasonabl ecar e."
ref
ert oacasec,whi chhadsai dthatther elati
onshi
p
couldbecr eatedv ol
untar
il
y,asitwer e,byaper son
comingi ntoast ateofconf i
denti
alrelat
ionshipwi t
h
anotherbyoffer i
ngt ogiveadviceinamat ter,andso
bei
ngdi sabl
edt hereaft
erfr
om purchasing.
"I
tis di
ff
icultt
o see why l
i
abi
li
ty as such shoul
d
dependont henat
ureofthedamage.LordRoche,in
Morri
sonSS
•
84
CoLt dvGr eystokeCasm ( Car
goowner s)([
194612Al lER
696, atp700; [1947]AC265atp280) ,instanceddamage
toal orrybyt henegligenceofthedriverofanot herlorr
y
which whi l
ei tdoes no damage t ot he goods int he
secondl or
rycausest hegoodsownert obeputt oexpense
whichi srecoverabl
ebydi r
ectact
ionagainstthenegli
gent
dri
ver.
"
PerLor d Dev l
in atpp.602 and 603:" Thi si s whyt he
distincti
oni snowsai dt odependonwhet herf i
nanci alloss
i
scausedt hroughphy si cali njuryorwhet heri tiscaused
directly
.Thei nterposi t
ionoft hephy sicali njuryissai dt o
makeadi f
ferenceofpr inciple.Icanf i
ndnei therlogi cnor
commonsensei nthis.I firrespect iveofcont ract,adoct or
negl i
gentlyadv isesapat ientt hathecansaf elypur suehi s
occupat ionandhecannotandt hepat i
ent '
sheal thsuf fer s
andhel oseshi sl i
velihood, thepat ienthasar emedy .Buti f
thedoct ornegl igentlyadv iseshi mt hathecannotsaf ely
pur suehi soccupat ionwheni nf acthecanandhel oseshi s
l
ivel i
hood, t
her eissaidt obenor emedy—unl ess,ofcour se,
thepat i
entwasapr ivatepat ientandt hedoct oraccept ed
halfagui neaf orhi st roubl e:t henthepat ientcanr ecov er
all.Iam boundt osay ,myl ords,thatIt hinkt hist obe
nonsense.I tisnott hesor tofnonsenset hatcanar i
seev en
i
nt hebestsy stem ofl aw outoft heneedt odr aw ni ce
distincti
onsbet weenbor der l
inecases.I tar ises,ifi tist he
l
aw,si mplyoutofar efusalt omakesense.Thel inei snot
drawnonanyi ntell
i
giblepr inciple.Itjusthappenst obet he
l
inewhi cht hosewhohav ebeendr i
v enf rom t heext reme
asser ti
on t hatnegl i
gentst atement si nt he absence of
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
contr
act
ualorfi
duci
arydutygiv
enocauseofact
ionhav
ein
thecour
seofthei
rret
reatsofarreached.
Ashbur t
on, Robi nsonvNat i
onalBankofScot land, Donoghue
vSt evenson,andMor r
isonSSCoLt dvGr ey stokeCast le
(Car goOwner s).Thel astoft heseIcandealwi thatoncef or
i
tl i
esout sidet hemai nst ream ofaut horit
yont hispoi nt .I
ti s
acasei nwhi chdamagewasdonet oashi past her esultofa
colli
sionwi thanot hershi p.Theowner sofcar goont hef irst
ship,whi chcar gowasnoti tsel
fdamaged,t husbecame
l
iablet ot heowner soft hef ir
stshipf oragener alav erage
cont ri
bution.Theysuedt hesecondshi pasbei ngpar tlyt o
blamef ort hecol lisi
on.Thust heywer ecl aimi ng f ort he
fi
nanci allosscausedt othem byhav i
ngt omaket hegener al
aver agecont ributi
onal thought heirpr opert
ysust ainedno
phy sicaldamage.Thi sHousehel dt hatt heycoul dr ecov er.
Thei rlordshi psdi dnoti nt hatcasel aydownanygener al
principleaboutl i
abili
tyf orfinanciallossi ntheabsenceof
phy sicaldamage;butt hecasei t
selfmakesi timpossi blet o
arguet hatt her eisanygener alruleshowi ngthatsuchl ossi s
ofitsnat urei rrecoverable."
Electr
ochr omevWel shPlast
ics[1968]2Al lER205
Facts:Thedef endantsnegli
gentlydr ov
et heirlorryt ocoll
idewi tha
fi
rehy drantneartheplai
nti
ff
'sfactoryanddamagedt hehydrant.The
hydrantdidnotbel ongtotheplaintif
fbutasar esultofthedamage,
thesuppl yofwaterthroughitwasst oppedforhour sandt heplainti
ff
l
ostaday 'swork.Held:Thedut yowedbyt hedef endantsnott o
damaget hehydrantwasowedt ot heowner soft hehy dr
antandnot
theplainti
ffandthustheyarenotliabletothepl ainti
ff.
PerGeof fr
eyLaneJatp.208:" I
tisper f
ectlytr
uethatitmay
seem i nequi
tabl
et hata per son who has undoubt edl
y
sufferedl ossint hismannershoul dhav enor i
ghtofact i
on
againstt hepersonwhost art
edof fthetrainofevents,who
fi
rstputamat chtot hebluetouch-paper,butoneonlyhasto
consi derthepossibleresul
tsifsuchanact ionsucceededto
real
ise t hat thi
si s one of t he cases wher e publi
c
conv enienceandi nt
erestdemandt hatther i
ghtofact i
on
mustst opshort.
"I
nt hecaseofwaterbei
ngcutof fi
nthi
smanneronecan
i
magi neawholeseri
es,may behundr
eds,ofacti
onsbei
ng
broughtagai
nstthe defendant
s based on t
histype of
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhan
s.
c.1L(
UK)Lt
dvWhi
tt
al[
197111QB337
Fact s:Thedef endant s,whi l
er econst r
ucting a wal l,damaged an
electri
citycablewhi chr analongsi dether oad.Thecabl ebel ongedt o
the el ectri
cit
yboar d butsuppl ied electri
cityt o sev er
alf actori
es
i
ncl udingt hepl aintiff'
sf actory .Owi ngt ot hedamage,t her ewas
powerout age forsome hour s and t his caused damage t ot he
plainti
ff's machines and mat eri
als as wel las causi ng l oss of
product ion.Theyal legednegl igenceont hepar toft hedef endants
andsued.
Held:Si ncet hedef endant sknewt hatthecabl esuppl i
edel ect r
ici
tyto
thepl ainti
ffandt hati ftheydamagedi t,theplaintif
fwoul dbewi t
hout
electri
city,theyowedt hem adut yofcar eandt huswer eliablef orthe
damagecausedt ot hemat erialsandt hepr ofitthereonbutnotf or
thepur eeconomi cl ossar isi
ngf rom lossofwor ksincethatwast oo
remot e.
Principle:Economi cl osswi thoutdamaget o per sonsorpr opert
y
whi char isesf r
om anegl igentacti snotr ecov erableasdamages
exceptwher e such l oss ist he immedi ate consequence oft he
negl i
gence.
Appl
yi
ngthatcase,
Ihol
dthatthecontr
act
orsarel
iabl
eforal
l
themat
eri
aldamagedonetothefactor
yownersandanyloss
ofpr
ofi
t
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
consequentt
her
eon.
"
•
88
hour ssot hatt heowneroft hegoodsi shel dupand
l
osespr oduct i
on.Appl y i
ngt het ugcase,i tseemscl ear
thatt heser vantcannotr ecoverf orhi sl ossofwages;
norcant heowneroft hegoodsr ecov erf orhi sl ossof
profit.Suppose nextt he ser vanti si njured and t he
empl oyernot .Butt heempl oyersuf fersdamageowi ng
tot hel ossofhi sser vices.Hecannotr ecov erf rom t he
wr ongdoer :see I nl and Rev enue Commi ssioner sv
Hambr ook[ 1956]2Q. B.641.Yeti nal lthesei nstances
thewr ongdoerwascer tainlyunderadut yofcar et o
ever yoneconcer ned,t hati s,t ot heempl oy er,t ot he
ser vant,andt ot heowneroft hegoods.I ft herehad
beenphy sicaldamaget oanyoft hem,t hedef endant
woul dhav ebeenhel dl i
ablef ort hephy si
caldamage
andt helossofear ningsconsequentt hereon.Yet ,when
therei snophy sicaldamage, thedef endanti snotl iable.
Hisbr eachofdut yist hesame,nomat t
erwhet hert he
damagei sphy sicali njuryoronl yeconomi cl oss.Onl y
the damage i s different.I fy ou r efuse t o al low t he
plaintiffinsuchcasest or ecov erforeconomi cl oss, i
ti s
notbecauset her eisnodut yowedt ohim,norbecause
i
twasnotcausedbyt henegl igenceoft hedef endant ,
butsi mpl ybecausei tist oor emot et obeaheadof
damage.I ti sr atherl iket hecasesonner v ousshock
wher eaby standerf ailst or ecov er .Ther easoni s,not
because t her ei s no dut yt o hi m,butbecause t he
damagei st oor emot e:seeKi ngvPhi ll
ips[ 1953]1Q. B.
429, 439. "
Andat346:" I
nt hiscaseIt hi
nkthecont ract
orsare
l
iabl
ef orthe mat eri
aldamage done tot he fact
ory-
ownersandt helossofprofi
ttrul
yconsequentthereon,
butnotforanyothereconomicloss.
"
Spar
tanSt
eel
andAl
l
oysvMar
ti
n&Co.[
1973]QB27
Facts:Thedef endantsnegli
gentl
ydamagedanel ectr
ici
tycable
whicht heyknew suppl i
edel ect
ri
cit
yt otheplai
nti
ffsfactory
.
Foll
owingt hedamage, t
hepl ai
nti
ff
swer ewit
houtel
ectri
cit
yunti
l
thecablewasr epair
ed.Theyhadt opourmoltenmet alwhich
wasmel tingoutofthefurnacetopreventdamagetothefurnace
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
andsincetheycouldnotkeepthatmetalatt hefi
ghttemperature,
i
tdepr eci
atedi nval
ueandt heylostprofitfrom i
tssale.They
suedandcl ai
medasdamagesi nadditi
ont ot hedepreciated
valueandthel ossofpr
ofitf
rom it
,thecostoff ourmeltswhi ch
theycouldhavedoneduringtheperi
odoft hepowerout age.
Held:Theplai
ntiff
swer eent i
tl
edt odamagesf orthedepr eciated
valueandt hel ossofpr ofi
tf r
om itsi nceitwasf or
eseeabl e
consequenti
aldamagef r
om t henegligentactbutnott hel oss
ari
singfrom t
heirinabi
lit
yt omeltfurt
hermet als.
Princi
ple:Apersonisliableonlyforthereasonablefinancialloss
thatisi mmediatel
y consequent ialtot he physi
caldamage
ari
singoutofhisnegl i
gence.
thechat t
elorgivi
nghi m arightt
orecei
vei tatsome
l
aterdat e— seeElli
ottSteam TugCo.Ltd.vShi ppi
ng
Control
ler[1922]1K.B.127,139andMar garineUnion
G.m.b.H.vCambayPr i
nceSteamshipCo.Ltd.[1969]1
Q.B.219,251-252.
"Inot hercases, howev er,thedef endantseemscl earlyto
havebeenunderadut ytot hepl ai nti
ff,butt heeconomi c
l
osshasnotbeenr ecov eredbecausei ti stoor emote.Take
thei l
lustr ati
ongi venbyBl ackbur nJ.i nCat tlevSt ockt on
Wat env orksCo.( 1875)L. R.10Q. B.453,457,whenwat er
escapesf rom ar eser voirandf loodsacoalmi newher e
many men ar e wor king.Those who had t heirt ools or
clot
hesdest r
oy edcoul dr ecov er;butt hosewhoonl yl ost
thei
rwagescoul dnot .Simi larly,whent hedef endants'shi p
negligent lysankashi pwhi chwasbei ngt owedbyat ug, the
owneroft het ugl osthi sr emuner ation,buthecoul dnot
recov eritf rom thenegl i
gentshi p,thought hesamedut y( of
navigationwi thr easonabl ecar e)wasowedt obot ht ugand
tow — see Soci été Anony me de Remor quage Hél ice v
Bennet ts[ 1911]1K. B.243, 248.I nsuchcasesi ft
hepl aintif
f
Ofhi spr oper tyhadbeenphy sicall
yi njured,hewoul dhav e
recov ered; but,asheonl ysuf f
er edeconomi cl oss,hei shel d
notent itledt or ecov er .Thi sis,Ishoul dt hink,becauset he
l
ossi sr egarded byt hel aw ast oo r emot e:seeKi ng v
Phil
lips[ 1953]1Q. B.429, 439- 440.
'
Ther ewasnodut y.'Inother
sIsay :'Thedamagewast oo
remote.'Somuchsot hatIt hi
nkt het i
mehascomet o
discardthoset est
swhi chhaveprovedsoel usive.I
tseems
tomebet tertoconsiderthepart
icul
arr el
ati
onshipinhand,
andseewhet herornot,asamat t
erofpol i
cy,economicloss
shouldber ecover
able,ornot.Thusi nWeller&Co.vFoot
andMout hDiseaseResearch
91u
Insti
tute[1966]1Q. B.569i twaspl aint hatt hel oss
sufferedbyt heauct ioneer swasnotr ecoverable,no
mat terwhetheritisputont hegroundt hattherewasno
dutyort hatthedamagewast oo remot e.Agai ni n
Electrochr
omeLt d.vWel shPl asti
csLt d.[1968]2Al l
E.R.205,itispl ai
nt hatt heeconomi cl osssuf feredby
thepl aint
if
fs'factory( duet othedamaget ot hef i
re
hydrant)wasnotr ecov erable,whet herbecauset here
wasnodut yorthati twast ooremot e."
fi
nancialdamagecannotber ecover
edsav ewheniti
s
theimmedi ateconsequenceofabr each ofdut
yto
safeguardthepl
aint
if
ffr
om thatki
ndofloss."
Gwa/ t
er[ 1959]2Q. B.332andScot tvGr een&Sons( A
Fir
m)[ 1969]1W. L.
R.301.Soher e,It hink,t helocal
authori
ty,hav i
ngar i
ghtofcont roloverthebui l
dingofa
house,hav ear esponsibilit
yinrespectofi t.Theymust ,I
thi
nk,taker easonabl ecar etoseet hatt heby elawsar e
compliedwi th.Theymustappoi ntbui
ldingi nspectorsto
examinet hewor ki npr ogress.Thosei nspect orsmust
bedili
gentandv isitthewor kasoccasi onr equires.They
mustcar ryoutt heirinspect i
onwi t
hreasonabl ecareso
astoensur et hattheby elawsarecompl iedwi th."
Atpp.394and395: "Nowadays,si
nceHedleyBy
rne&Co.
Ltd.vHell
er&Par tner
sLtd.[1964]A.
C.465,itiscl
ear
thataprofessi
onalmanwhogi vesguidancet
oothers
owesadut yofcare,notonlytothecl
ientwhoemploys
him,butal
sot o
93r
•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
i
njured would haver el
i
ed on the ar chit
ectort he
engineer
.Noneoft hem woul
dhav eknownwhet heran
archit
ectorengi neerwas empl oyed,ornot .But
beyonddoubt ,thearchit
ectandengi neerwouldbe
l
iable.Thereasonisnotbecauset hoseinjur
edreli
ed
onhi m,butbecauseheknew, oroughtt ohaveknown,
thatsuchpersonsmi ghtbeinjur
edi fhedi dhiswork
badly.
"
•
94
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
ar
eliabl
e:buti
ftheownerdiscover
sthedefectintimetorepai
rit
— andhedoesr epairi
t— thecouncilar
enotl iabl
e.Thatisan
i
mpossibledi
sti
nct
ion.Theyarel
i
ableinei
thercase.
"Ifphy si
caldamagei s,contrarytomyv iew, asinequanonbef ore
acauseofact i
oncanar iseagai nstabui l
derorabui l
dingowner ,
theni tseemst omet ohav eoccur r
edi nt hepresentcase.Buti n
myj udgmentt o poset hequest i
on:' Isi tphysicaldamageor
economi cdamage? '
istoadoptaf al
laciousappr oach.I nt hiscase
— andper hapsgener all
yi ncasesconcer nedwi t
ht heexer ci
seof
dutiesandpower sbyapubl icaut hority—t hecor r
ectt esti s'What
rangeofdamagei sthepr operexer ciseoft hepowerdesi gnedt o
prev ent?'I
nt hi
swayt hequest ionwhet heranypar ticulardamage
i
sr ecov erablei
sbr oughtbacki ntothear eaofpol i
cyi ndi catedby
Lord Denni ng M. R.i n hisj udgmenti nt he S.C.M.case:and
appr opri
atewei ghtcan, i
fnecessar y,begi ventothef actt hatthis
caseconcer nsahouseandnotachat tel.Att hi
sst age, itsuf f
ices
tosayt hatnot hingi nthenat ureoft hel osssust ainedbyt he
plainti
ff,ofit
self,
precludesacl aim
951M
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
bei
ngmai
ntai
nedf
ort
hatl
oss.
"
Wel l
ervFootandMout hDi seaseInst
it
ute[
1966]1QB569
Facts:The def endants car r
ied on r
esearch intof ootand mout h
diseases.Thev i
rusescapedandcat t
leinthev i
cini
tybecamei nf
ected
withdiseaseandt hecattlemar ketwascl oseddown.Thepl ai
nti
ffs,
whower eauctioneers,al
legedt hatasar esultofthecl osur
eoft he
mar ket
, t
heyhadl ostbusi
nessandsuedundert herule.
Held:Thedef endantsowedadut yonlytot hecattl
eowner sandnot
theplainti
ff
s.
Pr
inci
ple:
Wher
enodut
yofcar
eisowed,
economi
clossi
sir
recov
erabl
e.
arenotowner sofcat tl
eandhav enopr opri
etaryinter
esti n
anythi
ngwhi chmi ghtconceivabl
ybedamagedbyt hevirusif
i
tescaped.Ev eni ftheplai
nti
ffshav
eapr opri
etaryinterestin
thepremisesknownasFar nham market
,thesepr emisesar e
notinjeopardy.Inmyj udgment,t
heref
ore,t
hepl ai
ntif
fs'clai
m
i
n negligencef ail
sev en i
ft heassumpt i
onsoff actmost
favour
abletothem ar emade."
PerSt uar t-
Smi t
hLJatpp.721and722:" Ihav enodoubtt hat
oneoft her elevantci rcumst ancesi swhet herornott heagent
i
spai d.I fhei s,ther elationshipisacont ract ualoneandt here
maybeexpr esst er msonwhi chthepar tiescanr ely.Mor eov er
,
i
fapai dagentexer cisedanyt r
ade, professi onorcal l
ing,hei s
requir
ed t o exer cise t he degr ee of ski lland di li
gence
reasonabl yt obeexpect edofaper sonexer cisingsucht rade,
professionorcal li
ng, irr
espect i
veoft hedegr eeofski llhemay
possess.Wher et heagenti sunpai d,anydut yofcar ear i
sesi n
tort
.Rel ev antci rcumst anceswoul dbet heact ualski lland
experiencet hattheagenthad, although, ifhehasr epr esent ed
suchski l
landexper i
encet obegr eatert hani tinf actisand
theprinci palhasr eliedonsuchr epr esent ati
on, itseemst ome
tober easonabl et oexpecthi mt oshowt hatst andar dofski l
l
andexper i
encewhi chhecl aimshepossesses.Mor eov er,the
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
f
act
thatpri
nci
palandagentarefri
endsdoesnoti nmyj udgmentaf
fectthe
exist
enceofthedutyofcare,
althoughconceivabl
yitmaybear el
evant
cir
cumstanceinconsi
deri
ngthedegr eeorstandardofcar
e.
"Counselfortheplaintif
fhassubmi tt
edt hatthedut yofcarear i
sesnot
onlybecauseoft her elati
onshipofpr inci
palandagent ,butalsounder
thedoctri
neenunci atedi nHedl eyBy rne&CoLt dvHe/ /er&Par tner
s
Ltd[1963]2Al l
ER575, [
19641AC465.TheHouseofLor dsheldt hata
negli
gent,al
thoughhonest ,misrepresentation,spokenorwr i
tten,may
giveri
set oanact ionf ordamagesf orfinanciallosscausedt hereby,
apartfrom anycont ractorf i
duciaryr elat
ionship,sincet hel aw will
i
mpl yadut yofcar ewhenapar t
yseeki ngi nfor
mat i
onf rom apar t
y
possessedofspeci alski l
ltrust
shi mt oexer ci
secar e,andthatpar t
y
knew,oroughtt ohav eknown,t hatreli
ancewasbei ngpl acedonhi s
ski
llandjudgment .
"Whenconsi deri
ngthequestionofwhet heradutyofcar eari
ses,t
he
relat
ionshi
pbetweent hepart
iesi
smat eri
al.I
ftheyarefr
iends,
thetr
ue
view maybet hattheadviceorrepresentat
ionismadeonapur el
y
socialoccasi
onandt hecir
cumstancesshowt hattherehasnotbeena
voluntar
yassumpt i
onofresponsi
bil
it
y...
.
connecti
on,becauseheknew t
hatshewasther
eandt hengoi
ngt
o
commi ther
selft
obuyi
ngthecarf
orthr
oughhi
sagency
.
"I
f,asIthink,t
hedut yofcar einthiscasecanequallybesai d
toar i
seundert heHedl eyBy rnepr i
ncipl
e,thenl
ogicall
yt he
standardofcare,orthenat ureandext entoftheduty,should
bet hesameast hatrequir
edofanunpai dagent.Andt hisis
anaddi t
ionalr
easonwhyIpr efertostatethedutyasIhav e,
namel ytotakesuchcar easi sr easonabl
yt obeexpectedof
hi
mi nal
l t
hecir
cumst ances."
Pl
ayboyCl
ubLondonLt
dvBancaNazi
onal
eDel
Lav
oroSpa
[
20141EWHC2613
Fact s:Thet hirdpl ainti
ff,ajointowneroft hefirstpl ai
ntiffclubwi t
ht he
secondpl aintiff,request edar eferencet ooneofi tscust omer s.The
defendantgav ear eferencest atingt hathewascapabl eofmeet inga
fi
nanci alcommi t
mentofupt oLl. 6m aweek.I nr eli
anceont hat
reference, thecust omer '
schequeswer eacceptedandhewasal l
owed
topl ayint hepl aintif
fs'casino.Thechequesbouncedandt hepl ai
ntif
fs
i
ncur redal ossofaboutL1. 25m.Theysuedandt hedef endantar gued
thati tsdut yofcar ewasowedonl ytot het hirdpl ainti
ff,thatt he
referencel etterwaswr it
tenbyi t
sempl oyeewi thoutaut horityandt hat
thepl ai
nt i
ffshadbeennegl i
genti naccept ingcount erfeitcheques.
Hel d:Thepl ainti
ffswer eent itl
edt oassumet hatt hebank' sempl oyee
hadt heaut hor i
tytomaket her eferenceandt hedut yofcar et hebank
owedwasnotonl yt othet hir
dpl ainti
ffbutt othecl ubaswel l.
Principle:Aper sonwhogi vesanunqual i
fiedreferenceknowi ngthatit
willber el
iedonbyt heper sonseeki ngt hereferenceowesadut yof
caret ot hesear cher .
PerMr .Ti
m KerrQC( Si
tti
ngasaDeput yJudgeoft heHi gh
Court)atpars.111 — 114:111." I
nthepresentcontext,
though,if Iweret ol eave outof accountt he bank's
documentswhichsoughtt oexcludeadutyofcare,Iwoul d
fi
ndt hatt
herelat
ionshi
pbetweenMrGi ll
ardandMfPar ker
wassuchast o
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
•
100
sati
sfytherequirement ssetoutinLordMor r
is'speechinHedl ey
Byrneat502- 3,quot edabov e.Thedi spari
tyi nknowledgeand
expert
iseandt herespecti
verolesofthet womenwassucht hatit
wasr easonablytobeexpect edthatMrPar kerwoul drel
yonMr
Gil
lar
d'sskillandj udgmentand,asi def rom t hedocument s,it
wouldber easonablef orhimt odoso.Howev er,t
hebankswent
outoft hei
rwayi nthedocument stheypr ov
idedt oMrPar ker,to
ensurethatthedutyIhav efoundwouldar i
se,didnotdoso.
112. "
Thosewer
ethedocument
sthatwer
ethesubj
ectoft
he
debatebetweencounselont hedistinctionbetweenbasisclauses
and exclusi
onclauses,alreadyment ioned.Theaut hori
ti
esar e
manybutt hepri
nci
pleissi mpleenough:y oulookatt hewor ds
usedt oseewhether,understoodint heirpropercont
extfrom the
perspecti
ve ofan imparti
aland r easonable obser
ver( i
.e.the
court)
,theyprev
entar epresentat
ionf rom hav i
ngbeenmade,Of
whether,bycont
rast
,theyexcludeliabil
ityformakingi
t.
101•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Owner
s—Strat
aPlanNo.61288vBrookf
iel
dsAust
ral
i
a
I
nvest
ment
sLtd(2013)152ConLR206;[
20131NSWCA317
Fact s:Thedefendantwasthebui
lderofan18-stor
eydevel
opmentt hat
tookpl acebetween1997and1999.Thepl ai
nti
ff
sbecamet heowner s
ofpar toft hebuil
dingandsuedt hedefendantfordef
ecti
vebuilding
wor ks.Held:Thedefendantowedtheplai
ntif
fsadutyofcar
eandt hus
wasl i
ablefort
hedef ect
s.
Principle:Abui
lderowesadutyofcaretotheownerofthebuil
ding.
u102
l
iabil
it
y ofa bui l
derf orphy sicaldamage to per
sons or
propert
y. Once t he latter l
iabil
i
tyi srecogni
sed,iti s
appropri
atetoacceptl iabil
i
tyf oreconomicl
oss,beingt
he
costofstepsreasonablytakent omiti
gatet
heri
skofphysi
cal
damageorper sonali
njury.
[
128] "Thescopeofl iabilitysoi dent if
iedwoul dext endto
defect ivecl addi ngordef ectsi not herpar tsoft hecommon
proper tywhi chcoul dgiveriset oper sonali njury.Itwoul dalso
covert heexpenseofr ectif
y i
ngdef ectswhi chcoul dgiverise
to damage t o pr operty,incl uding t he pr oper tyoft he lot
owner s.Thus, ifwi ndowf r
amesar edef ectiveandt endt ol
eak,
ort her ear epr oblemswi tht hepl umbi ngorot herser vi
ces,
whichmaygi v er iset owat erdamagewi thinthepr operty
,
suchdef ectswoul df allwithint hescopeofl i
abilit
y.Ont his
appr oach,t hel iabili
tyoft hebui lderi nt or ttot heappel lant
woul di ncludet heki nd of' speci alf aults'i dentifi
ed int he
contr actand r eferred to at[ 64]abov e,butmi ghtextend
furt
her .Thus, ifal eakingwi ndowwasl iablet ocausedamage
to car pet sorot herf l
oorcov eri
ngs,t herei sno r easont o
excludesuchadef ectf r
om t hescopeofl i
abi li
ty.
[
129] "Accepti
ngt hatthegener all
awdoesnoti mposea
generaldutyofcar et oav oideconomi closs,andt hatthe
decisi
oni nBr yanvMal oneydoesnoti nt ermsdictatethe
outcomei nt hepr esentcase,t herearesignifi
cantfeat
ures
whichmi li
tateinf avouroft heexist
enceofadut yofcar e
coveri
ngl ossr esult
ingf r
om l atentdef
ectswhi ch(a)wer e
str
uctural
,(b)const i
tutedadangert opersonsorpropertyin,
orinthev i
cini
tyof,theservicedapartments,or(c)madethem
uni
nhabi t
able.Theex i
stenceofadut yexpressedint hose
ter
msshoul dbeaccept ed.
"
Net
workRai
l
wayInf
rast
ruct
ureLt
dvConar
kenGr
oupLt
d[2012]
1All
ER(Comm)692
Facts:Theplainti
ff,ownersoft henationalrail
waynetwork,earnedit
s
revenuefrom char gingt r
aincompani esusi ngit
sr ai
lwaylines.The
plai
nti
ffpaidthecompani eswhent rai
nser v
icesweredisruptedasum
permi nut
eofav eragel at
eness.Thiswasbecausedel ayswer eli
kel
yto
preventpeoplef rom usingt hetrainsandt husthecompani estook
compensat i
onf orthat.Thedefendantscauseddamaget othe
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
103•
•
rail
wayl i
nesowi ngtot henegl igenceoft heirdr
iver
s.Thepl ai
nti
ff
andt hedefendantsadmi ttedliabili
tyfort hecostofr epairsbutthe
plaintif
fsoughtt orecov eralsot hecompensat i
ontobepai dtothe
trai
ncompani esforthedel aycausedbyt hedamage.
Hel d:Sinceitwasr easonabl yforeseeablet hatdamaget otherail
way
l
ineswoul dcauset hepl ainti
fflossofr evenue,thedef endantswere
l
iabl eforboththecostoft her epairandt hecompensat i
on.
Pr i
nciple: Loss of r ev enue caused by phy si
cal damage t o
revenuegener at
ing proper tyi sr ecov
er ableifi t was r easonabl
y
foreseeable.
[
82] "
It was r easonably f oreseeable t hat ,i f t he
respondents'appar at
uswasdamaged,t heser vicesoft he
TOCs,andt hei
rv al
uet othepubl i
c,woul dbedi mi nishedand
thatar r
angement s would hav e been puti n place byt he
franchi
singaut hori
tytopenalisetheTOCsf orthedi minution
i
nt hei
rserv i
ces.Two cont ractsar ei nv
olved,t hecont ract
betweent her espondentsandt heTOC,andt hef ranchising
arrangementbet weent hefranchisingauthor i
tyandt heTOC,
butt hecompl exit
ydoesnotr endert heresulti
ngl osst ot he
respondentstoor emotefrom thephy sicaldamage.
[
83] "
The MRE componenti s,in my judgment ,al
so
r
ecoverabl
eint hecircumst
ances.I
tdependsonamedi um t
o
l
ongterm assessmentofpassengerchoicesov
erthenetwork.
Whether the ' t
ippi
ng point
' of deterri
ng potent
ial r
ail
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
passenger
sisreacheddependsnotonl
yont
hedi
srupt
ion
causedbythet
orti
tsel
f
•
•104
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
[ "
101]It
hinki
tiscl
ear
,ther
efor
e,t
hatt
wot
ypesofl
oss
fl
ow natural
l
yf rom anydamaget otheinf
rastructurethat
rendersthet r
acki t
selfunav ail
ableforuse:t hecostof
repairandthel ossofrev enueat t
ri
butabl
et ot helossof
avail
abil
it
yoft hetrackitself.Bothareinmyv iew withi
n
thescopeoft hedutyoft hemot ori
st,orindeedany one
else,toexerci
ser easonabl ecarenott ocausephy sical
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
damagetot
heinfr
astr
uctur
e.Subj
ecttothelimit
ati
ons
i
mposedbyt
her
ulesrel
ati
ngtor
emoteness,
ther
efor
e,all
105"
"
Ihe
suchlossisinprinci
plerecov erabl
ef r
om t hepersonwho
causedthedamage.Ther ulesconcerningr emotenessof
damageconf i
net hescopeoft het or
tfeasor'
sliabi
li
tyto
that which was r easonably f oreseeable as t he
consequenceofhi swrongf ulact:seeOv erseasTankship
(UK)LtdvMor t
sDockandEngi neenngCoLt d,Thewagon
Mound( No1)[1961]1Al lER404, 119611AC388.
[ "
102]Fort
heser
easonsIam unabl
eto acceptt
hati
n
princi plet he scope ofNet wor k Rai l'sr ecov erabl el oss
shoul dbel imitedt ot hecost sofr epairst oi t
spr oper t
yand
anyl ossofr ev enuer esultingf rom i nterrupt i
ont oi tsown
passengerorf reightser v i
ces.Net wor k Rai ldoes not
oper at er ailser vicesofanyki nd,butt hatdoesnotpr ovide
agoodr easonf orr ender ingt hef inanciall ossf l
owi ngf r
om
thei nt er ruptionofi t
sabi litytomaket het rackav ailableto
other si rrecov er able.Thef actt hati nt hepr esentcaset he
l
osst ookt hef orm ofal iabili
tyt omakepay ment sunder
the t rack access agr eement s does not r ender i t
i
rrecov erabl e,si ncel i
abilitydependsonl yonf oreseeabi l
ity
oft heki ndofl osssuf feredr at hert hant hemanneri n
whi chi twascaused.I nEhm/ er vHal /[1993]1EGLR137a
cardr iv enbyt hedef endantcr ashedi nt oacarshowr oom
owned by t he pl ai
nt i
ffbutl ett oat hird par ty.The
showr oom became unusabl ef orsev eralweeks,dur ing
whi cht het enantceasedt obel i
ablef orr entunderan
expr esspr ov i
sionoft hel ease.Thi scour thel dt hatt he
plaint i
f fwasent itl
edt or ecov erdamagesi nt heamountof
thel ostr entasf inanciall ossf l
owi ngf rom t hephy sical
damage t ot he bui lding.I tdi d notmat ter t hatt he
def endantmi ghtnothav ef oreseent hatt hel easewoul d
cont ai nacl auseoft hatnat ur e,pr ov i
dedt hathecoul d
foreseef inanci allossofsomeki nd.Ther eisnomat er i
al
distinct i
onbet weent hatcaseandt hepr esent ,t hel ossof
revenuet akingt hef or m ofl ossofr entr athert hant he
pay mentofasum i ncompensat ionf ort heunav ailabili
tyof
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
the proper
ty.Applyi
ng t he establi
shed pri
nci
ples t
hat
governcausati
onandr emot enessofdamagei ntor
t,i
tis
dif
fi
culttoseewhythel ossofr evenuerepr
esentedbythe
Sch8pay mentsshoul
dnotber ecoverabl
e."
PerJacksonLJatp.733,
par.145:"Thecommonlawrules
and princi
ples whi
ch r
egulat
et he recover
abi
l
ity and
assessmentofdamagesfor
m av astandri
ppli
ngskei
n,to
whichmany
•
106
j
udgesandj ur
istshav econtr
ibutedov erthel
asttwo
centur
ies. I would not pr esume t o offer a
comprehensi
ver evi
ew oft hatskein.Ido,howev er
,
suggestthatfourprinci
plesrelevantt othepresent
appealcanbediscer
nedf r
om theaut hori
ti
es:
(
i) Economi closswhichflowsdi r
ectl
yandf oreseeablyf r
om
phy sicaldamaget opr oper
tymayber ecov erabl
e.The
thresholdt estoff or
eseeabil
ity does notr equi
ret he
tortfeasor to have any det ai
l
ed knowl edge of t he
claimant '
sbusinessaffair
sorfinancialci
r cumst ances,so
l
ong as t he generalnat ur
e oft he claimant '
sloss is
foreseeable.
(
ii
) One oft he recogni
sed categor
iesofr
ecover
abl
e
economi clossislossofincomef ol
l
owi
ngdamage
torevenuegenerat
ingpr
operty.
(
Il
i)Lossoff ut urebusinessasar esul
tofdamaget o
propert
yi saheadofdamagewhi chliesontheouter
fri
ngeofr ecov
erabil
ity
.Whet hertheclaimantcan
recoverforsucheconomi clossdependsupont he
cir
cumst ances oft he case and the rel
ati
onship
betweent heparti
es.
(i
v)I n choosing the appropriat
e measur e of
damagesf orthepur
posesofassessingr ecoverabl
e
economicl oss,the cour
tseeks t o arri
ve atan
assessment which i s f
air and r easonabl
e as
betweentheclai
mantandt hedefendant."
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Spandeck Engi neer i
ng v Def ence Sci ence and Technol ogy
Agency[ 200814LRC61
Fact s:Thepl aintiffunder t
ookacont ractinwhi cht hedef endant
wast hesuper intendingof ficer.Byt het ermsoft hecont ract,
thesuper intendingof f
icerwast ocer ti
fypay ment sbasedon
wor kdone.Thecont ractcont ained anar bit
rati
oncl ausei n
whi chdi sagreement saboutcer tif
icati
onwer etobesubmi tted
to ar bi
tration.The pl ainti
ffal l
eged t hatt he def endanthad
under valuedandunder cert
ifieditswor ksdoneatt hecont ract
sit
ecausi ngi tfi
nanci allossandsuedi nnegl igence.
Held:Ther ewasnosuchpr oximityast oi mposeadut yofcar e
ofthedef endantt ot hepl ai
ntiffandt husthepl ainti
ffmustf ail.
Principle:Tosucceedi nanact ioni nnegl i
gencei nr espectof
pureeconomi cl oss,itisnotenought oallegethatt helosswas
reasonabl yf oreseeabl e;ther emustal sobeacl osepr oximi t
y
suchaswoul dbef ai
rtoi mposeadut y
.
I
he
Andatp.100,
par
.108:
"Appl
yi
ngt
hef
indi
ngsi
nPaci
fi
c
•
108
111"
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
109e•
BREACHOFDUTY
STANDARDOFCARE
VaughanvMenl
ove[
1835-42]Al
lERRep.156
Facts:Thedef endantconstructedahÅy ri
ckwhichatthetimeof
const ruct
ionwasl i
kelytocatchf ir
e.Hewasnot if
iedaboutt hi
s
buthedi dnothingaboutituntiltheri
ckcaughtfi
reanddestroyed
thepl aint
if
f'
sadj oi
ninghouses.
Held:Thedef endanthadbr eachedt hestandar
doft hedut yof
carer equir
edofhi m andwast husli
able.
Principle:In consideri
ng the question ofnegli
gence and the
standar dofcar er equir
ed,thepr operruletobeappl i
edist he
degr ee ofcaut ion which a man ofor di
naryprudence would
obser ve.
PerVaughanJatp.159:"Theconductofaprudentman
hasalwaysbeent
hecr i
teri
onforthejur
yinsuchcases
112"
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
butitisbynomeansconf i
nedt ot hem.Ini nsurance
cases,wher e a captain has sol d hisv esselaf t
er
damage t oo ext
ensivef orrepairs,the quest i
on has
al
way sbeenwhet herhehaspur suedt hecour sewhich
a prudentman woul d hav e pur sued i
nt he same
ci
rcumstances.Her e,therewasnotasi nglewi t
ness
whose t est
imony di d not go t o establi
sh gr oss
negli
gencein
thedefendant.Hehadr epeat
edwar
ningsofwhatwas
l
ikel
ytooccur ,andthewholecal
ami
tywasoccasi
oned
byhisprocrasti
nat
ion.
"
PerLordPor t
eratp.858:" Thequest
ionthenarises:
Whatdegr ee ofcare musttheyexer
cise t
o escape
l
iabi
li
tyforanythi
ngwhichmayoccurasaresultofthi
s
i
ntendeduseoft hef
iel
d?
113"
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
drivermi ghtbe.I ti st ruet hatt hedr i
verdesi r
est odo
ever ythingpossi blet oav oi
danacci dent ,wher east he
hittingofabal loutoft hegr oundi sani ncidenti nt he
gameand, indeed, onewhi chthebat smanwoul dwi sht o
bringabout ;buti nor dert hatt heactmaybenegl igent
ther e mustnotonl ybe a r easonabl e possi bili
tyofi ts
happeni ngbutal soofi nj urybeingcaused.I nt hewor ds
ofLor dThanker toni nBour hi
/ /vYoungt hedut yi st o
exer cise' suchr easonabl ecar easwi llavoidt her i
skof
i
njur yt osuchper sonsashecanr easonabl yf oresee
mi ghtbei njuredbyf ailuret oexer cisesuchr easonabl e
car e',andLor dMacmi ll
anusedwor dst ot hel i
keef fect.So,
also,Lor dWr ighti nGl asgowCor por ationvMui rquot ed
the wel l-
known wor ds ofLor d At kini n Donoghue v
Stev enson:' Youmustt aker easonabl ecar et oav oidact s
oromi ssionswhi chy oucanr easonabl yforeseewoul d
bel i
kelyt oi njurey ournei ghbour '
.Itisnotenought hat
theev entshoul dbesuchascanr easonabl ybef oreseen;
thef urtherr esultt hati njuryisl i
kelyt of ol
lowmustal so
besuchasar easonabl emanwoul dcont empl at e,bef ore
hecanbeconv i
ct ed
ofact i
onablenegli
gence.Noristheremotepossibi
li
tyofinj
ury
occurri
ngenough;t her
emustbesuf f
ici
entprobabil
i
tytoleada
reasonablemant oantici
pateit
.Theexi
stenceofsomer i
skis
anor di
naryinci
dentofli
fe,ev
enwhenallduecarehasbeen,asit
mustbe, taken.
114"
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
ownerofadogdoesnotkeephi sdogal waysonal eadona
countryhighwayf orfearitmaycausei njurytoapassi ngmot or
cycli
st,nordoest heor di
nar i
l
ypr udentpedestrianavoi
dt heuse
ofthehi ghwayf orf earofski ddi
ngmot orcars.Itmayv er ywell
bet hatafterthisaccidentt heordinari
l
ypr udentcommi tteeman
ofasi milarcricketgroundwoul dt akesomef urt
herprecaution,
butt hati s nott o sayt hathe woul d hav et aken a similar
precauti
onbef oret heaccident.
115"
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
damageissuchthatareasonabl
eman,caref
ulofthe
saf
ety ofhi
s nei
ghbour
,woul dr egar
dthatri
sk as
mater
ial
?
Hal
eyvLondonEl
ect
ri
ci
tyBoar
d[19651AC778
Fact s:Thedef endant sexcav at edat r
enchal ongapav ementand
putahammeracr ossittopr ev entpeoplef r
om wal ki
ngoni t.The
plainti
ff,abl indmanwal kedoni twi t
hast ickandhi sst i
ck
mi ssed t he slopping such t hathe t ri
pped and f el
land was
render edalmostdeaf .Hesued.
Hel d:Thedef endant soughtt ohav ef oreseent hatthepeopl e
whousedt hepav ementi ncl udedbl indmenandshoul dhav e
takenst epstopr otectthem t oo.Faili
ngt odosomeantt heyhad
breachedt hei
rdut yofcar eandwer et husliabl
e.
Principle:Thest andar dofcar er equiredofaper sondependson
whatar easonableman,car ef ulofhisnei ghbour'ssafety,would
dohav ingtheknowl edgewhi char easonabl emani ntheposi ti
on
oft hedef endantmustbedeemedt ohav e.
116"
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
PerLor dRei datp.791and792:" I
ndeci di
ngwhati s
reasonabl yf oreseeabl e one must hav er egard t o
commonknowl edge.Wear eal laccust omedt omeet i
ng
bli
ndpeopl ewal kingalonewi ththeirwhi testicksonci t
y
pav ement s.Nodoubtt herear emanypl acesopent ot he
publ i
cwher ef oroner easonoranot heronewoul dbe
surpr i
sedt oseeabl indper sonwal kingal one,butaci t
y
pav ementi snotoneoft hem.Andar esident i
alstreet
cannotbedi fferentf rom anyot her.Thebl i
ndpeopl ewe
meetmustl ivesomewher eandmostoft hem pr obably
l
eftt heirhomesunaccompani ed.Itmayseem sur pr
ising
thatbl i
ndpeopl ecanav oidor dinaryobst aclessowel las
theydo, butwemustt akeaccountoft hef acts.Ther eis
evidencei nt hiscaseaboutt henumberofbl indpeopl e
i
nLondonandi tappear sf rom Gov ernmentpubl i
cations
thatt hepr oport i
oni nt hewhol ecount ryi snearonei n
500.Bynomeansal laresuf fi
cientlyski ll
edorconf ident
tov entureoutal onebutt henumberwhohabi t
uallydo
somustbev eryl ar
ge.If indi tqui tei mpossi blet osay
thatitisnotr easonabl yf or eseeabl et hatabl indper son
maypassal ongapar ticularpav ementonapar ti
cular
day .
"Noquest i
oncanar i
sei nthiscaseofanygr eatdi ffi
cult
y
i
n af fording adequat e pr otect i
on f or t
he bl ind.I n
consideringwhati sadequat epr otectionagainonemust
haver egar dtocommonknowl edge.Onei sent i
tl
edt o
expectofabl i
ndper sonahi ghdegr eeofskillandcar e
becausenonebutt hemostf ool hardywoul dv ent ureto
gooutal onewi t
houthav i
ngt hatski l
landexer cisingthat
care.Weknowt hatinf actbl i
ndpeopl edosaf elyavoid
allordinaryobst aclesonpav ement s;therecanbeno
questionofpaddi nglamppost saswassuggest edin
onecase.Butamoment 'sr eflect i
onshowst hatal ow
obstaclei nanunusualpl acei sagr av edanger :ont he
otherhand, itisclearfrom t heev idencei nthi
scaseand
also,Ithink,from commonknowl edget hatqui teal i
ght
fencesomet wof eethighi sanadequat ewarning.Ther e
wouldhav ebeennodi ffi
cultyi npr ov i
dingsuchaf ence
here.The ev i
dence ist hatt he PostOf fi
ce al ways
117"
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
providesone,and t hatt herespondentshav esimil
ar
fences whi ch are of
ten used.I ndeed the evi
dence
suggest sthattheonlyreasontherewasnof encehere
wast hattheaccidentoccur r
edbef orethenecessary
fenceshadar ri
ved.Soiftherespondentsaretosucceed
i
tcanonl ybeonthegroundt hatther
ewasnodut ytodo
mor ethansafeguardordinar
yable-bodiedpeopl
e."
119"
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
bli
ndper sonswal ki
ngslowlyalongonthepavementand
wavingawhi t
est i
ckinfrontofthem,soastotouchany
obstructi
onwhi chmaybei ntheirway,andIt hi
nkt
hat
therespondent s'workmenoughtt ohaveforeseent
hat
ablindper sonmi ghtwellcomeal ongthepavementin
question.
•
•116
Held:Thedef endantwasnegl i
gentinfai
li
ngtopr ov
idepr ot
ect
ive
goggles f ort he plainti
ff
,knowi ng the ri
sk ofgr eaterinj
ury
i
nv olv
edi nthewor k.
Princi
ple:I n determining the standar
d ofcar er equir
ed ofa
person,t hegr eaterri
skofi njur
ymustbeconsi der
edt oseet he
precautionsar easonable,prudentmanwoul dhav et akenunder
thecircumst ances.
PerLordMor t
onofHenr ytonatp.385:"Inconsidering
general
lyt hepr ecaut i
onswhichanempl oyeroughtt o
takefort hepr otecti
onofhi swor kmenitmust ,inmy
view,ber ighttot akei ntoaccountbothelements,t he
l
ikeli
hoodofanacci denthappeni
ngandt hegr avi
tyof
the consequences. I t ake as an exampl e t wo
occupationsinwhi cht heri
skofanaccidenttaki
ngplace
i
sexact lyequal ;ifanacci dentdoesoccuri ntheone
occupation,theconsequencest ot heworkmanwi llbe
compar ati
velytrivi
al;ifanaccidentoccur
si ntheot her
occupationt heconsequencest othewor kmanwi llbe
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
deathormut il
ation.Canitbesai dthattheprecaut
ions
whichitist hedut yofanempl oyertotakefort
hesaf et
y
ofhi swor kmenar eexactl
yt hesamei neachoft hese
occupations?MyLor ds,thatisnotmyv i
ew.Ithi
nkthat
themor eser ioust hedamagewhi chwi l
lhappenifan
accidentoccur s,themoret hor ougharetheprecaut
ions
whichanempl oy ermusttake."
119•
PerMor tonLJatpp.335and336:" 1donott hinkIneeddev elop
thequest i
onoft hisdef endant 'snegli
gence,becauset hejudge
has deal twi thi tv eryf ull
y.Iwoul d onl y say t his:he was
approachi ngat urningwhi chheknewt obequi teabusyt urning
offtother ight
.Hewasdr i
vingbehi ndav ehicl
ewhi chheknew
hadal ef t-
handdr ive.Hegotf rom thatv ehicl
et hesi gnalswhi ch
hewoul dexpect .Hehasadmi t
tedhimsel fthatt hesaf et
hingt o
doundert hoseci r
cumst anceswast odr i
veatsuchadi st
ance
behindt hev ehi
clet hat ,
ifitdidt urntothef ight,hecoul dgoov er
tohislef tandgobehi nditor ,alter
nati
vely,stop.That , hehimself
says,wast hesaf et hingt odo.Wel l
,hedi dnotdoi t.Her ani nto
theVehi cleinfrontofhi m, havinghadal lthesewar ni ngs.Iwoul d
addt his.Ient irelyagr eewi tht hejudget hatift hismanwas
i
ntendingt oov ertake,asIt hinkhewasandasheadmi tted
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
short
lyaft
ertheacci
denttooneofthewit
nesses,t
her
ewasno
excuseatall
forhi
m notsoundi
nghi
shor
n.
PerAsqui t
hLJatp.336:" Indet ermi ni
ngwhet herapar tyis
negli
gent ,the st andar d ofr easonable car ei sthatwhi ch is
reasonablyt obedemandedi nt heci rcumst ances.A r el
evant
cir
cumst ancet ot akei ntoaccountmaybet hei mportanceoft he
endt obeser v
edbybehav i
ngi nthiswayori nt hat.Ashasof ten
beenpoi ntedout ,ifallthetrainsi nthiscount rywer erestri
ctedto
aspeedof5mi lesanhour ,therewoul dbef eweracci dents,but
ournationall i
fewoul dbei nt oler
ablysl oweddown.Thepur pose
tobeser ved,ifsuf fi
cientlyimpor tant,justif
iest heassumpt ionof
abnormalr isk.Ther elevanceoft hisappl i
edt ot hepresentcase
i
st hi
s:dur i
ngt hewarwhi chwas, atthemat er
ial t
ime,inprogress,
i
twasnecessar yformanyhi ghlyimpor tantoper ati
onst o
Wat
tvHer
tfor
dshi
reCount
yCounci
l[1954]2Al
lER368
Fact s:Af ir
est ati
onundert hecar eoft hedef endantsusedaj ack
thatwasnotf it
tedf orthatpar ti
cularv ehiclesucht hati twas
l
oosei ni t.Whi l
eat tendi
ngt oanemer gencyt osaveawoman
trappedunderaheav yv ehicle,thedr iversuddenlyappl iedt he
brakesandt hej ackmov edi nsidet hev ehicleandi njuredt he
plainti
ff.
Hel d:Sincet heriskwasonet hatwoul dnor mallyhavebeent aken
byaf i
reman, andwasnotundul ygreatascompar edtotheendt o
beachi ev ed,thedef endantswer enotliable.
Pr i
nciple:Indet erminingt hest andardoft hedut yofcar eowed,
theendt obeachi evedmustbebal ancedwi t
ht heri
sktaken.
121•
•
PerDenni ng LJ atp.371:" I
tiswel lset
tled thatin
measuringduecar eonemustbal ancetheriskagainst
themeasur esnecessar
yt oeli
minatetherisk.Tot hat
proposi
tion t
hereoughtt o beadded thi
s:Onemust
balancetheriskagai
nsttheendt obeachiev ed.Ift
his
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
accidenthad occur red in a commer cialent erpr
ise
withoutanyemer gency ,ther
ecoul dbenodoubtt hatthe
servantwoul d succeed.Butt he commer cialend t o
makepr ofi
tisv er
ydi f
ferentfr
om t hehumanendt osav e
l
ifeorl i
mb.Thesav ingofl if
eorl imbj usti
fiestaking
consider
ablerisk,andIam gl adt osayt her ehavenev er
beenwant i
ngi nt hi
scount r
ymenofcour ager eadyt o
takethoseri
sks, notablyinthefireserv
ice.
"I
nt hi
scaset heriskinv
olvedi nsendingoutt helorry
wasnotsogr eatastoprohibitt
heattempttosav el
ife.I
quit
eagreethatf i
reengines,ambulancesanddoct ors'
carsshouldnotshootpastt hetraff
icli
ghtswhent hey
showar edli
ght.Thati
sbecauset her i
skistoogreatto
warrantthe i
ncurri
ng oft he danger.Itis alwaysa
questi
onofbalanci
ngther i
skagainsttheend."
Lat
imervA.
E.C.Lt
d[19531AC643
Facts:Owi ngt ot hemi xt
ureofoi landr ai
nwaterwhi chentered
the def endant s'pr emises,t he floor became slipper
y .The
defendantcov er edt hefloorwi thsawdustbutsomepor ti
ons
wer eleftuncov ered.Thepl aint
if
f,whil
eat tempti
ngt ol oada
barrelon at rolleyatsomepor ti
onsoft heuncov ered parts,
sli
ppedandi njuredhi sankle.
Held:Thedef endant ,havi
ngt akenreasonablecaretoensur ethe
safetyofitswor kerswasnotl iabl
e.
Princi
ple:Wher et her i
skoft heinjur
yismi nimal
,thest andard
requir
edi slow.
PerLor dPor t
eratp.653:" Upont hei ssueofcommon
l
aw negl i
genceasnow pr esentedt hedi rect i
onwhi ch
shouldbegi veni snoti ndoubt .Itisthatt hedut yoft he
tri
bunalistodet er mi
newhatact i
onint hecircumst ances
which have been pr oved a r easonably pr udentman
wouldhav etaken.Thepr obabil
ityofawor kmansl ipping
i
sonemat terwhi chmustbebor neinmi ndbuti tmust
ber emember edt hatnooneel sedidso.Nordoest he
possibil
i
tyseem t ohav eoccur r
edt oany oneatt het i
me.
Itistruethataf t ertheev entMr .Milne,oneoft he
respondents'wit nesses,expr essedt heopi ni ont hathe
wouldnothav egoneont ot hef l
oorint hecondi tionin
whichitwasandt hatitwoul dbet oodanger oust odoso.
Butthiswasaf ter
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
123"
pleadings.Thef acts,indeed,wer eadmi t
tedandt hepr i
ncipal
quest i
onont heissueofcommonl aw negli
gencewaswhet her
suchf actsamount edtonegl igence.I tdoesnotseem t omet hat
i
faj uryhadf oundi nsuchci rcumst ancest hattherespondent s
hadbeennegl i
gentt heCour tofAppealcoul dproperl
yhav eset
asidet hei
rv er
dict.Butnodoubtaj udge' sfi
ndingisnotentit
ledt o
thesamef inal
it
yandIt hink,onthewhol e,t
hatsincetheev i
dence
ast ot hecondi ti
onoft hef l
oorsandpassagesatt het i
met he
nightshi f
tcameonwasv er
ymeagr eandt hatpracti
call
ytheonl y
evidence oft heirsl i
pper ycondi t
ion was t he accidenttot he
appel l
ant,Icome t ot he concl usion thatt he conductoft he
respondent scan,att hehi ghest,besai dtohav ebeenaner r
orof
j
udgmenti ncircumst ancesofdi fficul
ty,andsuchaner rorof
j
udgmentdoesnot ,i
nmyopi nion,amountt onegl i
gence."
PerLordTuckeratp.659:' 'I
nt hepr esentcaset her espondent s
were f aced wi t
h an unpr ecedent ed si t
uati
on f ollowing a
phenomenalr ainstorm.Theyset40ment owor koncl eaningup
thefactorywhent hefloodsubsi dedandusedal ltheav ail
able
supplyofsawdust ,whi chwasappr oximat el
yt hreet ons.The
j
udgehasf oundt hattheytookev eryst epwhi chcoul dreasonabl y
havebeent akent o dealwi tht hecondi t
ionswhi chpr evai
led
beforetheni ghtshi f
tcameondut y,andhehasnegat iv edevery
specif
icallegat i
onofnegl i
genceaspl eaded,buthehashel dt he
respondentsl i
ablebecauset heydi dnotcl osedownt hef actory
,
orthepar toft hefactor
ywher et heacci dentoccur r
ed, bef orethe
commencementoft henightshift
.
l
i
abl
e.
RoevMi
nist
erof
Heal
th[
1954]2Al
lER131
Facts:The plainti
ff
s were anaest
hetised wit
h Nuper
cai
ne to
undergoasur gery.Aft
erthesurgery,t
heybecameper manentl
y
paraly
sedfr
om t hewai stdownward.Thecauseoft heparal
ysi
s
wasf oundt
obet heNupercainewhi
chhadbeencont ami
natedby
phenolinwhicht heNuper cai
newasi mmer sedbef
oreuse.The
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
phenolhadper colat
edt hedr ugthr
oughi nvi
sibl
ecracksint he
ampoul eswhi chcont ainedtheNuper caine.Thecourtfoundthat
att hedat eoft hesur geryper col
ati
onthroughtheampoul eswas
notappr eciat
edbycompet entanaestheti
stsingener
al.
Held:Hav ingregar dtothest andardofknowledgeatthetime,the
anaest hetistdidnotbr eachanydut yofcar e.
Principle:The st andard ofcar e mustbe measur ed wi t
ht he
prev ai
li
ngknowl edgeandt hegener all
yapprovedpracti
ceatt he
ti
me.
PerDeningMRatpp.138and139:' '
Theonl yquesti
oni s
whetheront hef act
sasnow ascer t
ainedany onewas
negl
igent.Leadi
ngcounself
ortheplainti
ff
ssaidthatthe
staf
fwerenegl i
gentint
wor espect
s:(i)i
nnotcol ouri
ng
thephenol wi
thadeepdye;(
ii)i
ncrackingtheampoul es.
"Iwi l
ltake them in order
:(i)The deep t
inti
ng.I fthe
anaesthet
istshadforeseent
hattheampoul
esmi ghtget
cracked wit
h cracks thatcoul
d notbe detected on
i
nspectiontheywould,nodoubt,
125•
•
PerMor r
isLJatp.141:" Ifapat i
enti n1947ent eredav olunt
a
hospit
alf oranoper ati
onitmi ghtbet hatift
heoper ati
onwast o
perfor
medbyav i
sit
ingsurgeonthehospi t
alwouldnotundertake
farasconcer nedtheactualsurger
yitselft
odomor ethantomaket
necessary arrangementst o securet he ser
vices ofa ski
ll
ed a
compet entsurgeon.Thefactsand
wel
l
svCooper[
1958]2QB265
Facts:Thedefendant ,anamateurcarpent
erofsomeexper i
ence,
fi
xedt hehandleofhi sdoor.Whent heplaint
if
f,ani
nvi
teeofthe
defendant,
wasl eavingandwhenhehel dthehandl
eandpull
edit,
i
tremov edandhef ellandsustai
nedinjur
ies.Thedef
endanthad
usedthree-
quarter-
inchscrews
127=•
tof ixthehandl ewhi chmadei tnott oost r
ongt owi thholdthe
force,al t
houghhehadbel iev
edt hatt heywer eadequat e.The
plainti
ffsuedcont endingthatt hedef endantwasnegl igentin
usingt hethree-
quarteri
nchscr
ewsi nst
eadofone-inchscr ews.
Held:Si ncet hedefendant,ar easonablycompet entcarpenter
,
wasdoi nghisbesttomaket hehandl esecure,hehaddi scharged
hisdut yofcar e unlesshisbel i
eft hatthe three-quart
er-i
nch
screwswer eadequat ewassounr easonablethatnor easonable
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
compet entcarpenterwouldsohol
d.
Princi
ple:The st andard ofcare expected ofa person who
undertakesaski l
ledjobistobemeasur ednotaccordi
ngtohis
own compet ence but accordi
ng t ot he competence of a
reasonablyskil
ledperson.
"Accordingl
y,wet hi
nkthest andardofcar eandskil
lto
bedemandedoft hedef endantinordertodischar
gehis
dutyofcar etot heplainti
ffinthef ixi
ngoft henew
handleint hepresentcasemustbet hedegreeofcare
and skillto beexpected ofar easonablycompetent
carpenterdoingt hewor ki nquestion.Thisdoesnot
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
meant hatthedegreeofcar eandskil
lrequi r
edi stobe
measur edbyr efer
encet othecontr
actualobligati
onsas
tot hequalityofhi swor kassumedbyapr ofessi
onal
carpenterwor ki
ngf orr
ewar d,whi
chwoul d,i
nourv i
ew,
sett hestandardtoohigh.Thequest i
oni ssimpl ywhat
stepswoul dar easonablycompetentcar penterwishing
tof i
xahandl esuchast hissecur
elytoadoorsuchas
thishav et
akenwi t
hav iewt oachi
evi
ngt hatobject."
CondorvBasi [
1985]2Al lER453;[
198511WLR866
Facts:Thedefendanttackledt
heplai
nti
ffi
naf oot
bal
l
matchinsuchawayt hatthepl
aint
if
fbrokehi
sleg.
Held:Sincethedef endant'
stackl
ehadbeenmadei nr
eckl
ess
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
disregardofthepl
aint
if
f'
ssafety
,thedefendantwasli
abl
e.
Principl
e:Apersoninagameorspor twhoact sinamannerthat
thot herpar
tycannotreasonabl
ybeex pectedtohav
econsented
orf ai
lsto
129•
•
exerci
sethedegreeofcareappr
opr
iat
eundert
heci
rcumst
ances
tothesportorgameisli
ablei
nnegl
i
gence.
"Hav i
ngsetoutt het est,whichist hetestwhi chIt hinkwas
appliedbyt hecount ycour tj
udge, ioughttoturnbr ieflytothe
facts,addingbefor eIdosot hatitwassubmi tt
edbycounsel
onbehal foft hedef endantt hatt hestandardofcar ewas
subjecti
vet othedef endantandnotobj ect
ive,andi fhewasa
whol l
yi ncompet entf ootbal
lpl ayer,he coul d do t hings
without riskofl iabili
tywhi chacompet entf oot ballplayer
could notdo.Formypar tIr ejectthatgubmi ssi on.The
standardi s objective,butobj ect i
vein a di f
ferenc setof
cir
cumst ances.Thust herewi l
lofcour sebeahi gherdegr ee
ofcar erequiredofapl ayerinaFi rstDivi
sionfoot ballmat ch
thanofapl ay
erinal ocal l
eaguef ootbal
lmat ch."
Andatp.455:Thej udge'sf i
nalconclusionwas:' I
tisnot
formeint hiscourttoattemptt odef i
neexhaust ivelythe
dutyofcarebet weenpl ayersinasoccerf ootballgame.
Nor,inmyj udgment,ist hereanyneedbecauset here
washer esuchanobv iousbr eachoft hedef endant '
s
dutyofcar etowardst hepl ai
ntif
f.Hewascl earlyguilty
,
asIf i
ndt hef act
s,ofser iousanddanger ousf oulpl ay
which showed a r eckless disregard oft he plainti
ff'
s
safet
yandwhi chfellf arbelow t hest andardswhi ch
mightreasonabl ybeexpect edi nanyonepur suingt he
game.'
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
"FormypartIcannotseehow t hatconcl
usioncanbe
faul
tedonit
sf act
s,andont helaw Idonotseehow i
t
can possi
bly be saidthatthe defendantwas not
negli
gent
.Accordi
nglyIwoul
ddismisstheappeal
.
"
Net
tl
eshi
pvWest
on[
1971]2QB691
Fact s:Thepl aintif
fagr eedt ogi v
et hedef endantsomedr i
ving
l
essons.Ononesuchoccasi onwhent hedef endantwasdr i
ving
and t he plainti
ffsatbyheras an i nstr
uct or,the defendant
negl i
gentlydr ovet hecarandst r
uckal amppost ,causingt he
plainti
fftosust aininjuri
es.
Held:Thedut yofcar eowedbyal earnerdrivertoapassenger
i
nst ructoristhesameobj ecti
v estandardast hatowedbyev ery
drivert o passenger s and t he generalpubl i
c and thus t he
defendantwasl iableirr
espect i
veoft heplaintif
f'
sknowl edgeof
hi
si nexper i
ence.
Principl
e:Thest andar dofcareexpect edofal earnerdriveristhe
sameast hatexpect edofev erydri
ver.
Andatpp.700and701:"
Itakei
ttobecl
eart
hati
fa
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
dri
verhasapassengeri nt hecarheowesadut yofcar e
tohim.Butwhati st hest andar dofcar erequiredoft he
dri
ver?I si ta l owerst andar dt han he orshe owes
towardsapedest ri
anont hepav ement ?Ishoul dhav e
thoughtnot .But,supposet hatt hedriv erhasnev erdri
ven
acarbef or e,orhast akent oomucht odr i
nk, orhaspoor
eyesightorhear ing:and, fur thermore, thatthepassenger
knowsi tandy etaccept sal iftfrom him.Doest hatmake
anydi f
ference?Di xonJ.t houghti tdi d.InTheI nsurance
Commi ssionervJoy ce( 1948)77C. L.R.39.56,hesai d:
'
Ifamanaccept sal iftfr
om acardr iverwhom heknows
tohav el ostal imboraney eort obedeaf ,hecannot
compl ainifhedoesnotexhi bittheski llandcompet ence
ofadr iverwhosuf fersfr om nodef ect ..Ifheknowi ngly
acceptst hev oluntaryser v icesofadr iveraffectedby
dri
nk,hecannotcompl ainofi mproperdr i
v i
ngcausedby
hiscondi t
ion, becausei tinv olvesnobr eachofdut y.
'
"
Thatv
iewofDi
xonJ.seemst
ohav
ebeenf
oll
owedi
nSout
h
131•
Aust r
ali
a:seeWal kervTurton-
Sai
nsbur
y[1952]S.A.S.R.159;but
i
nt heSupr emeCour tofCanadaRandJ.didnotagreewi t
hit:see
CarandGener a/Insur
anceCo.vSey mourandMal oney(1956)2
D.L.R.(2d)369,375.
YachukvOl
i
verBl
ais[
1949]AC386
Fact s:The9-year-
oldplaint i
ffandhi s7- year-oldsi bli
ngwentt o
thedef endant
'sgasoli
nest ati
onandr epresent edt ot heattendant
thatt heyneededgasol inef orthei
rmot her'
smot orwhi chwas
stuck.Theyi nfactneededi tforagame.Theat tendantsol dthe
gasol i
net othem andt hepl ai
nti
fflightedabul rushwhi chhe
dipped int hegasoline,t hecont ainercont aining t hegasol ine
caughtf ir
eandt heplaintiffwassev er el
ybur ned.Hebr oughtan
actioninnegli
gence.
Held:Thedef endant'
sat tendanthadbeennegl igenti nplacingin
thehandsofachi l
dhighlyf lammabl esubst ance.
Principl
e:Toputahi ghlyi nflammabl esubst ancei nt hehandsof
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
asmal lboywast osubjecthimtotempt
ati
onandt heri
skof
i
njur
y,andthatwasnol esstr
ueift
heboyhadresor
tedt
odecei
t
t
oov er
comet hesuppl
i
er '
sscr
upl
es.
133•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
defendant]oughtnottor epr
oacht hechildwithyieldi
ngtothat
temptati
on.He has been t he realand onl y cause oft he
mischief.Hehasbeen def ici
enti n or
dinarycar e:thechild,
acti
ngwi thoutpr
udenceort hought,has,howev er,shownthese
quali
ti
esi n asgreatadegr eeashecoul d beexpect ed to
possesst hem.Hismi sconductbear snopr oporti
ont othatof
the defendantwhi ch produced it.
'The negl i
gence oft he
respondent'sserv
anti nt hepresentcasemaycal lforless
severecondemnat i
ont hanthesewor dsexpress:t hepri
nci
ple
whichtheyembodyi snonet helessapplicabl
e."
"Inthis parti
cul
ar case Ihav e no doubt that t
here was no
blameworthi
nesstobeat t
ri
butedtotheplai
nti
ffatal
l
.Her eshewas
withherel
derbrothercr
ossingaroad.Theyhadbeenbeckonedonby
thelor
rydriver
.Whatmor ecouldy ouexpectthechi
ldtodot hanto
crossinpursuanceofthebeckoning?Iti
ssaidbythejudgethatshe
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
oughtt
o
•
•134
haveleantfor
wardandl ookedt oseewhet heranythi
ngwas
coming.Thati
ndeedmightber easonabl
yexpectedofagrown-
uppersonwithafull
ydevelopedroadsense,butnotofachil
d
of131/2.
"
PerNiel
dJatpp.895and896:"AsIsay,Ihav
econsi
der
edt
he
l
egalposi
ti
on,
thest
andar
dofcar
e,ofcour
se,
bei
ngt
o
135z•
takereasonablecare,t
hest
andardofcareimposedont hedefendants,
andIhav econsideredt
heaut
hori
ti
esandt heActof1962,soast ohav e
asmuchassi stanceasIcanindet er
mini
ngtheirdut
yunderthisAct .I
rei
ter
atethatitdependsont
hefactsandthosefact
sImustnowf ind...
.
"Letmeconsi dert hent heposi t
ionoft headul tdef endantt oseewhet her
i
tist hecaset hathemustbehel dresponsi bleinhav i
ngfail
edinhi sdut y
ofcar eint hismat ter.Iobser vet hef irstal legationmadeagai nstt he
adultdef endanti st hathef ailedt ogi vehi ssonpr operorsuf fi
cient
i
nst r
uct i
oni nt heuseoft heai rrifl
e:Iam sat i
sfiedaf fi
rmativ
elyt hathe
gaveper fect l
ypr operandsuf f
icientinst ruction.Iti snextsai dt hathe
all
owedt hesont ouset heai rrifl
ewi thoutanysuchi nstr
uctionsand
withoutanysuper vision,Ihav edeal twi tht hei nstructi
onsandIam of
the opi nion t hati twas notnecessar y,hav i
ng r egardt o al lt he
cir
cumst ances, thatt hesonshoul dbesuper vi
sed.Ont hisaspectoft he
casecounself ort hepl ainti
ffsv erynat ur all
y,ifImaysayso,seekst o
rel
yont heev idenceofMrBeaneyatt heconcl usionofhi stest i
mony ,
whenhei ndi cat edt hati nsomeci rcumst ancesaboyoft hisageshoul d
besuper visedi ff irear mswer et obedi schar ged.It hinkcounself ort he
defendanti sr ightandt hathewasr eal
lyr eferringtot heschoolact i
vi
ties
andcer t
ai nr egul at ionsr elat
ingt ot hem;ear l
ieronhehadsai dt hatt he
i
nfantdef endantwoul dnotr equiresuper vision,andt hatwast het rue
position.
"I
tisal sosubmi t t
edoral l
egedt hattheadul tdefendantf ailedtopoi nt
outtohi ssont hedanger si nv ol
ved:Ifindt hathedi dpoi ntthem out .
Fi
nally,itissaid,andt hi
si sper hapsav eryi mportantaspectoft he
al
legation,t
hatt hef atherallowedt heson,whowast ohi sknowl edgeof
subnormali ntel
ligenceandpr onet ov i
olence,t opossessandt ousea
dangerousweapon, thatistosayt heairrif
le.Itisquit
ecl earasamat ter
ofprincipl
et hataper sonwhoent r
ustsaf irearmt oanot hermustbe
caref
ult oseet hatheent rust sittosomebodywhoi scompet ent,and
nottosomeonewhoi snotr esponsibl
ebyr easonofment alil
l
nessor
other
wi se maybe sai dt o be i ncompet ent.Howev er,int hi
s case,
al
thought hereist hisretardationinbookl earninginthei nfantdef endant,
Iam qui t
esat i
sfiedonMrBeaney '
sev i
dencet hatthatinnowayaf fects
hi
sr esponsibili
tyi not herdirect i
onsandt hatf orthepur posesoft his
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
casehewasaper f
ectl
ynormalboy .I
twillnot
,Ihope,bemisunderst
ood
whenIsaythat,
butIhavealr
eadyrecall
edMrBeaney '
sevidenceabouti
t
anditamountstothi
s,t
hatinactiv
iti
esotherthanbooklearni
ngheisin
eff
ectasgoodasanyoneelse...
.
"ThusIreacht heconcl usiont hattheplainti
ffshav efai
l
edt o
showanyf aultintheadultdef endant,who,asIsay ,i
mpressed
measar esponsibleper
sonandanaccept ablewitness.Hesaid
quit
eboldly,whenhewasaskedabouti t
,t hathewoul dentr
ust
tothatboyofsi xteenandahal fthatweapon,hav ingregardto
allthecir
cumst ances.Int hoseci r
cumstancesi tmustbet he
casethattheplainti
ff
sfailagainsttheadultdefendant."
Bol
am vFr
ier
nHospi
tal
ManagementCommi
tt
ee[
195712Al
lER
118
Fact s:Thepl ainti
ffunder wentanel ectr
o-conv ulsivet reatmentatt he
defendant '
shospi t
alandsust ainedf r
actures.Theev i
denceshowedt hat
thepr obabi l
it
yofaf ractureresul t
ingf r
om sucht reat mentwasonei na
thousandbutt hedef endantdi dnotwar nthepl aint i
ffaboutsuchar isk.
Theev idenceal soshowedt hati frelaxantdr ugshadbeenusedt here
woul dhav ebeennor i
skofi njury.Butt hatther ewer edi verseopinions
amongmedi calpr ofessionalsast ot heuseofr elaxantdr ugs.Whi l
e
someusedi tonl yinextremecasesofwhi cht hepl aintif
f'scasewasnot
one,ot her susedi tanyt i
met heyadmi nist
er edanel ectro-convul
si v
e
treatment .Ther e were al so diverse opi ni
ons among pr ofessi
onals
whet herapat i
entshoul dbewar nedoft her i
skoff r actureornot .
Hel d:Si ncethedef endant sact edi naccor dancewi tht heaccept able
pract i
ceamongmedi calprofessionals,theywer enotl i
abl e.
Pr i
nciple:Adoct orisnotnegl i
genti fheact si naccor dancewi t
ht he
accept ablepract i
cebyar esponsi blebodyofmedi calmenski ll
edinthat
area, al
thoughanot hercompet entbodymayt akeadi fferentv i
ew.
PerMcNai rJatpp.121and122( i
nsummi ngupt othejury)
:
"BeforeIt urntot hat ,Imustexpl ai
nwhati nlaw wemeanby
'
negligence'.Int heor di
narycasewhi chdoesnoti nvol
veany
specialskill
,negligencei nl aw meanst hi
s:Somef ail
uretodo
someactwhi char easonabl emanint hecircumst anceswoul d
do,or doi ng some act whi ch a r easonable man i nt he
cir
cumst anceswoul dnotdo;andi fthatfail
ureordoi ngofthat
actresultsininjury,thent herei
sacauseofact ion.Howdoy ou
testwhethert hi
sactorf ail
ureisnegl
igent?Inanor dinarycase
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
137•
i
ti sgener allysai d, thaty ouj udget hatbyt heact i
onoft hemani nt hest ree
Hei st heor dinar yman.I nonecasei thasbeensai dt haty ouj udgei tbyt h
conductoft hemanont het opofaCl apham omni bus.Hei st he
ordi nar yman.Butwher ey ougetasi tuat i
onwhi chi nv olv est heuseofsom
speci alski llorcompet ence, thent het estwhet hert her ehasbeennegl i
genc
ornoti snott het estoft hemanont het opofaCl apham omni bus,becaus
hehasnotgott hisspeci alski ll.Thet esti st hest andar doft heor di na
skilledmanexer cisingandpr ofessi ngt ohav et hatspeci alski l
l.Amannee
notpossesst hehi ghestexper tski llatt her iskofbei ngf oundnegl igent .It
wel lest abl i
shedl awt hati ti ssuf fi
ci enti fheexer cisest heor dinar yski llofa
ordi nar ycompet entmanexer cisingt hatpar t
icul arar t .Idonott hinkt hat
quar relmuchwi thanyoft hesubmi ssi onsi nlawwhi chhav ebeenputbef o
youbycounsel .Counsel f ort hepl aint i
f fputi tint hi sway ,t hati nthecaseof
medi calman negl igence means f ailur et o acti n accor dance wi t
ht h
standar dsofr easonabl ycompet entmedi calmenatt het ime.Thati s
per fect l
yaccur atest atement ,asl ongasi tisr emember edt hatt her emayb
oneormor eper f
ect l
ypr operst andar ds;andi famedi calmanconf or mswi t
oneoft hosepr operst andar dst henhei snotnegl i
gent .Counself ort he
plaint if
fwasal sor i
ght ,inmyj udgment , i
nsay i
ngt hatamer eper sonalbel i
e
thatapar ticulart echni quei sbesti snodef enceunl esst hatbel i
efi sbasedo
reasonabl egr ounds.Thatagai ni sunexcept i
onabl e.Butt heemphasi swhi c
i
sl aidbycounself ort hedef endant si sont hisaspectofnegl igence:H
submi t
tedt oy out hatt her ealquest iononwhi chy ouhav et omakeupy ou
mi ndoneachoft het hr eemaj orpoi nt st obeconsi der edi swhet hert h
def endant s, i
nact i
ngi nt hewayi nwhi cht heydi d, wer eact i
ngi naccor danc
wi t
hapr act iceofcompet entr espect edpr ofessi onalopi nion.Counself ort h
def endant ssubmi tted t hati fy ou ar esat i
sfied t hatt heywer eact ing
accor dancewi thapr act i
ceofacompet entbodyofpr of essi onal opi nion, the
i
twoul dbewr ongf ory out ohol dt hatnegl i
gencewasest abl ished.Ir ef erre
bef or eIst artedt heseobser vations,t oast atementwhi chi scont ainedi n
recentScot ti
shcase,Hunt ervHanl ey( [1955]SLT213atp217) ,whi chdea
wi t
hmedi calmat ter s, wher et heLor dPr esident( Lor dCl y de)sai dt his:' I
nt h
realm ofdi agnosi s and t reatmentt her ei s ampl e scope f orgenui n
differ enceofopi ni on,andonemancl ear l
yi snotnegl i
gentmer elybecaus
hisconcl usi ondi ffer sf rom t hatofot herpr ofessi onalmen,norbecauseh
hasdi spl ay edl essski llorknowl edget hanot her swoul dhav eshown.Th
true
t estf orest abl ishi ngnegl igencei ndi agnosi sort reat rnentont he
par tofadoct ori swhet herhehasbeenpr ov edt obegui l
tyof
suchf ailureasnodoct orofor dinar yski l
lwoul dbegui ltyofi f
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
act
ingwi
thor
dinar
ycar
e.'
"BeforeIdealwi t
ht hedet ai
lsoft hecase,iti sfi
ghttosayt hi s,
thatitisnotessentialfory out odecidewhi choft wopr actices
i
st hebetterpracti
ce,asl ongasy ouacceptt hatwhatDrAl l
fr ey
didwasi naccor dancewi thapr act
iceaccept edbyr esponsibl e
persons;butiftheresultoft heev i
denceisthaty ouaresat i
sfied
thathispr act
iceisbet tert hant hepracti
cespokenofont he
otherside,thenitisast r
ongercase.Fi nall
y ,bearthisinmi nd,
thaty ou are now consi der i
ng whetheri twas negl igentf or
certai
nactiontobet akeni nAugust ,1954,noti nFebruary,1957;
andi noneoft hewel l-
knowncasesont hist opi
ci thasbeen
saidy ou mustnotl ook t hrough 1957 spect acles atwhat
happenedi n1954."
Gl
asgowCor
por
ati
onvMui
r[1943]2Al
lER44
Facts:Some chur ch members wer e carryi
ng a tea ur
ni ntothe
defendant'
stearoom thr
oughanar row passagewithacount erwhere
severalchi
ldr
enwer ebuyi
ngsweet sandi ces.Thehandl
ersletoffthe
handleoftheurnandt heteaescapedinjuri
ng6chil
dren.Thepl ai
nti
ff
s
suedallegi
ngthat
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
139•
•
thedefendanthadbeennegl i
gentinthatheoughtt ohav eknownt hati
f
theteaescaped,t hechi
ldrenwoul dbei njuredandt husshoul dhave
removedt hechi l
drenf
rom t
herebeforethecar ri
age.
Held:Thedef endantwasnotnegl i
gentsincear easonableper sonwould
nothaveant i
cipatedanydangertothechildren.
Pri
ncipl
e:Aper sondoesnotbr eachthest andardofcar eifheact sina
wayar easonabl emanwouldhav eactedundert hecircumst ances.
PerThanker t
onatp.47:''
Inmyopi ni
on,ithaslongbeenheldin
Scotl
andt hatal
lthatapersoncanbehel dboundtoforeseeare
thereasonableandpr obableconsequencesoft hefail
ureto
takecare,judgedbyt hest andardoftheor di
naryreasonabl
e
man.Iam unabl et o agree with Lord Carmontt hatthe
appel
lantscouldbemadel iable:
'
...ev eni
fitwerepr
ovedthattheactualdamagetotheinvi
tee
happenedthrought
heteaurnbeingspil
tinawaythatcouldnot
reasonabl
yhavebeenanti
cipat
ed."
'
PerLor dMacmi l
l
anp.48:' '
MyLor ds,t hedegr eeofcar efort he
safet yofot herswhi chthel awr equi r
eshumanbei ngst oobser vei n
theconductoft hei raff
airsv ariesaccor dingt ot heci rcumst ances.
Ther ei snoabsol ut estandar d,buti tmaybesai dgener al
lythatt he
degr eeofcar er equi r
edv ar i
esdi rectlywi t
ht her i
ski nvolved.Those
who engage i n oper ations i nher ently danger ous must t ake
precaut ions whi ch ar e notr equi r
ed ofper sons engaged i nt he
ordinar yr outineofdai l
yl ife.I ti snodoubtt ruet hati nev eryact
whichani ndiv i
dualper f
ormst her eispr esentapot entiali
tyofi njury
to ot hers.Al lt hings ar e possi ble and,i ndeed,i thas become
prover bialt hatt he unex pect ed al way s happens.Butwhi let he
precept al terum non l aeder e r equir es us t o abst ain f r
om
i
ntent ional l
yi njuringot her s,itdoesnoti mposel i
abilit
yf orev ery
i
njurywhi chourconductmayoccasi on.I nScot l
and,atanyr ate,it
hasnev erbeenamaxi m oft hel aw t hatamanact sathi sper i
l
.
Legall iabili
tyi sl i
mi tedtot hoseconsequencesofouract swhi cha
reasonabl emanofor dinar yi ntelli
genceandexper i
encesoact i
ng
woul dhav ei ncont emplati
on.AsIessay edt of ormul ateitinBour hi l
/
vYoung, atp104:
'
Thedutyt
otakecar
eisthedutyt
oavoi
ddoingoromitt
ingt
odo
any
thi
ng t
he doi
ng oromit
ti
ng t
o do whi
ch may hav
e as i
ts
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
reasonabl
eandprobableconsequenceinj
urytoother
s,andthedut
y
i
sowedt othosetowhom i nj
urymayr easonabl
yandpr obabl
ybe
anti
cipat
edift
hedutyisnotobserved.
'
141n
"
This,i
nmyopini
on,expr
essesthel
awofScot
landandIappr
ehend
t
hatiti
sal
sothelawofEngland.
"Thest andardoff or
esightoft her easonabl emani sinonesensean
i
mper sonal test .It elimi nates t he per sonal equat ion and i s
i
ndependentoft heidiosy ncrasiesoft hepar ti
cularper sonwhose
conducti sinquest i
on.Someper sonsar ebynat ureundul ytimor ous
andi magi neev erypathbesetwi t
hl i
ons;ot hers,ofmor er obust
temper ament ,failt
of or
eseeornonchal antlydi sregardevent hemost
obv i
ousdanger s.Ther easonabl emani spr esumedt obef reebot h
from ov erapprehensionand f rom ov er-conf i
dence.Butt herei sa
sensei nwhi cht hestandar dofcar eoft her easonabl emani nvolves
i
ni tsappl i
cationasubj ectiveel ement .Itisst il
llefttot hej udget o
decide whati nt he circumst ances oft he par ti
cularcase t he
reasonable man woul d hav e had i n cont empl at
ion and what
accordinglyt he par ty soughtt o be made l i
able oughtt o hav e
foreseen.Her et hereisr oom f ordi versityofv i
ew,as,i ndeed,i swell
i
llustr
atedi nthepr esentcase.Whatt oonej udgemayseem f ar-
fetchedmayseem t oanot herbot hnat uralandpr obable."
(
Addi
ti
onal
Cases)
PheevJamesGor donandNi ddryCast leGolfCl ub[ 2013]SCLR687
Facts:Thepl ai
ntif
f,ani nexper
iencedgol ferwhoj oinedi nagol fgame,
washi tbythegol fballwheni twaspl ay edbyt hef i
rstdefendant .Asa
resul
t,helosthisleftey e.Hesuedt hef i
rstdefendantf ortheinjur
iesand
theseconddef endant,t hegol fclub,fort hebreachofi tsdut yasan
occupier
.
Held:Thef i
rstdef endantbr eachedhi sdut yofcarei nf ai
li
ngt oensur e
thattheplai
ntiffandot her swereawar eofhi si
ntent i
onaswel lasfail
i
ng
togiveawar ningshout .
PerLordHodgeatp.694, par.35:"
Inourviewt heLordOrdi
narywas
enti
tl
edt oholdthatMfGor donfail
edi nhisdut yofcar etot he
pursuerindri
vi
nghisbal
lfrom the18thtee.MrPheeandhi sfriends
werewell wi
thi
nMrGordon'srangeandnotf aroffhi
star
getli
ne.Had
themat t
erbeenopentothiscourtt
odecideofnew, wet hi
nkthathis
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
f
ailur
etoensurethat
,beforeheplay
edhisshot
,thepursuerandhis
f
riendswereawareofhisint
ent
iontodr
iveandt
huswereal er
ttothe
r
iskandt oanywar ningshoutamountedt oaf ai
l
uretoexer ci
se
r
easonablecar
e."
RossFr
enchvSt
rat
hcl
ydeFi
reBoar
d[2013]SCLR224
Fact s:Thepl ainti
fff irefight
er swer einjuredwhi lefightingfirewhena
wal lcollapsedont hem.Thei njuryoccur redwhi lethef i
ref i
ghterswer e
actingont hei nstructionsoft hef ir
ecommander ,andt hef i
rstplai
ntif
f
hadat t
empt edr emov i
ngadoort ogai naccesst othef ir
e.Thebr ickwall
ont opoft hedoorcol l
apsedonbot hplainti
ffs.Theev idenceshowed
thati twoul dhav ebeenpossi blet of i
ghtt hef i
ret hrought hewi ndow
withoutf or
cingopent hedoor .
Held:Si ncet hef i
recommanderdi dnotexer ci
set hest andar dofcar e
expect edofaski ll
edf ir
ef i
ght er,hebr eachedt hedut yofcar eowedt o
thepl aintif
fsandt hust hedef endant swer eli
able.
Principle:Thest andar dofcar er equiredofaski ll
edper soni stoexercise
aspeci allev elofski llandcar et hatdiff
er sfr
om t heor dinaryman.The
resul tto be achi ev ed mustbe bal anced wi tht he r i
sk involved in
under takingt heact .
[41]"Theapplicabl
estandar
dofcar eisinmyopini
onthatofa
skil
led firefi
ghterexerci
sing r
easonabl
e car
e.In counsel'
s
submi ssionstherewassomedi scussi
on asto whet
hert he
appropriatest
andardwast hatofanor di
naryemploy
erora
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
versi
onoft het estf orpr ofessionalnegli
gencelaid downi n
HuntervHanl ey.I nmyopi ni
ont hereisnoshar pdivi
dingl i
ne
betweentheset ests;t her
ei sr atheraspectrum ofsituat
ions
rangi
ngf r
om acasewher et heper sonresponsi
bleforsaf et
y
hasclearprofessional ortechnicalquali
fi
cati
onstocaseswher e
he
143"
hasnopar ticularqual ifi
cat ionsbuti sunderanor di
narycommonl aw
dutyofcar e.Theext entt owhi chspeci alistexper t i
semustbebr oughtt o
bearwi llvar yaccor dingt ot heci rcumst ancesoft hepar ticularcase.I n
thepr esentcaseIam ofopi ni
ont hatWat chCommanderCl arkwas
requiredt odemonst rat et hest andar dofcar et obeexpect edofaski l
led
andt rainedf iref i
ght er.Thati snotapr of essi onalqual if
ication,and
accor dinglyt heHunt ervHanl eyt estdoesnotappl yinit
sor dinar yf or m.
Nev erthelesst hisst andar ddoesr equi r
et heof f
iceri nchar get oexhi bita
speciall ev elofski llandcar e,whi chdi ffersf rom t hatofanor di nary
empl oy er.Counself ort he def endersuggest ed t hat,i fi tcoul d be
establishedt hatanot herski ll
edf iref i
ght erexer cisi
ngr easonabl ecar e
mighthav eadopt edt hecour set akenbyWat chCommanderCl ark,t hat
excludedanypossi bi l
ityofnegl igence.I nt hisconnect i
on,her eliedon
theev idenceofGr oupManagerBoddyandFi ref ighterMcKel v i
e, bot hof
whom sai dt hatt heywoul dhav ef oughtt hef ire..
.int hemanner
adopt edbyWat chCommanderCl ar k.Thepr obl em wi ththatar gumenti s
i
nmyopi ni
ont hatt heev idenceofGr oupManagerBoddyandFi ref ighter
McKel vieont hi
smat tercl earlypr oceededont hehy pot hesist hatt he
proper tyint hegar agehadnotbeendest roy edori r
recoverabl ydamaged;
Ihav er eject edt hatpr oposi ti
on.I naddi ti
on,If ormedacl eari mpr essi on
thattheev idenceoft hedef ender s' wi t
nessesont hismat terwasbased
fi
rml yont hepr oposi tiont hatopeni ngt hemai ndoorwast hest andar d
met hodoff ighti
nggar agef ir
es.Idonotdoubtt hatt hatisso, andt hatit
i
sanent i
relypr operwayt opr oceedi nt hest andar dcase.I nt hiscase,
howev er,thedooroft hegar agewoul dnotopen;i tist hatspeci fi
c
sit
uat i
on t hatconf ront ed Wat ch CommanderCl ar
k,and i ti st hat
sit
uat i
on t hatmustbe addr essed byt he cour t.In myopi nion t he
evidenceoft hedef ender s'wi tnessesdi dnott akesuf fi
cientaccountof
thecl earandspeci ficr i
skpr esent edbyt heunsuppor tedgabl ewal l,nor
ofthef actt hatther ewasnosi gni ficantbenef itt obeobt ai nedi nf ight ing
thef i
ret hrought hemai ndoor .
42] "
[ Inassessi
ngthestandar
dofcare,i
tisther
eforenecessar
yto
t
akei
ntoaccountbot
ht heseri
ousr
iskpresent
edbyt heunsupport
ed
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
gablewal landt hel ackofanysi gnifi
cantadv antageinopeningthe
main garagedoor .Ther iskpr esented byt hegabl ewallinvol
ved
consider
ationbot hoft hepossibil
it
yofcol l
apseandt heseri
ousness
oftheconsequencesi ftherewer eacol lapse.Itisal
sonecessaryto
bearinmi ndthatt heexer cisecar r
iedoutbyt heoff
iceri
nchar ge,
Watch Commander Cl ar
k,was car r
ied out under severet i
me
constrai
nts;sevenmi nutes
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
[
43] "Iwasr efer redt oanumberoff urthercasesi nt hisar ea
oft hel aw,buti tseemedt omet hatt hesewer eal lcasest hat
turnedessent i
al lyont heirownf act s.I nev erycaset hel egal
princi plesappl iedwer econsi stentwi tht hoset hatIhav esought
toappl yi nt hepr esentcase.I nWat tvHer tfordshi reCount y
Counci li
twaspoi nt edoutt hatther iskmustbebal ancedagai nst
theendt obeachi ev ed, andwhent hisi nvolvessav inghumanl i
fe
andl imbconsi der abl er isksar ej ustifi
ed.Thati sclear lycor rect .
Int hiscase,howev er ,Imayconsi dert hatt her ewasnot hing,or
veryl ittle,tobesav ed.Consequent lyr iskswer enotj ust if
ied.I n
KingvSussexAmbul anceSer viceitwashel d( HaleLJatpar a21)
thatpubl icser v ant s( int hatcasei nt heambul anceser vice)
acceptt her i
skswhi char ei nherenti nt hei rwor kbutnott her isks
whi cht heexer ciseofr easonabl ecar ecoul d av oid.Thusan
empl oy eri nsuchacasei sobl i
gedt ot aker easonabl ecar et o
prov idesaf eequi pmentandasaf esy stem ofwor k.Thati s
exact lyt het estt hatIhav esoughtt oappl y.Thecr iti
calpoi nti s
thatt her ewasnoneedt oat temptt of or cet hegar agedoor ,and
the r isks wer et her efore unj ustif
iabl e.I nt he recentcase of
Maci nty revMi ni str yofDef enceitispoi ntedout( bySpencerJat
par as69—71)t hatt hel i
kel i
hoodofi njur y
, t
heser i
ousnessoft he
i
njur ywhi chmi ghtoccur ,andt hesoci alv alueoft heact ivit
y
givingr i
set ot her iskandcostofpr ev ent ativ
emeasur esmustal l
bebal anced.It hi nkt hatt hati sclear ;t hebal ancingexer cisei s
cruci al.Fi nal
ly,inI CLTechvJohnst onOi lsLt di tispoi ntedout
(byLor d Hodge atpar as [ 21]and [ 23])t hatt he l aw must
recogni set hatdi ff i
cul tdeci sionsmayhav et obemade, andt hat
thepr inciplespondetper iti
am ar ti
si snotconf i
nedt or ecogni sed
prof essi ons.Iagr eeent i
relywi thbot hoft hosepr oposi tions.The
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
di
ff
icul
tyofthesi
tuat
ionconfronti
ngtheoff
iceri
nchar
gei
nthe
pr
esentcaseiscl
earl
ymat er
ial.Thestat
ementthatev
ent
hose
whodonot
145•
•
belong t oar ecognised professi
on must di splay a
standardofcar eandski llappr
opriat
etothei
rtrainingand
responsibil
i
tiesisi nmyv i
ew cl
earl
ycorrect
;iti nvolv
es
recognit
ion oft he factt hatthereis a spect rum of
possibil
i
tiesr unning fr
om t heclassicHuntervHanl ey
sit
uationononehandt oor di
naryemployer'
sliabili
tyon
theother."
Wi
l
li
amsvBer
mudaHospi
tal
sBoar
d(2014)84WI
R155
Fact s:Thepl aintif
fwasadmi ttedwi t
hsev ereabdomi nalpai ns.
Owi ngt odelaysi nor deringaCTscanandget t
ingt her esul t
s,
surger ytookpl acealmost11hour safteradmission.Thepl ai
nt i
ff
was f ound t o hav e a per forated appendix whi ch r uptured
progr essiv
ely witht ime.He l aterdev eloped adhesions as a
compl i
cati
ont otheper forati
on.
Held:Si ncethet imet akeni norder i
ngt heCTscanandget ti
ngt he
resultswasnotaccept edaspr oper ,thedefendantsbreachedt heir
dutyofcar eowedt ot hepl ai
nti
ff.
Principle:Foranactwhi chisinaccor dancewithapr acti
cet o
behel dnottobeabr eachofdut y,i
tmustbeaccept edaspr oper .
[
45] "Iwoul
donlyobser
veinpassi
ngthatt
he'Bol
am test
'
(
Bol
am vFri
ernHospit
alManagementCommi t
tee[1957]
2Al
lER118,[
1957]1WLR582)whi chwasappli
edinthat
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
casewasacti
nginaccor dancewithapracti
ceaccepted
asproperbyaresponsibl
ebodyofmedi calopi
nion.The
RootCauseAnal
ysispreparedbytheBHBconcludedthat
whatwasdonewasnotaccept edasproper
.
[
46] "
Thereis no meri
tint he cr
oss-
appealand i
tis
accor
dingl
ydismi
ssedwithcost
s."
Pr
ober
t(byherl
i
tigat
ionf
ri
end)vMor
e[2012]EWHC2324
Fact
s:Theplaint
if
f,athi
rt
eenandhalfyearoldgi
rlwaswal
ki
ng
homealonealongaroadandli
steni
ngtomusicwit
hanear
phone.
Theroad
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
wasnar r
ow anddar kwi thnost r
eetlighti
ngandnomar ki
ngs.The
speedl i
mi tont heroadwast henat i
onal60mphbutt hedefendant
wasdr ivingatsomet hingmor ethan50mph.Thepl ai
nti
ffcolli
ded
witht hev ehicl
edr i
venbyt hedefendant.Inanact i
onbyt heplaintif
f
i
nnegl igence,t hedef endantpleadedcont ri
butorynegli
gence,t hat
thepl aintiffshouldnothav ebeenwal kingalonebyt hatr
oadsi deat
thet imeandt hatsheshoul dhav ewor nr efl
ector
sandnotused
earphones.
Held:Thest andardofcar eexpectedoft hepl ai
nti
ffwast hatofa
thi
rteen- year -
oldgirlandsi ncesuchaper soncoul dnotbeexpect ed
totaket hesamepr ecautionsasanadul t
,therewasnocont ributory
negligenceont hepar tofthegirl
.
Pri
nci ple: Thest andardofdut yexpectedofachi l
dislowerthant hat
expect edofaf ull
ygrownadul t.
PerDav
idPi
tt
away(
sit
ti
ngasadeput
yJudgeoft
heHi
gh
Cour t
)atpar s.45—49:[ 45]" Insummar yt hecaseagai nst
Bet hanyi sthatsheshoul dnothav ebeenwal kingal ongt he
roadat5. 00pm on3December2009.Sheshoul dhav e
wai tedf orhermot hert ocol lectherf rom t hest ablesas
arranged oraccept ed l i
ftf rom Mr s Wal ker ,par t
icularl
y
wher e she knew oroughtt o have known t here was
i
nsuf f
ici
entgr ass v erge forhert o wal k on.I fitwas
necessar yforhert owal khome,sheshoul dhav ebeen
wear i
ngahi ghv i
si bili
tyjacketorot herref l
ect i
vemar kings
befor eset t
ingof ft owal kalongt her oad.I nstead,shewas
wear i
ngdar kcl ot hingandusi ngear phoneswhi chwoul d
hav ei mpairedherabi l
itytohearappr oachi ngt r
affi
cont he
road.Shewaswal kingont hesamesi deoft her oadas
vehi cl
esappr oachi ngf r
om behi ndher.Shepai di nsuf f
ici
ent
attentiont ov ehi clesont her oadpar ti
cularl
yshewasnot
wat ching, listeni ng, st epping up ont o t he v erge as
necessar yort urningr oundf r
equent ly.Asaconsequenceof
Bet hanynotseei ngMrMoor ebef oret heacci dentandnot
hav inghear dhi sappr oacht hecol li
sionoccur red.
[
46] "
Itiscommongr oundbet weent heexpertsthatthegr ass
vergesont hesect
ionoft heroadwheret heaccidentoccurr
edwer e
unsuitableforwal
kingalong.Iti
salsoagr eed,asdemonst rat
edby
thephot ogr
aphs,t
hatBethanywaswal kingalongt hecorr
ectsideof
theroadwhent heaccidentoccurredbecauseoft hepresenceof
vegetati
oni nthehedgerow ont heothersideandanappr oaching
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
bend.The exper t
s are al
so agr
eed that the sound of t
he
approachi
ngtraf
fi
cwouldhavemaskedthesoundofthecarbehi
nd
herwhethershehadbeenusi
ngherear
phonesornot.
147•
•
[
47] "I
nmyv i
ewt heclai
m ofcontr
ibutor
ynegligenceint
hiscase
i
snotmadeout .Assetoutabovethestandardtobeappl i
edisthe
object
ivest
andardofanordinar
y13-year
oldchil
d.Therewasaf ei
nt
att
emptbyMrChi ppindal
ltointr
oduceev i
denceaboutBet hany'
s
charact
erfrom thecondit
ionandpr ognosisreportfi
ledwiththe
parti
cul
arsofcl
aim whichwasnotpursued.
[
48] "MrPur chassay st hatBethanywasent i
tl
edt ouset heroad
atthatoranyt i
meoft hedayorni ght.Her el i
esuponanumberof
oldcaseswhen,per haps,t herewer emor epedest ri
ansandl ess
vehiculart raf f
icont her oads.I nthemoder nage,apr udentadul t
walking al ong a nar row count ryr oad att hatt ime ofdaymay
considerwear ingahi ghv i
sibili
tyj
acketorot herr eflecti
vemar ki
ngs
orcar r
y i
ngat orchtosi gni fypresenceont her oad.I twasaccept ed
i
nev i
dencet hatthehor se-ri
dersfrom t hest ablesal way sworehi gh
visi
bil
it
yj acket sandcy clistswor esi milarjacketsorcar r
iedli
ght s.
Thequest i
onofwhet heranadul twoul dbeatf aultfornott aking
thosepr ecaut ionsisnott hei ssueIhav etodet ermi ne.Simil
arly,a
prudentpar entadv isingachi ldofBet hany 'sageaboutwal king
homemayadv i
sehert owai tuntilshewascol lectedorsi milarly
weardi stinct i
veclot hing.Agai nthati snott hei ssueIhav et o
determi ne.
[
49] "How doest histranslatet o a 131/ 2y earol d chil
d who
decidest owal khomeonherown?Al thought herewasnoev idence
fr
om Bet hany ,oneexpl anationcoul dbeshet houghtshewoul d
meethermot hercomi ngi nt heopposi tedi r
ectionwhi l
stwal ki
ng
home.Ther easonf orherdecisionwi ll
, howev er,
remai nunknown.I t
seems t o me t hatan or di
nary13 1/ 2y earol d shoul d notbe
expectedt oconsi dertakingt hesamel ev elofpr ecautionsasan
adult.Itwoul dbeaski ngtoomuchofhert osayt hatsheshoul dnot
hav estartedt owal khomeatal l
, waitedf orhermot heroraccept ed
l
ift,orshoul dnothav est art
edt owal khomewi thoutbor rowinga
highv i
sibili
tyjacket,refl
ectivemar kingsort orchf rom thest ables.
Inmyv i
ewt hoseact ionsf orachi l
dofheragewoul dhav ebeena
paragonofpr udence.Onceshehadst artedoutont her oadIam
satisfi
edt hatshecl earl
ydi dtakest epsf orherownsaf ety.Shegot
outoft hewayofv ehi
clest ravell
i
ngal ongt her oad.Mr sMann' s
evidencewast hatsheobser vedBet hanycl imbont othev ergeas
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
sheapproachedandt henbackontotheroadaf t
ershepassed.Iam
sati
sfi
edt hatshedidnotcl i
mbont othegr assvergeort ur
nround
whenMrMoor e'
scarapproachedfrom behindherbecauseshewas
notawar eofi tspresence.Nor,inmyv i
ew,di dBethany'suseof
earphones,ont hefactsoft hi
scase,makeamat er
ialdif
fer
ence,
becauseoft henoiseoftheapproachi
ngv ehicl
es."
[13]"I
nthiscase,MrWhippeyclearl
yowedadut yofcaret o
MrJones wi t
hr egar
dt ot he wayMrWhi ppeyhandl ed
Hectorinthepubl i
cparkinLeedst hataft
ernoonandt he
j
udgesof ound.Itisal
soclearfr
om thejudge'
sf i
ndingsthat
t
heencount erbetweenHectorandMrJonesdi r
ectl
ycaused
t
hei nj
uri
est hatMrJonessuf fer
edand,obv i
ously,t
hose
i
njur
ieswer enottooremot etober ecover
ableasamat ter
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
ofl
aw.Sot heonlyi
ssueonwhi chtherecanbear gumentis
whether t
he judge was correct to conclude that Mr
Whippey'
sconducti
nhandli
ngHect orthatdayfel
lbelowthe
st
andardtobeexpectedofareasonablehandler
149"
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
tsi
nGhana
"
lhe
ofHect
ori
ntheci
rcumst
ancesoft
hataf
ter
noon.
14] "
[ Theeffectoft hejudgmenti sthatthejudgef oundt hatMr
Whippeyhadf ailedtotakesufficientcaretoensur ethattherewere
noot herpeopleaboutbef orehel etHectoroffthel ead.Hef ound
that
,asar esult
,int hecircumst ancesexisti
ngt hatafternoon,Mr
Whippeyhad,ont hatoneoccasi on,fal
lenbelowt hestandar dtobe
expectedofar easonablehandlerofHect or
.
[16] " Didt he j udge there correctly statet he l egalt est? The
quest ionofwhet heraper sonhasact ednegl igentlyisnotanswer ed
simpl ybyanal ysingwhathedi dOfdi dnotdoi nt hecircumst ances
thatpr ev ai
ledatt hetimei nquestionandt hent est i
ngitagainstan
obj ecti
v est andardof' reasonablebehav i
our '
.Bef or eholdingt hata
per son'sst andar dofcar ehasf al
lenbel ow theobj ecti
vest andar d
expect edandsof indi
ngt hatheact ednegl i
gent l
y, thecourtmustbe
sat i
sfiedt hatar easonableper soni ntheposi t
ionoft heDef endant
(iet heper sonwhocausedt heinci dent)woul dcont empl atet hat
i
nj uryisl i
kelytof ollowfrom hisactsoromi ssions.Nori stheremot e
possi bil
ityofi nj
ur yenough;t heremustbeasuf ficientprobabilit
yof
i
nj uryt oleadar easonabl eperson( intheposi ti
onoft heDef endant )
toant icipateit."
Andatpar s.18and19:[ 18]"Inmyj udgment, t
hetestthatthejudge
appli
edint hef ir
stsentenceofpar a17ofhi sjudgmentdoesnot
accurat
elyreflectthosest at
ementsoft hel aw.Thej udgedi dnot
placesuffi
cientemphasi sont heneedt oest abl
ishthattherewas
suchapr obabi l
i
tyofphy si
calinj
uryoccurri
ngt oanotherpar kuser
,
suchasMrJones, byHectormakingphysicalcontactwit
hhi m ashe
•
160
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
di
d,thatMrWhi ppey
,acti
ngasar easonabl
edoghandl
eri
nthe
ci
rcumstances,
oughttohaveant
ici
patedthatwhen
deci
dingt
oletHect
orof
fthel
ead.
[19]" In my opi ni
on,had t he judge posed t he cor r
ect
quest ion,hecoul donl yhav econcluded,ont hef act sfound
andont heunchal l
engedev i
denceofMrWhi ppey ,thata
reasonabl e man i n Mr Whi ppey'
s posi tion woul d not
anticipatet hatphysicalinjur
yt oanot heradul tpar kuser
suchasMrJoneswoul dbecausedbyHect orphy sicall
y
cont acting hi m.As al r
eadynot ed,t he judge had f ound
expr esslyt hatHectorhadnot endencyt oj umpupatot her
peopl e;att hemosthest oppedandbar kedatpeopl esome
fiv
eort enf eetaway .Therewasnor easonwhyMrWhi ppey ,
asar easonabl edoghandl erinthepar k,shouldt herefore
haveant ici
patedthati fHect orwasl etof fthel eadwhen
someot heradultwasabout ,physicalhar mt ot hatadul t
woul d r esultfrom Hect or boundi ng up t o hi m and
cont actinghi m."
O'
Nei
l
lvDunnesSt
ores[
2010]I
ESC53
Fact s:Thepl aint
if
fwasi njuredwhi leassistingasecur i
tyof f
icerin
the def endant '
sst oret o arresta shopl i
fter.Att he ti
me oft he
i
nci dent,t herewasonl yonesecur i
tyoff
iceri ntheent irest oreand
therewasnomeansofcommuni cati
onbet weent hest affandt he
secur i
tyof f
icerapartfrom mobi l
ephones.Thei njuryoccur redwhen
acompani onoft heshopl if
terswungabi cy clechainacr osst hef ace
ofthepl ainti
ff.
Held:Thedef endant'
ssecur i
tydetailhadfallenshor tofthatr equired
ofast or eoft henat ureoft hedef endant'
s,andt hust hedef endant
hadbr eachedt hedut yofcar eowedt othepl aint
if
f.
Principle:Aper sonbr eachest hedutyofcar eheowesi fheact sor
fai
lst oacti nawayt hatar easonabl emanexer ci
singr easonabl e
carewoul dnothav edone.
PerO' Donnel
lJ:"
Hereitcouldbesai
dwi t
hsomefor cethat
therewasnoev i
dencefrom anywit
nessast owhet heror
notitwasnor maltohavetwoormoresecuri
tymenondut y
forl ate ni
ghtshopping i
n a store wi
ththe size and
throughputofDunnesSt oresinThurl
es.Whil
ether ewas
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
referenceincr ossexami nationt oapr otocolpr oducedby
Dunnes,onlyapor t
ionofwhi chMrBy rnecoul dr emember ,
thedocumenti tselfwasnotputi nev i
dence.I nt heev ent
there are significant dif
ficulti
es witht reating t hi
s as
evidenceofgener alpracti
cef r
om whichnegl i
gencecanbe
deduced.First,itis,stri
ctl
yspeaki ng,onlyt heev idenceof
Dunnes'own pr acti
ce and nott he gener alpr act i
ce of
reasonablestoreowner s.Second,t heev idencei tselfwas
somewhatequi vocal.Evenifi twasacceptedt hatMrBy rne
151•
•
"I
ndeedi nthisr egard,Iwouldbev eryslow t oi mposethr ought he
l
aw ofnegl igencesomei nfl
exibl
er ulethatt heremustal way sbea
minimum oft wosecur i
tyguardsinanyst or e,atleastont helimited
evidenceprof f
eredi nthiscase.Iwoul dbeev enmor er eluct
antt o
sti
gmat i
se as negl i
gent,the act s of the secur i
ty guar d who
confront
ed,chasedanddet ai
nedashopl if
ter— especi al
lyonewho
appearedunr uly
, i
ntoxi
catedandgi ventov iolence.Iti
sonet hingfor
prudence t o suggest caut i
on r ather than cour age i n cer t
ain
ci
rcumst ances;i tis quit
e anothert hatt he l aw should demand
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
caut
ionandpenal
i
secour
age.
vicar i
ousl yl i
ablef orhi sdef aul t.Howev er,It hi nkt hatt hat
anal ysiswoul dbemor et hanal ittl
ear tifi
cial:Iam notsur e
thati tcanbesai dt hatanysecur ityguar d( nomor et hanany
citi
zen) ,canbesai dt ooweadut yofcar et omember sof
thepubl i
cnott oi nv olvet hem byaski ngt hem f orhel pt o
det ainasuspect .ItisIt hinkpr ef erablet oseet hatev i
dence
ast hecl earestpossi blei ndicat iont hati ft her ewasany
syst em i npl aceont heev eni ng,i thadgonebadl ywr ong.I n
theabsenceofev idenceofcommonpr act i
cei tmaynotbe
possi bl et osaywi thcer taintyt hatt hereoughtt ohav ebeen
anot hersecur it
yguar dt oassi stMrBy rne, butt her ecer tai
nly
oughtt ohav ebeensomeoneav ai
lablet oassi sthi m.The
i
mageoft het wo- wayr adi owhi chwasusel essbecause
ther ewasnoonet ocommuni catewi th,isitsel ftelli
ng.I tis
cleart hatt herewer emanager sondut y ,(i
ndeedMrBy rne
saidt hatheaskedMsSt apl etont ogett hem)andt hatsuch
manager scoul dhav eassi stedMrBy r
nei fal ertedt ot he
situat i
on.I tseemscl eart hatt her eoughtt ohav ebeena
mor eef fecti
veandi mmedi at emet hodofcommuni cation
withmanager st hanhav ingt or esor ttoaski ngapassi ng
cleani ngl adyt ocal lthem.I tdoesnotappeart hatt herewas
anysy st em inpl acewher et het wo- wayr adiocoul dbehel d
byanot herper sonf ort heev eningoranyar rangementf or
MrBy rnet obeabl et ocommuni cat ewi t
hanyot hermember
ofst aff.Ev enont hel i
mi tedev identialr ecor dt her efore,I
consi dert hatt he t ri
alj udge i s ent i
tled t o come t ot he
concl usi ont hatthisst ateofaf fairswasunr easonabl eand,
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
i
fnecessary,amount
ed t
othetypeof'fol
ly
'whi
ch Lor
d
Dunedi
nidenti
fi
edmoret
han100y
earsago.
"
Imbr eeMcNei ll
y[ 2009]1LRC518; [2008]HCA40
Fact s:Thepl aint i
ff,whileint hepossessi onofacompanyv ehicle,
permi tt
edt hedef endant,a16- year -
oldunlicensedper sont odrivethe
caronagr avelr oadwhi leher emai nedapassenger .Thedef endant
l
ostcont rol ofthecarandi tover tur
ned, causingspi nali
njuri
est othe
plainti
ffwhi chrender edhimt etraplegic.Hesued.
Held:Thedef endanthadbr eachedt hedut yofcar eowedt ot he
plainti
ffsi ncehi sconducthadf all
enshor toft hatofar easonable
compet entdr iver.
Principle:Thest andar dofcar er equiredofal earnerdriv
erwast hat
requi r
edofanyot herdriveront her oad,namel yt otaker easonable
caret oav oi dinjuryt oothers.
PerGleesonCJatp.527,
par.10:'
Todescr
ibeacaseasspeci
al,
orexcepti
onal
,i
mpli
esexi
stenceofapr
inci
plebywhi
ch
153•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
i
tcanber ecogni sed,anddi st i
ngui shedf rom t heor di nar y .The
pluralityr easonsi nCookvCookaccept edt hat ,asagener alrul e,
thest andar dofcar eowedbyadr ivert osomeonewhomi ght
foreseeabl y be i njured by l ack of car ei s obj ect ive and
i
mper sonal ,andi snotmodi f
iedbyt heper sonalat tribut esoft he
driver,whi ch mi ghti nclude age,ski l
l,al ertness,phy sicalOf
ment alheal th,sobr i
etyorev enaspect soft emper ament ,some
ofwhi ch,i nt hecaseoft heonedr iv er,mayal ter ,per hapsov era
shor tt i
me.Thi si s so because t he car et hati sr easonabl y
requir edoft hedr iverofacari sapr oductoft hehar mt hatcan
resultf r
om f ailuret oexer ci
secar e,andbecauset heal ternat ive
woul d be an i nfinitelyv ari
abl e st andar d,r espondi ng t ot he
particul arcombi nat ionofat tribut espossessedbyadr iv eratany
givent i
me( seeJosl ynvBer ry man[ 2003]HCA34,( 2003)214
CLR552at[ 30]perMcHughJ) .Itwasconcl udedi nCookvCook
(1986)162CLR376at384t hat , becauset heabsenceofski l
l,or
exper ience, wast her easonf ort hei nstructionorsuper v isiont hat
wasunder taken,i twasi rr
ationalt oi mposeast andar dofcar e
owedbyt hedr ivert othei nst r
uct ororsuper visort hatwasnot
modi f iedt ot akeaccountoft hel ackofski llorexper i
ence.That ,
withr espect ,i snotatal lobv ious.Thef act or sdescr ibedas
speci almaybesi gni fi
cant ,i
nagi vencase, f ori ssuessuchast he
existenceofadut yofcar e,cont ri
but orynegl igence,v olunt ary
assumpt ion ofr isk,orcausat ion.Gi ven,howev er,t hati ti s
accept edt hatt hedr i
verowesadut yt ot hesuper visort ot ake
reasonabl e car ef ort he super v i
sor 's saf et y;gi v en t he wi de
variabi li
tyindegr eesofi nexper ience; andgi vent hei nt er act ionof
exper ience,orl ackofi t
,wi t
hot herper sonalat t ribut est hatbear
upon saf edr i
ving,i tisnoti r
r ationalt oi mposean obj ective
standar dofcar er at herthant oat temptt oadj ustt hest andar dof
caret ot hel ev elofexper ienceofani ndividual dr i
v er .
"
"
154
Fourt
hly,itwasnotsuggestedinargument ,andt her
eisnothing
i
nCookvCookt hatwouldsuggest,thatalearnercfri
verowesa
l
esserst andardofcaretoanypassengeri nthev ehi
cleexcept
theli
censeddr i
verwhositsintheadj oi
ningseat.Inparti
cul
ar,i
t
wasnotsuggest edthatanyknowl edgeofanot herpassenger
thatthedr i
verwasinexperi
encedaf fect
st hestandardofcar e
thatthe dr i
vermustobser vet o av oi
di nj
uryt ot hatother
passenger.
"Standi
ngalone,howev er
,apl aint
if
f'
sactualknowledgeofgood
reasonstothinkthatthedef endantmaynotmeett hestandard
oft her
easonablepersonpr ovidesnosuffi
cientorcert
ainbasis
forconcludi
ngthatsomel essery etobj
ecti
v est
andardofcar e
should be appli
ed.Itpr ovides no suffi
cientbasisf orthat
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
conclusion becauset her eisan unar t
iculated middlest ep in
reasoningf r
om apl ainti
ff'sknowledget hatadef endantmaynot
user easonablecare,t oappl yi
ngt other esolutionofacl aimf or
damages f ornegligence an obj ect
ive,and t hus generali
sed,
standardofcar ewhichr educest herequi r
edst andardofcar eby
refer
encet osomeknownat tri
buteofthedef endant.Thatmi ddle
stepcanbedescr i
bedi nanumberofdi fferentway s.Usingt he
l
anguageofDi xonJi nJoy ce(1948)77CLR39at57, itcouldbe
described as a st ep t hatdef i
nes ori dent i
fi
es the relevant
'
relat
ions,juxtaposi
tions, si
tuati
onsorconductor
155.
activ
iti
es'oforbet weent hepar ties.Alternati
vely
,itcouldbe
described as a st ep of i dentif
ying t he r el
evant
characteri
sticsoft hehy pothesisedr easonableact orwhose
conductset st hestandar dofcar et hatisbeingappl i
ed.Itis
notnecessar yt o choosebet weent hosedescr ipti
onsf or
theyar enoti ntendedt obedi f
f erenti ntheiroperati
on.But
withoutf i
rstidenti
fyi
nghowt hatmi ddlestepi stobet aken,
the st ate of t he plaint i
ff
's act ual knowl edge of t he
defendant '
s defici
encies pr ovi
des no cer t
ain basisf ora
conclusionaboutwhati st herelev antstandardofcar e."
Oukhel
l
ouvLi
tt
on[
2014]EWHC2303
Fact s:Thepl aintif
funder wentakneer eplacementsur geryandwas
dischar ged subj ectt or ev i
ews.The oper ating doct or'
sr egi
strar
conduct edarev iewandr ecommendedt hatnof urthertreatmentwas
needed.He,howev er,suf feredani nfectionandwast akenbyan
ambul ancet ot hehospi tal.Hesuedt hatt hedef endantshadbeen
negl igenti nconduct i
ngt her ev
iewandt hatacar efulanalysi
swoul d
hav eshownt hatheoughtt ohav ebeenadmi tted.
Hel d:Ont hedayoft her eview,nor easonabl ycompet entor t
hopaedic
surgeonwoul dhav er ecommendedf urthertr eatmentoradmi ssion
and t hus since t he def endants had act ed as a r easonable
prof essi onalwoul dhav edone, theywer enotl iable.
Princi ple:Aper sondoesnotbr eacht hest andar dofcar eifheactsas
ar easonabl ecompet entper sonwoul dhav eact edal thoughhet akes
amor econser vat i
veappr oach.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
PerJudgeSi mpki ssatpar .77:" Inmyj udgmentt hi sclaimi s
broughtwi t
hasi gnificantel ementofhi ndsi ght .Bot ht he
Claimant '
s exper ts hav e appr oached t he mat teri nt he
knowl edget hatift her ehadbeenasur gicaldebr idementand
then t reat mentwi th aggr essiv e ant ibiotics t he i nfect i
on
woul d hav e been pr ev ented and t he need f orr ev i
sion
av oided.MrCannonagr eeswi tht his.Wi t
hhi ndsi ght,t hi s
woul dhav ehappenedi fMrApsi nghihadadv isedt hiscour se
on4June2008, al thought hef i
naldeci sionwoul dhav ebeen
MrManj ure's.Thati snott hei ssuei nt hiscase,whi chi s
whet herMrApsi nghi fel lbelowt her elev antst andar dofcar e.
In myj udgmenthe di d not .Iam notsat isfied t hatno
reasonabl y compet entor t
hopaedi c sur geon woul d hav e
deal twi tht hecasei nt hewayi nwhi chMrApsi nghidi d.I t
wasnotnegl igentt ot aket hemor econser v
at iv eappr oach.
Ther ewer er isksat tachedt osur gicali nterv ent ionandno
clinicalsi gnswhi chi ndi catedaneedt ot akesuchst eps. "
Or angevChi efConst abl eofWestYor kshi rePol ice[ 2002]QB
347Fact s:Thepl aint i
f f
'shusbandwasar rest edf orbei ng
drunkanddi sorder lyandpl acedi npol i
cecust ody .Hewas
allowedt okeepal lhi scl othingi ncludi nghi sbel t.Thecel l
wher ehewaskepthadagat ewi thahor i
zont ali ronbar .The
pol i
cehadassessedt hedeceasedandconcl udedt hathe
wasnotasui cider isk.Hewasmoni toredbyCCTV and
regul arv isit
sev er y30mi nutes.TheCCTVcoul dnotshow
thebarbuthewasseenoni tmov i
ngf reel yi nt hecel land
notbei ngi ndi st
ress.Whenadeci si
onwast akent or elease
him aboutf ourhour sl at er,theyf oundt hathehadhanged
himsel fwi tht hebel tont hehor izontalbar .Thepl ai nti
ffsued
thatt hedef endant sbr eachedt heirdut yt oensur et hesaf et y
oft hedeceasedi nt hei rcust odyi nal lowi nghi mt okeephi s
bel t
.
Held:Si ncet hepol i
ceassessedhi m andf oundhi m nott obea
sui
cider isk,t her ewasnobr eachofdut yinal l
owi nghi mt okeephi s
bel
t.Pr inci ple:Thescopeoft hedut yoft hepol i
cet ot aker easonabl e
caref ort heheal thandsaf etyofaper soni nt hei rcust odymustbe
consider edi nt hecont extofani ncreasedr iskofsui cidewhi chgi ves
ri
set oagr eat erobl igat iont oensur etheheal thandsaf etyoft he
pri
soner .
PerLatham LJatp.361and362,pars.41-43:41"We
acceptt
hegener
alpr
oposi
ti
ont
hatt
hereisani
ncr
easedr
isk
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
ofsui cideamongstt hosei ncust odyasagai nstthosei nt he
communi ty.Wef ur theracceptf rom t hemat eri
albef or
eus
thatt her ei sasi gnifi
canti ncreasei nt hatr i
ski ncer tain
categor iesofpr isoner s.I tisnot ewor thy,howev er,thatt he
maj orityoft he mat erialr elat
es t o suici de orat tempt ed
suicidei npr ison,ei t
heronr emandoraf t erconv i
ction.The
onlymat eri
alspeci f i
ct odeat hsinpol icecust odyi sapaper
from t heHomeOf f
icePol iceResear chGr oupdat edJul y
1998,whi chsi gnificant l
ypostdat est heev entswithwhi ch
we ar e concer ned.Thi s descr ibes such deat hs as 'rare'
.
Fur t
her ,t her
ei s no ev idence whi ch suggest st hatt hose
arrestedf orbei ngdr unkanddi sor derlyf or m acat egoryof
prisoneri nr espectofwhi ch t herei s any si gnifi
cant l
y
i
ncr eased r i
sk ofsui cide.Mor e par ti
cularly,therei s no
mat erialbef oreuswhi chsuggest sthatt herehadbeenany
previousi nci
dent sofsui ci
deorsel f-
har mi ntheBr i
dewel lof
anyr elev ancet ot hispar ti
cularcase.I tseemst oust hatitis
i
nt hiscont extt hatt hescopeoft hedut yofcar et o an
i
ndi vi
dual suchast hedeceasedi nt hepr esentcasehast obe
consi dered.
157.
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
tsi
nGhana
"
Ibe
43" I
tseems t o us t hatt he rightbal ance i s st ruck by
recogni sing,asLor dHof fmanndi dinReev es'scase,atp368,
i
nt hepassagewehav ealreadyci ted,that' adut yt opr otecta
per sonoff ullunder st
andingf r
om causi nghar mt ohi mselfi s
veryr arei ndeed' .Lor dHopesai dmucht hesame,atp379H,
agai ni n a passage whi ch we hav e already ci ted.I n my
j
udgment ,thei ncreasedr iskofsui ci
deamongstpr isoner scan
proper lybesai dt ogi v
er i
set oanobl i
gation, withint hegener al
dut yofcar et hecust odianhasf orthepr i
soner 'sheal t
hand
saf ety,tot aker easonabl est epst oident i
fywhet herornota
prisonerpr esents a sui cide risk.The obl igation t ot ake
reasonabl ecar et opr eventapr i
sonerf rom t akinghi sownl i
fe
deliberatelyonl yar iseswher ethecust odianknowsoroughtt o
knowt hatt heindi vidualprisonerpr esentsasui cider i
sk.Inour
view Lor dHof fmannandLor dHopewhenadv er ti
ngt ot he
gener alr i
skofsui cideinpr isonandt her elati
onshi pbet ween
thecust odianandt hepr i
sonwer edoi ngsoi nor dert oexpl ain
whyt hev eryunusual dutyar oseatal l
.Wedonotconsi dert hat
Lor dHof fmanni ntendedt hedut yt oappl yt oal lpr isoner s.
Lor dHope,i nourv i
ew,clear lyintendedt hatt hedut yshoul d
onlybeowedwher et heriskofsui ci
dei nt hei ndiv i
dualcase
j
ust if
iedi mposi ngi t
."
•
170
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
Bl
akevGal
l
oway[
200413Al
lER315
Facts:Thepl ai
nti
ffandt hedef endantwer eengagedi nhor sepl
ay.
Whent hedefendantt hrewabar kchippingattheplai
ntif
f,itst
ruckhi
s
eyecausingsigni
ficantinj
uryalt
hought hedefendanthadnotai medat
theplai
ntif
f'
seye.Thedef endantpleadedconsent.
Held:Sincethedef endantdidnotactr eckl
esslyorgrosslycarel
essl
y,
hehadnotbr eachedt hedutyofcareowed.
Principle:A def
endantinagamewhi chispl ay
edaccor
dingtothe
accept edconventi
ondoesnotbr
eachthedutyofcar
eowedtoanot
her
playerunl esshisactamountstoreckl
essnessorahighdegreeof
carelessness.
[141"Theoff
endingbl
owwascausedbyapi eceofbarkwhich
wast hrowninaccordancewit
hthetaci
tunderstandi
ngsor
conventi
onsofthegamei nwhi
chthecl
aimantpart
ici
pated.I
t
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
wast hr
owninthegeneraldi
rect
ionoft heclai
mant,wit
hno
i
ntenti
onofcausi
ngharm,andint hesamehigh-spi
ri
tedgood
natur
easall
theotherobj
ect
shadbeent hrown.
[
15] "Irecognisethatt hepar ti
cipantsi nthehor seplay
owedeachot heradutytot aker easonablecar enott ocause
i
njury.Whatdoest hatmeani nthecont extofpl ayofthiskind?
Noaut hor
ityhasbeenci tedt ousdeal ingwithnegl i
gencei n
rel
ati
on t oi njur
y caused int he cour se ofhor seplay,as
opposedt oaf ormalsportorgame.Iconsi derthatthereisa
suffi
cientl
ycl oseanalogybet weenor ganisedandr egulated
sportorgamesandt hehorseplayi nwhi chthesey outhswer e
engagedf ort heguidancegi venbyt heaut horiti
estowhi chI
haver efer
redt obeofv al
uei nther esoluti
onoft hiscase.The
onlyreal
159•
•
diff
erenceisthatt herewerenof ormal rul
esf orthehor sepl ay
.
ButIdonotconsi dert hatthi
sisasi gnifi
cantdi sti
nction.The
commonf eaturesbet weenhor seplayoft hiskindandf ormal
sporti nv
ol v
ing v igorous physicalact i
v i
ty aret hat bot h
i
nv ol
ved consensualpar t
ici
pati
on i n an activity( i
)whi ch
i
nv ol
vesphy sicalcontactoratleastt heriskofi t,(i
i)i
nwhi ch
decisi
onsar eusual lyexpectedtobemadequi cklyandof ten
asani nst
inctiveresponset otheact sofot herpar t
ici
pant s,so
that(iü)thev erynat ureoft heact i
vit
ymakesi tdi f
ficultto
avoidtheriskofphy si
calharm.
[
16] "Iwoul d,ther
efore,applythe guidance giv
en by
DiplockLJi nWool dri
dgevSumner[ 1962]2Al lER978,[1963]
2QB43, althoughinaslightl
yexpandedfor m,andholdthati
n
acasesuchast hepresentt her
eisabr eachoft hedutyof
careowedbypar t
ici
pantA t opart
ici
pantBonl ywhereA' s
conductamount st orecklessnessorav eryhighdegreeof
carelessness.
[
17] "I
ft hedefendanti nthepr esentcasehaddepar ted
from t
het acitunderstandingsorconv ent
ionsoftheplayand,
for exampl e,had t hrown a st one at t he clai
mant,or
deli
berat
elyai medt hepi eceofbar katt heclai
mant '
shead,
thentheremi ghthav ebeenabr eachoft hedutyofcare.But
whathappenedher ewas,ati t
shighest ,'
anerrorofjudgment
orlapseofski l
l'(
toquot ef r
om Di plockLJ),andt hatisnot
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
suffi
cientt oamountt oaf ailuretot akereasonablecar eint he
cir
cumst ances ofhor seplaysuch as t hatin whi ch t hese
youthswer eengaged.I nmy v iew,t hedefendant '
sconduct
camenowher enearr ecklessnessorav er
yhi ghdegr eeof
carelessness.I tist ruethatt hisgamewasnotbei ngpl ay edi n
amannert hatwascl oselyanal ogoust othefastandf ur i
ous
condi t
ionsofagameoff ootballora hor serace,wher e,i n
determi ningwhatr easonabl ecar er equir
es,accounthast obe
takenoft hefactt hatdeci si onsar etakenint hehéatoft he
moment .Butt hesey outhswer ei ndulgi
nginhor seplayaf ter
spendi ngt hemor ningi ndoor s.Theywer ehi ghspiri
tedand
havingf un,andnodoubtt hegamewasconduct edatsome
speedandi naf airlyvigor ousf ashion.Itwasi mpl i
citt hat
nobodywasexpect edt ot akecar et oaimt heobj ectsatany
parti
cul arpar toft hebody .Theywer esimplyai medi nt he
gener aldirecti
onoft heintended' v i
ctim'.
"
Kusum Shar
mavBat
raHospi
tal
andMedi
cal
Cent
re[
201015
LRC70
Facts:Thepl
aint
if
funder
wentsurger
yatt hedef
endanthospi
talto
removeamali
gnantabdominalt
umour.Shewasdi
schargedandlat
er
brought
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
76]"
[ Amer edevi
ati
onfrom nor
malpr
ofessi
onalpr
act
ice
i
snotnecessar
il
yevi
denceofnegl
i
gence.
77]"
[ I
nJacobMat hewt hi
scour tobser
vedt hatthehigher
the acuteness i
nt he emer gencyand t he highert he
complicati
on,thegreaterarethechancesofaner r
orof
j
udgment .Thecour tfurt
herobserved((2005)6SCC1at
[25]
):'Att imes,the pr of
essionalis confronted with
makingachoi cebet weenthedev i
landt hedeepseaand
174•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
78]"
[ Adoct orfacedwi thanemer gencyordinari
lytrieshis
bestt oredeem t hepat ientoutofhi ssufferi
ng.Hedoes
notgai n any thi
ng by act ing wi th negl
igence orby
omit t
ingt odoanact .Obv i
ously,theref
ore,itwillbef or
thecompl ainanttoclearlymakeoutacaseofnegl igence
before a medi cal practit
ioner is char ged wi th or
proceeded agai nst cr i
minall
y .Thi s courti n Jacob
Mat hew v eryapt l
yobser vedt hatasur geonwi t
hshaky
hands underf earofl egalact ion cannotper form a
successf uloper ati
onandaqui ver
ingphy si
ciancannot
admi nist
ert heend-doseofmedi cinetohispat i
ent.
[
791"Doct
orsincompli
cat
edcaseshav
etot
akechancesev
en
i
fther
ateofsurv
ival
isl
ow.
[80]"Thepr ofessionalshoul
dbehel dli
ableforhi sactOf
omission,ifnegligent,i
stomakel i
fesaferandtoel i
minate
thepossibili
tyofr ecurr
enceofnegli
gencei nfut
ure.But,at
thesamet ime, courtshavetobeextr
emel ycar
efultoensure
thatprofessionalsarenotharassedunnecessaril
yandt hat
theyareabl et ocar r
youttheirpr
ofessi
onaldutieswithout
fear.
"
175•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
I
.Negli
genceist hebreachofadut yexerci
sedbyomissi(to
dosomet hingwhi char easonabl
eman,gui dedbyt ho
consider
ati
ons whi ch ordi
nari
lyregulat
ethe conduct
human af f
air
s,woul d do,Ofdoi ng somet
hing which
prudentandreasonablemanwoul dnotdo.
I
l.Negl
igenceisanessentialingr
edientoftheof fence.T
negli
gencetobeestabli
shedbyt heprosecut
ionmust
culpabl
eOfgrossandnotthenegli
gencemerel
ybaf
uponaner
rorofj
udgment
.
I
V. A medicalpracti
ti
onerwoul dbel i
ableonl
ywher ehis
conductfel
lbelowt hatoft
hestandardsofareasonabl
y
competentpracti
ti
onerinhi
sfiel
d.
V. Inther eal
m ofdi agnosi
sandt reat
mentt her
eisscope
foragenui nediff
erenceofopinionandonepr of
essi
onal
doctor is clearl
y notnegligentmer el
y because hi
s
conclusion dif
fersfrom thatofanot herpr of
essi
onal
doctor.
VI
. Themedi calpr
ofessi
onali
sof t
encall
edupontoadopta
procedur
e which inv
olves hi
gherelementofrisk,but
whichhehonest l
ybeli
evesaspr ov
idi
nggreat
erchances
176•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
VI
I. Negligencecannotbeat tr
ibut
edt oadoct orsolongashe
perf
or ms hi s dut ies wi t
h r easonable ski l
l and
compet ence.Mer elybecauset hedoct orchoosesone
courseofact i
oni nprefer
encetot heotheroneav ail
abl
e,
hewoul dnotbel i
ableifthecourseofact ionchosenby
hi
m wasaccept abletothemedical pr
ofession.
Vl
l
l.I
twouldnotbeconduci
vetot heef
fi
ciencyofthemedical
pr
ofessi
on i
f no doctor coul
d admi ni
ster medi
cine
wi
thoutahal
terr
oundhi
sneck.
I
X. Iti
sourboundendut yandtheobli
gati
onofcivi
lsociet
y
to ensur e that medical pr
ofessional
s ar e not
unnecessari
lyhar
assedorhumil
iatedsot hattheycan
perf
orm t hei
r pr
ofessi
onaldut
ies wi t
hout f
ear and
apprehensi
on.
X. Medi calpracti
ti
onersattimesal sohavetobesav edfrom
such a cl ass ofcompl ai
nants who use t he cr
iminal
process as a t ool f or pressuri
sing the medi cal
professionals/hospit
als,parti
cular
lypriv
atehospital
sor
cli
nics,forext r
acti
nguncal ledf orcompensation.Such
maliciouspr oceedi
ngsdeser v
et obedi scar
dedagai nst
themedi calpracti
ti
oners.
XI
. Medicalprofessi
onalsareentitl
edt ogetpr otecti
onso
l
ongast heyper f
ormt hei
rdut i
eswi t
hr easonableskil
l
andcompet enceandi ntheinterestofthepatients.The
i
nterestandwelfareofthepati
entshavet obepar amount
formedicalprof
essional
s.
[95]"In ourconsider
ed v
iew,the af
orement
ioned
princi
plesmustbekeptinvi
ew whi
ledecidi
ngcases
ofmedi calnegl
i
gence.Weshoul
dnotbeunderstood
177•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
THERESULTANTDAMAGE
Rot hwel lvChemi cal&I nsulati
ngCo.Lt d[2007]4Al lER1047
Fact s: The cl ai
mant s had been negl i
gent l
y ex posed t o
asbest osi nt hecour seoft heirempl oyment sanddev eloped
pleur alpl aques,whi chwer eareasoff ibroust hickeni ngoft he
pleur almembr anesur roundingt hel ungs.Pl euralpl aquesdi d
notnor mally cause sy mpt oms and di d notcause ot her
asbest os-relateddi seasesbutt heyi ndicatedt hepr esencei n
the l ungs and pl eura of asbest os f ibres whi ch coul d
i
ndependent l
ycausel i
fe-t
hreateningorf ataldi seasessuchas
asbest osisormesot helioma.Theysuedt hedef endantast hei
r
empl oyer sal l
egingasdamagesuf fer edt hepl euralpl aques
andanxi etyaboutf ut ureriskofcont ractingdi seases.
Held:Asy mpt omlesspl aqueandf earoff uturei nj
urywer enot
damagef ort hepur posesofanact i
oni nnegl igenceandt hus
thepl aint i
ffsmustf ail.
Princi ple:Tosucceedi nanact ioni nnegl igenceagai nstan
empl oyer ,the plaint if
fmustpr ovet hathe has suf fered a
recogni sedinjury.
PerLor
dHoff
mannatpp.1046and1047,par
s.1and2:
[
1]''
MyLor
ds,t
hequest
ioni
swhethersomeonewho
•
164
hasbeennegl
i
gent
lyexposedtoasbestosinthecourseofhis
employ
mentcansuehisemployerfordamagesont heground
thathehasdevel
opedpleuralplaques.Theseareareasof
178•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
fi
broust hickeningoft hepleuralmembr anewhi chsur r
ounds
the l
ungs.Sav einv eryexcept i
onalcases,t heycause no
symptoms.Nordot heycauseot herasbestosr
elateddi seases.
Butt hey signalt he presence int he l
ungs and pl eur a of
asbestos f i
bres whi ch may i ndependent
ly cause l i
fe-
thr
eatening or f atal diseases such as asbest osis or
mesot hel
ioma.I nconsequence,adi agnosi
sofpl euralplaques
maycauset hepat i
enttocont emplat
ehisfutur
ewi thanxi et
yor
evensuf f
ercl i
nical
depression.
[
2]" Proofofdamagei sanessent ialelementi nacl aimi n
negl igenceandi nmyopi niont hesy mpt oml esspl aquesar enot
compensat abl edamage.Nei therdot heriskoff uturei l
lnessor
anxi etyaboutt hepossi bili
tyoft hatr iskmat er i
ali
singamount
to damagef ort hepur poseofcr eat i
ng a causeofact ion,
although t he l aw al lows bot hto be t aken i nto accounti n
comput i
ngt hel osssuf f eredbysomeone whohasact ually
suf feredsomecompensat ablephy sicalinj uryandt herefore
hasacauseofact i
on.I nt heabsenceofsuchcompensat able
i
nj ury,howev er ,ther ei s no cause ofact i
on underwhi ch
damagesmaybecl aimedandt heref or
enocomput ationof
l
ossi nwhi cht her i
skandanxi et
ymaybet akeni ntoaccount .It
followst hati nmyopi niont hedev elopmentofpl euralpl aques,
whet herornotassoci atedwi thther iskoff ut urediseaseand
anxi etyaboutt hef utur e,i snotact i
onabl ei njur y.Thesamei s
trueev eniftheanxi etycausesar ecogni sedpsy chiatrici l
lness
suchascl inicaldepr essi on.Ther ightt opr otectionagai nst
psy chiatri
cillnessi sl imi tedanddoesnotext endt oani l
lness
whi ch woul d be suf fer ed onl y by an unusual l
yv ulnerable
per sonbecauseofappr ehensi ont hathemaysuf f
erat or t
ious
i
nj ury.Ther iskoft hef ut ur
edi seasei snotact i
onabl eand
nei t
heri sapsy chiatrici l
lnesscausedbycont empl at i
onoft hat
ri
sk. "
179•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
8]"
[ How much wor se of fmustone be?An act ion f or
compensat i
onshoul dnotbeseti nmot i
ononaccountofa
triv i
ali njury.Demi ni
mi snoncur at/ ex.Butwhet heran
i
nj ur yi s suf fi
ci ently ser ious t o f ound a cl aim f or
compensat i
on ort oo t ri
vialt oj ustifya r emedy i sa
quest i
onofdegr ee.Becausepeopl edonotof tengot othe
troubl eofbr ingi ngact ionst or ecov erdamagesf ort ri
v i
al
i
nj ur i
es,t hequest ionofhow t rivi
ali st ri
vialhassel dom
ar isendi rectly.I thashowev erar iseni nconnect ionwi th
theLi mi t
ationAct1980,underwhi cht hepr imar yr ulei s
thatt imer unsf r om t hedat eonwhi cht hecauseofact i
on
accr ues.I nanact i
onf ornegl igence,t hatmeanst hedat e
uponwhi cht hecl aimantsuf f
er eddamagewhi chcannot
bechar acterisedast rivi
al.Toi dent if
yt hatmomentwas
thev it
alquest ioni nCar t/
edgevEJopl i
ng& sonsLt d
[1963]1 Al lER 341,[ 1963]. AC 758,i n whi ch t he
empl oyees had suf f
er ed deat h orser ious i njuryf r
om
damaget ot heirl ungscausedbyexposur et of ragment ed
silica.Atadat eear l
iert hant hecommencementoft he
l
imi tationper iodt heirl ungshadsuf f
ereddamagewhi ch
woul d hav e been v isible upon an X- ray exami nation,
reducedt heirl ungcapaci tyi nawaywhi chwoul dshow
i
t sel fincasesofunusualexer t ion,mi ghtadv ancewi thout
fur ther i nhalation, made t hem mor e v ulner able t o
tuber culosisorbr onchi tisandr educedt heirexpect ati
onof
l
if e.Buti nnor mall ifet hedamagepr oducednosy mpt oms
andt heywer eunawar eofi t.TheHouseofLor dsaf fi
rmed
thev iewoft het rialjudgeandt heCour tofAppeal ([1961]3
Al lER482,[ 1962]1QB189)t hatacauseofact i
onhad
ar isenandt hecl aims( asthel awt henst ood)wer est atute-
180•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
bar
red.
9]"
[ Themember softheCour tofAppealandt heHouseof
Lordsusedsl i
ghtl
ydifferentwordst oexpressthedegree
ofinjurywhi chmusthav ebeensuf fered.I
nt heCourtof
AppealHar manLJspoke( [
1961]3Al lER 482at487,
[1962]1QB 189at199)ofl ossordamage' notbeing
i
nsignificant
'andPear sonLJsai d( [
196113Al lER482at
492,[ 1962]1QB 189at208)t hatthecauseofact ion
accrueswhen' theplai
nt i
ff
•
166
181•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
concer nedhassuf f
eredser i
oushar m'.Int heHouseofLor dsLor d
Reidsai d( [1963]1Al lER341at343,[ 1963]AC758at771—772)
thatthe cause ofact ion accrues when t he wr ongf ulacthas
causedper sonal injury'beyondwhatcanber egardedasnegl i
gible'
.
LordEv ershed( [1963]1Al lER341at344,[ 1963]AC758at774)
spokeof' r
ealdamageasdi st
inctf r
om pur elymi ni maldamage' .
LordPear ce( withwhom al lther estoftheirLordshi psagr eed)sai d
(1963]1Al lER341at349,[ 1963]AC758at779) :'Itisf oraj udge
orjuryt odeci dewhet heramanhassuf feredanyact ionablehar m
and in bor der -
li
necasesi ti saquest ion ofdegr ee. ...Iti sa
questionoff actineachcasewhet heramanhassuf f eredmat eri
al
damagebyanyphy sicalchangesi nhi sbody .Evidencet hatt hose
changesar enotf eltbyhi m andmaynev erbef el
ttel lsinf avourof
thedamagecomi ngwi thi
nt hepr i
ncipleofdemi nimi snoncur at
[ex.Ont heot herhandev i
dencet hatinunusualexer ti
onoratt he
onslaughtofdi seasehemaysuf f
erf r
om hi shiddeni mpai rment
tell
sinf avouroft hedamagebei ngsubst ant i
al.
"'
[39]"Thequest i
ont heni swhet heranal t
erat
ioni naclaimant'
s
physicalcondit
ionoft hiskindi sactionabl
e.Ift healt
erati
onis
takenbyi t
selftherecanbeonl yoneanswert ot hisquesti
on.As
LordRei dputiti nCart/edge'
scase[ 1963]1Al lER341at343,
[1963]AC758at771- 772,acauseofact i
onaccruesassoonasa
wrongfulacthas caused per sonalinjur
ybey ond whatcan be
regardedasnegligibl
e.Idonott hi
nkthatiti
sanabuseofl anguage
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
t
odescr
ibe
167•
•
pleuralplaquesasani njury
.Thequest ionwhet hertheycanal so
bedescr ibedasadi seaseislesseasyt oanswer.Butt heuseof
thesedescr i
ptionsdoesnotaddr esst hequest i
onofl aw,whi chis
whet heraphy sicalchangeoft hi
ski ndisactionable.Ther emust
ber ealdamage, asdi st
inctfr
om damagewhi chispur el
ymi ni
mal:
[196311Al lER 341at344,[ 1963]AC 758at774_ perLor d
Evershed.Wher et hatelementisl acki
ng,asi tplainlyi sint he
caseofpl euralplaques,thephysicalchangewhi chtheyr epresent
i
snotbyi t
selfacti
onable."
(Foll
owi ngthi
sdeci sionbyt heHouseofLor ds,t
heScot ti
sh
Parli
ament passeda l aw t hat madepl eural
plaque a
recognisableinj
uryf orthepurposeoft hetortofnegligence.
The pr opri
etyoft he law was chal l
enged in AXA Gener al
I
nsur ance Ltd vHM Adv ocat
e[ 2012]1 AC 868 as bei ng
unreasonablebutthe
UKSupr emeCour tupheldthevali
dityof
thel
aw. )
CAUSATI
ONI
NFACTANDREMOTENESSOFDAMAGE
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
BarnettvChelseaHospit
alManagementCommi tt
ee[ 1969]1QB428
Facts:The deceased r
eported t
ot he casual
ty departmentoft he
defendant
'shospit
alcomplaini
ng ofv omit
ing af
tert aking t
ea.The
nurserepor
tedittothemedicaloff
icerondutywhoi nstruct
edt hathe
shouldgohomeandsl eepandcallhisowndoctor.Fivehoursaf t
erthe
deceased
"
168
l
eft,hedi edfrom poi
soningofar senicwhichhadcont aminatedthetea.
Itwaspr ovedthathewoul dhav ediedany wayev enifhehadbeen
admi ttedt othehospit
alandt reatedatthetimehewentt here.
Held:Si ncehewoul dhav ediedany wayeveni fhehadbeenadmi t
ted
andt reated, t
hecauseoft hedeat hwasnott hedefendant'
snegligence
andt hust heacti
onmustf ail
.
Pri
nci ple:Tosucceedi nanact i
oni nnegl
igence,itmustbepr ov
edt hat
theinjur ycompl ai
nedofr esul
tedf rom t
henegl i
genceofthedef endant
orthatt hei nj
urywouldnothav ehappenedbutf orthenegli
genceoft he
defendant .
PerNi el
dJatp.438and439:" Ther ehasbeenputbef or
emea
ti
met ablewhi chIt hinkisofmuchi mpor t
ance.Thedeceased
attendedatt hecasual tydepartmentatf i
v eor10mi nutespast
ei
ghti nt hemor ni
ng.I fthecasual tyof fi
cerhadgotupand
dressedandcomet oseet het hr
eemenandexami nedthem
and deci ded to admi tthem,t hedeceased ( and Dr.Locket t
agreedwi t
ht hi
s)coul dnothav ebeeni nbedi nawar dbefore
11a. m.IacceptDr .Goul di
ng'sev i
dencet hatani ntravenous
drip woul d nothav e been setup bef ore 12 noon,and i f
potassium l oss was suspect ed it could not hav e been
discoveredunt i
l12. 30p.m.Dr .Lockett,deali
ngwi t
ht hi
s,said:
'
Ift hi
s man had notbeen t reat
ed unt i
laf t
er12 noon t he
chancesofsur vi
valwer enotgood. '
"Withoutgoi ng in detailint
ot he considerabl
ev ol
ume of
technicalevidencewhi chhasbeenputbef oreme,i tseemsto
met o bet hecaset hatwhen deathr esult
sf rom arseni
cal
poisoningi tisbr oughtaboutbyt wocondi t
ions:ont heone
handdehy drati
onandont heotherdi
sturbanceoft heenzyme
processes.I ft he pr i
nci
palcondi t
ion is one of enzy me
distur
bance— asIam oft heviewitwasher e— t hentheonly
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
met hodoftreat
mentwhi chisli
kelytosucceedi stheuseoft he
specifi
cantidot
ewhi chi scommonl ycalledB.A.L.Dr.Goulding
saidint hecourseofhi sev i
dence:'Theonl ywayt odealwi th
thisistousethespecificB.A.L.Iseenor easonableprospectof
thedeceasedbei nggi venB. A.L.befor
et het i
meatwhi chhe
died'—andatal aterpointinhisev i
dence—' Ifeelthatevenif
fl
uidlosshadbeendi scovereddeat hwoul dhavebeencaused
byt heenzymedisturbance.Deat hmighthav eoccurr
edlater.
'
"Iregardthatev
idenceasv erymoderat
e,anditmightbeatr
ue
assessmentofthesituat
iontosaythatt
herewasnochanceof
B.A.L.bei
ngadminist
eredbeforet
hedeathoft
hedeceased.
169•
of
"Forthose reasons,If i
nd t
hatt he plai
nti
ffhas f
ail
ed t
o
establ
ish,onthebalanceofprobabil
i
ties,t
hatthedef
endant
s'
negli
gencecausedt hedeat
hofthedeceased."
BakervWi ll
ougby[ 1970]AC467
Fact s:Thepl ainti
ffsuf feredinj
uri
est ohislegwhenhewasst ruckby
thedef endant '
scarunderci rcumstancesinwhi chthej udgef oundj oint
culpabi li
tyandappor t
ionedl i
abi
li
ty.Butbef orethet r
ial
,thepl aintif
f
wasshoti nthesamel egdur i
nganar medr obberyandt hel
eghadt obe
amput ated.Int heassessmentofdamages,t het r
ialjudger efusedt o
takei ntoconsi der ati
ont heamput ati
onoft heleg.Thi swasr eversedby
theCour tofAppealbutt heCour tofAppealdeci si
onwasr eversedon
furtherappeal totheHouseofLor ds.
Held:Si ncet heamput ati
onoft hel egwasat t
ri
but abletoadi fferent
cause,t he tri
alj udge had been r i
ghtt or efuse t ot ake i ti nto
consi derationint heassessmentofdamages.
Principle:Anyl ossf orwhi chdamagescanbegi venmustbeal oss
causedbyt hedef endant 'snegli
gentact.
PerLordRei datp.492:" I
fitweret hecaset hatintheey eof
the law an effectcoul d onl y have one cause t hen the
respondentmightber ight.I
tisalway snecessarytoprov et
hat
anylossf orwhichdamagescanbegi venwascausedbyt he
defendant'
snegligentact.Butiti
sacommonpl acethatthelaw
regardsmanyev ent
sashav i
ng two causes:t hathappens
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
whenev erther
ei scontri
butor
ynegligencefort henthelaw
saysthattheinjur
ywascausedbot hbyt henegli
genceofthe
defendantandbyt henegl
igenceoftheplai
nti
ff
.Andgenerall
y
i
tdoesnotmat terwhichnegli
genceoccurr
edf i
rstinpoi
ntof
ti
me."
Andatp.493:" Wewer er ef
erredt oanumberofshi pping
caseswher ethequest i
onwaswhomustpayf ordemur r
ageor
l
ossofpr ofitwhenav esseldamagedbyt womi shapswasi n
dockt ohav ebot hset sofdamager epai redatt hesamet i
me.I t
woul dseem t hatmuchdependsonwhi chmi shapr ender edt he
vessel unseawor t
hyornol ongerapr ofi
t-earni ngmachi ne.Iget
nohel pf rom t hesecasesbecausel iabili
tyf orper sonali njury
cannot depend on whi ch mi shap r ender s t he man
'
unseawor thy 'or ' not a pr of
it-
ear ning machi ne'.I f any
assistancei st o begot ,itisIt hinkf rom TheHav er sham
Grange[ 1905]P.307 wher eneithercol l
ision render ed t he
vesselunseawor t
hy.Thedamagef rom t hef irstcolli
siont ook
l
ongert or epai rthanthedamagef rom t hesecondandi twas
heldthatt hev esselresponsibl
efor
•
170
thesecondcol li
siondi dnothav etocont ri
but et owardspay ment
fortimel ostinrepair s.Inmyv i
ewt helat t
erwoul dhav ehadt opay
foranyt imeaf tert her epairsf r
om t hef i
rstdamagehadbeen
compl etedbecauset hatt imecoul dnotbecl ai
medf rom thef ir
st
wrongdoer .Thef i
rstwr ongdoermustpayf oral ldamagecaused
byhi m butnomor e.Thesecondi snotl i
ablef oranydamage
causedbyt hef ir
stwr ongdoerbutmustpayf oranyaddi ti
onal
damage caused byhi m.Thatwas t he gr ound ofdeci sion in
PerformanceCar sLt d.vAbr aham [1962]1Q. B.33.Ther eacar
sustainedt woslightcol l
isions:thefirstnecessi tatedrespiri
ngov er
awi dear eawhi chi ncludedt hepl acedamagedbyt hesecond
coll
ision.Sor epair
ingt hedamagecausedbyt hef ir
stcoll
isi
onal so
repairedthedamagedonebyt hesecond.Thepl aint
if
fwasunabl e
torecov erfrom theper sonr esponsiblef orthef i
rstcol l
i
sionandhe
thensuedt heper sonr esponsi bl
ef ort hesecond.Buthi saction
fai
led.The second wr ongdoerhi ta carwhi ch was al ready
damagedandhi sf aul tcausednoaddi t
ionallosst otheplaint
iff:so
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
hehadnot
hingt
opay
.
"Thesecasesexempl if
yt hegeneralrulethatawr ongdoermust
taketheplainti
ff(orhispropert
y)ashef i
ndshim:t hatmaybet o
hisadvantageordi sadvantage.Inthepresentcaset her obberis
notresponsibleorli
ableforthedamagecausedbyt herespondent:
hewoul donl yhavet opayf oraddit
ionallosstotheappel lantby
reasonofhisnowhav i
nganar ti
fi
ciall
imbinsteadofast i
ffleg."
171"
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
pl
aint
if
fwi
l
lsuf
ferf
rom t
hedev
aluat
ionbyhi
m."
McGheevNat
ional
coal
Boar
d[197213Al
lER1008
Fact s:Thepl aintif
f,ast hedef endants'empl oyee,wassentt o
cleanabr ickkiln.Thepl ai
nt if
fwasexposedt obrickdustbut
noadequat ewashi ngf acil
iti
eswer epr ov i
ded.Asar esult
,the
plainti
f fhadt or i
dehomeonabi cy cleaf terwor ktowash
himsel f.Hedev elopedder mat i
ti
sandsued.Ev idenceshowed
thatt her i
dingoft hebi cyclehomewi tht hebr ickdusthad
cont ri
butedt ocauset hedi sease.Thet rialjudgehel dt hatthe
defendant swer enotl iablesi ncet hepl ainti
ffcoul dnotpr ove
thatt he fail
ure oft he def endantt o pr ovide the washi ng
facili
ti
eshadcausedt hedi sease.
Held:On t hef actst hef ailureoft hedef endantt o provide
adequat ewashi ngfaci l
itieshadcont ribut edmat er
iall
ytocause
thedi seaseandt hust hedef endantswer el i
able.
Principle:Aper soni sl iabl
ei nnegl i
gencei ft hebr eachofhi s
duty causes orcont ri
butes mat eriallyt o cause t he inj
ury
suffered byt hepl aintiffnot wit
hstandi ng t hatt heremaybe
othercauses.
•
172
spreads,so that mul
ti
pli
cati
on of abrasi
ons merel
y
i
ncreasesthenumberofpl aceswherethediseasecan
startandi
nthatwayi
ncr
easesther
iskofit
soccurr
ence.
"
Iam i ncli
nedt ot hinkt hatt heev idencepoi ntst ot he
formerv i
ew.Buti naf i
eldwher esol i
tt
leappear st obe
knownwi thcer t
aintyIcoul dnotsayt hatthati sprov ed.Ifit
weret hen t hi s case woul d be i ndisti
ngui shabl efrom
War d/aw' scase.ButIt hinkthati ncasesl iket hi
swemust
takeabr oaderv i
ewofcausat i
on.Themedi calev i
dencei s
totheef f
ectt hatt hef actt hatt hemanhadt ocyclehome
cakedwi thgr imeandsweataddedmat eriallytot her i
sk
thatthi sdi seasemi ghtdev elop.I tdoesnotandcoul dnot
explainj ustwhyt hatisso.Butexper i
enceshewst hatitis
so.Pl ainlyt hatmustbebecausewhathappenswhi l
et he
man r emai ns unwashed can hav e a causat ive effect,
alt
houghj usthowt hecauseoper atesi suncer tai
n.Icannot
acceptt hev iew expr essedi nt heI nnerHouset hatonce
themanl ef tthebr ickki l
nhel eftbehi ndt hecauseswhi ch
madehi ml i
abl etodev elopder matiti
s.Thatseemst ome
quit
ei nconsi stentwi th a pr operi nt er
pr etati
on oft he
medi calev idence.NorcanIacceptt hedi st i
ncti
ondr awn
bytheLor dOr di
narybet weenmat eri
allyincr easi
ngt her i
sk
that t he di sease wi lloccur and maki ng a mat erial
contribut i
ont oitsoccur rence. "
'
Thenat ur
eofcausat ionhasbeendi scussed bymany
eminentphi l
osophersandal sobyanumberofl earned
j
udgesi nthepast .Iconsider,however,t
hatwhatorwho
has caused a cer t
ain eventt o occuris essenti
all
ya
practicalquesti
onoff actwhi chcanbestbeanswer edby
ordinarycommonsenser atherthanabstr
actmetaphysical
theory .
'
"I
nt hecir
cumst
ancesofthepresentcasei
tseemsto me
unreal
i
sti
candcont
rar
ytoordi
nar
ycommonsensetohol
dthat
173u
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
t
he negli
gence whi
ch materi
all
yincr
eased the r
isk of
i
njur
ydidnotmateri
all
ycont
ri
butetocausi
ngtheinj
ury.
"
PerScr ut tonLJatp.577:" I
nt hiscase,howev er,the
probl em i ssi mpl er
.Todet ermi newhet heranacti s
negligent ,i ti sr elevantt o det ermi ne whet herany
reasonabl eper sonwoul df oreseet hatt heactwoul d
causedamage; ifhewoul dnot ,t
heacti snotnegl igent.
Buti ft heactwoul dormi ghtpr obabl ycausedamage,
thef actt hatt hedamagei ti nf actcausesi snott he
exactki ndofdamageonewoul dexpecti simmat eri
al,
sol ongast hedamagei sinf actdi rectl
yt r
aceabl eto
the negl i
gentact ,and notdue t ot he oper ation of
i
ndependentcauses hav i
ng no connect i
on wi tht he
negligentact ,exceptt hatt heycoul d notav oi di t
s
results.Oncet heacti snegligent ,thef actt hatit
sexact
oper ationwasnotf oreseeni simmat eri
al.Thi si sthe
disti
nct ionl aiddownbyt hemaj orit
yoft heExchequer
Chamberi nSmi t hvLondonandSout hWest ernRy .Co.,
andbyt hemaj orit
yoft heCour tinBanci nRi gbyv
Hewi t tandGr eenl andvChapl i
n, andappr ov edrecent l
y
byLor dSumneri nWel d-Blundel lvSt ephensandSi r
SamuelEv ansi nH. M. S.London.I nthepr esentcasei t
wasnegl igenti ndi schargingcar got oknockdownt he
planksoft het empor aryst aging,f ort heymi ghteasi l
y
causesomedamageei thert owor kmen,orcar go,or
theshi p.Thef actt hatt heydi ddi rectlypr oducean
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
unexpectedresult
,aspar kinanatmospher
eofpetrol
vapourwhichcausedaf i
re,
doesnotrel
i
evetheper
son
who was negl igent from the damage which his
negli
gentactdir
ectlycaused."
BanqueFi
nanci
eredel
aCi
teSAvWest
gat
eInsur
anceCo.
Ltd[
199012ER947
Facts:Thepl ai
ntiffbanksgr antedal
oanwhichwasguar ant eed
by the def endant.The agr eementexcl
uded li
abi
li
ty oft he
defendantf orclaimsar i
singoutoffraudorattemptedf raud.
Thebor rower sdef aultedandi twasfoundthatani nsurance
brokerwhosecur edt het ransacti
onhadmadesomef raudul ent
representati
ons.Thepl aintif
fmountedanactioninnegl i
gence
ont hegr oundst hatt hedef endantowedthem adutyofcar e.
Held:Sincet hel ossessuf f
eredbytheplai
ntif
fwerenott he
consequenceofanybr eachofdut yowedbyt hedef endant s,
theywer enotliable.
175.
Pri
ncipl
e:Adefendantisonl
yliabl
einnegli
gencei
fthei
njur
y
suff
eredisaconsequenceofthebreachofadutyheowesto
theplai
nti
ff
.
"Thebanksadducedev idencethati
ftheyhadknownof
themisconductofMrLeei nconnecti
onwiththef i
rst
andsecondexcessl ay
erst henthebankswouldhav e
madenomor eloansatt hebehestofMrBal l
estero.
Butthebanksdi dnotloset he104375m Swissfrancs
advancedt oUltronatt hedateoft headvance.The
banksl ostthe 104375m Swi ssf r
ancsand interest
whichUltronshouldhavepaid.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
"Whent hebanksadv anced10•4375m Swi ssf rancsin
Sept ember1980t hebanksacqui redt hreeasset sin
consi derati
onoft headv ance.Thebanksacqui redthe
ri
ghtt oreceivefrom Ul t
ron104375m Swi ssf rancson
10 Febr uary 1982 and t or ecei
vei nter esti nt he
meant i
mepl usther ightt otheproceedsofsal eoft he
gemst ones,sof arast hi
swasnecessar yt or ei
mbur se
thebanks,andt her i
ghtt oclaim anydef iciencyf r
om
thei nsurers.Thef ailureofMfDungat et odi scl
oset he
mi sconductofMrLeedi dnotdepr ivethebanksoft he
ri
ghtt or eceiv
e10• 4375m Swi ssfrancsandi nter
est
from Ul tronanddi dnotdepr i
vethebanksoft her i
ght
tot hepr oceedsoft hesal eofthegemst ones.
"Liabil
it
yanddamagesatl aw f
orbreachofdut yare
conf i
nedt otheforeseeabl
econsequencesoft heact
or omi ssi
on which const i
tut
es the breach: see
Ov erseas Tankship ( UK)
Ltd v Mor ts Dock and
Engineer i
ng Co Lt
d and Thewagon Mound ( NO 1)
[1961]1Al lER404,[1961]AC388."
Andatpp.425and426:
"Iti
s,nodoubt
,pr
operwhen
177"
consi
dering t
ort
ious l
i
abi
li
tyf ornegli
gence t
o analyse i
ts
elementsandtosaythatt
hepl ai
nti
ffmustprov
eadut yowed
tohim bythedef
endant
,abreachofthatdut
ybythedefendant
,
andconsequentdamage.Buttherecanbenol i
abi
li
tyunti
lthe
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
damagehasbeendone.I tisnott heactbutt heconsequences
onwhi chtortiousl i
abili
tyisf ounded.Justas( asi thasbeen
said)thereisnosucht hingasnegl igencei nt heair,sot hereis
nosucht hingasl iabili
tyint heai r.Supposeanact ionbr ought
byAf ordamagecausedbyt hecar elessness( aneut r
alwor d)
ofB, forexampl e,af ir
ecausedbyt hecar el
essspi l
lageofoi l.I
t
may ,ofcour se,becomer elevantt oknowwhatdut yBowedt o
A,butt heonl yl iabili
tyt hati si nquest i
oni st hel i
abil
ityfor
damagebyf ir
e.I tisv aint oisolatet hel i
abil
ityfrom i t
scont ext
andt osayt hatBi sori snotl i
able,andt hent oaskf orwhat
damagehei sliable.Forhi sl i
abil
ityi si nrespectoft hatdamage
andnoot her.I f,asadmi ttedlyi ti s,B' sliabili
ty( culpabil
ity
)
dependsont her easonabl ef oreseeabi l
it
yoft heconsequent
damage,how i st hat t o be det ermined except by t he
foreseeabil
ityoft hedamagewhi ch i nf acthappened -t he
damagei nsui t?And,i fthatdamagei sunfor eseeabl esoast o
displaceli
abili
tyatl arge,howcant hel iabil
i
tyber estoredsoas
tomakecompensat ionpay able?
"But ,i
tissai d, adifferentposi ti
onar i
sesi fB' scar el
essacthas
beenshownt obenegl igentandhascausedsomef or eseeabl e
damaget oA.Thei rLor dshipshav eal readyobser vedt hatt o
holdB l iablef orconsequenceshowev erunf or eseeabl eofa
carelessact ,if,butonl yi f,hei satt hesamet i
mel iablef or
some ot herdamage howev ert riv
ial,appear st o be nei ther
l
ogi calnorj ust .Thisbecomesmor ecl eari fitissupposedt hat
simi l
arunf oreseeabl edamagei ssuf f
er edbyAandCbutot her
foreseeabl edamage,f orwhi chBi sl iabl e,byAonl y.Asy stem
oflawwhi chwoul dhol dBl iabl etoAbutnott oCf ort hesi mi l
ar
damagesuf feredbyeachoft hem coul dnoteasi l
ybedef ended.
For t
unat ely,t heat tempti snotnecessar y .Fort hesamef allacy
i
satt her ootoft hepr oposi t
ion.I tisi rrelev anttot hequest ion
whet herBi sl i
ablef orunf oreseeabl edamaget hathei sliable
forf oreseeabl edamage,asi rrelevantaswoul dthef actt hathe
hadt r
espassedonWhi teacrebet ot hequest ionwhet herhehas
trespassed on Bl ackacr e.Agai n,supposea cl aim byA f or
damagebyf i
r ebyt hecar elessactofB.Ofwhatr elevancei sit
tot hatclai mt hathehasanot herclaim ar isingoutoft hesame
carelessact ?I twoul dsur el
ynotpr ejudi cehi sclaimi ft hatot her
claimf ai
led:i tcannotassi sti tifi tsucceeds.Eachoft hem
restsoni tsownbot t
om, andwi llf
ailifitcanbeest ablishedt hat
thedamagecoul dnotr easonabl ybef or eseen.Wehav ecome
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
backt otheplai
ncommonsensest at
edbyLor dRussel lof
Kil
loweninBour hi
//vYoung.AsDenningL. J.saidinKi ngv
Phill
i
ps:'
Therecanbenodoubtsi nceBourhi
//vYoungt hatthe
testofli
abil
it
yforshockisf or
eseeabi
l
ityofinjur
ybyshock. '
TheirLordshi
ps substi
tut
et he word' f
ir
e'f or'shock'and
endorset
hisstat
ementofthelaw.
ThewagonMound(
No.2)[
196711AC617
Facts:Ont hesamef act
sasabov e,t
hepl ai
nti
ff
sher ei
n,who
hadt wov esselsonthewhar fgut
tedbyfi
re,al
sosued.
Held:Si nce a r easonable man witht he knowledge and
experienceoft hedefendant'
smanagerwoul dhaveknownt hat
ther
ewasar ealr
iskoft heoilonthewat ercat
chi
ngf ir
et he
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
def
endant
swer
eli
abl
eal
thought
hatr
iskwassmal
l
.
PerLordReidatpp.640and641:' '
I
tisnownecessary
toturnt otherespondents'submissi
onthatt
het ri
al
j
udgewaswr onginholdi
ngt hatdamagefr
om f
irewas
notreasonabl
y
179•
foreseeabl e.InTheWagonMound( No.1) 31t hef indingon
whicht heBoar dpr oceededwast hatoft het r
ialj udge:'the
defendantdi dnotknowandcoul dnotr easonablybeexpect ed
tohav eknownt hat[ t
heoi l]wascapabl eofbei ngsetaf i
rewhen
spreadonwat er.
'Int hepr esentcaset heev i
dencel edwas
subst ant ial
lydi ffer
entf rom t heev i
dencel ed in TheWagon
Mound( No.1)andt hef indingsofWal shJ.ar esi gni f
icantl
y
diff
er ent .Thati snotduet other ehav i
ngbeenanyf ailurebyt he
plaintif
fsi n The Wagon Mound ( No.1)i n prepar i
ng and
present ing t heircase.The pl aint
iffst here wer e no doubt
embar rassedbyadi ffi
cultywhi chdoesnotaf f
ectt hepr esent
plaintif
fs.Theout breakoft hefirewasconsequentont heactof
themanageroft hepl ai
nt i
ffsi nTheWagonMound( No.1)i n
resumi ngoxy -acetylenewel dingandcut ti
ngwhi l
et hewhar f
wassur roundedbyt hisoi l.Soi fthepl ai
ntif
fsi nthef ormer
case had setoutt o pr ov et hatitwas f oreseeabl e byt he
engi neer soft heWagonMoundt hatthisoi lcouldbesetal ight,
theymi ghthav ehaddi ffi
cultyi npar ryingt her eplyt hatt hi
s
mustal sohav ebeenf oreseeabl ebyt heirmanager .Thent here
woul d hav e been cont ributorynegl i
gence and att hatt i
me
cont ri
but orynegl igencewasacompl etedef encei nNewSout h
Wal es.
"Thecruci
al f
indi
ngofWal shJ.int hiscasei sinfinding( 5):t
hat
the damage was ' notreasonabl yf oreseeable byt hose for
whoseact sthedef endantwoul dber esponsible'.Thati snota
pri
mar yfi
ndingoff actbutani nferencef rom t
heot herf i
ndi
ngs,
anditisclearfr
om t helear
nedj udge'sj udgmentt hatindr awing
thi
sinfer
encehewast oal ar
geext enti nfl
uencedbyhi sv i
ewof
thelaw.Thev i
talpartsoft hef indingsoff actwhi chhav e
alr
eadybeensetouti nf ul
lar e( 1)t hattheof f
icersoft he
WagonMound31' wouldr egardf urnaceoi lasv erydi ffi
cultto
i
gnite upon wat er'— nott hatt hey woul dr egar dt his as
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
i
mpossi bl
e;(2)t
hattheirexperiencewoul dpr obablyhav ebeen
'
thatthishadveryrar
elyhappened' —nott hattheywoul dnever
haveheardofacasewher ei thadhappened,and( 3)t hatthey
wouldhav eregardeditasa' possibi
lit
y,butonewhi chcoul d
becomeanact uali
tyonl
yinv eryexceptional ci
rcumstances' not,
asinTheWagonMound( No.1) ,thattheycoul dnotreasonabl y
beexpect edtohaveknownt hatt hi
soilwascapabl eofbei ng
setafir
ewhenspr eadonwat er.Thequest ionwhi chmustnow
be determined is whethert hese di f
ferences bet ween t he
fi
ndingsinthetwocasesdoordonotl eadt odif
ferentr esul
ts
i
nlaw. "
Andatpp.643and644:" I
nt hepresentcaset
herewasno
j
ust
if
icat
ionwhat
everf
ordi
schargi
ngtheoil
int
oSydney
"Itfol
lowst hatintheirLor dships'viewt heonl yquest i
oni s
whet hera r easonable man hav i
ng t he knowl edge and
exper i
encet obeexpect edoft hechi efengi neeroft he
WagonMoundwoul dhav eknownt hatther ewasar ealr i
sk
oft heoilont hewat ercat chingf i
rei nsomeway :ifitdi d,
seriousdamaget oshi psorot herpr oper t
ywasnotonl y
foreseeablebutv erylikely.TheirLor dshipsdonotdi ssent
from t hev i
ew oft het rialjudget hatt hepossi bi l
i
tiesof
damage" mustbesi gnificantenoughi napr actical senset o
requirear easonablemant oguar dagai nstt hem"butt hey
thinkthathemayhav emi sdirect
edhi msel finsay ing:
'
Theredoesseem tobear ealpr
acti
caldif
fi
cult
y,assuming
thatsomeriskoffir
edamagewasf oreseeabl
e,butnota
highone,i
nmaki ngafactualj
udgmentast owhet hert
his
ri
skwassuf f
ici
entto at
tractli
abi
li
tyifdamageshoul d
occur.
'
"
Inthis di
ffi
cul
tchapt
erofthe l
aw decisi
ons ar
e not
i
nfr
equentl
ytakent
oapplyt
ocir
cumstancesfarremoved
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
from t
hef act
swhichgaveri
setothem andi
twouldseem
thatheret oomuchr el
i
ancehasbeenpl acedonsome
observat
ionsinBolt
onvStoneandsimil
arobser
vat
ionsi
n
othercases.
181•
•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
"Takingaratherdif
ferentvi
ew oft
helaw f
rom that
oft hejudge,theirLordshi
psmusthol dthatt he
respondent
sar eenti
tl
edtosucceedonthi
sissue.
"
Smi
thvLeechBr
ain&Co.Lt
d[1962]2QB405
Facts:The pl aint
if
f'
s husband oper at
ed a cr ane i nt he
defendant '
scompanywhi chheusedt ol owerar ticlesinto
moltenmet al
.Ashi eldwasprovidedtopr otecthimf rom the
spatter
ing mol ten metal
.On t hedayoft heacci dent,he
tur
nedt ol ookatwhathewasdoi ngsucht hathisheadwas
outsi
det heshi el
dandapi eceofmol t
enmet alstruckhi m on
the lowerl i
p causing a burn.The bur n promot ed t he
developmentofcanceratt hesamepl acefrom whi chhedi ed
somet hreey earslater
.Althought hecancerdev elopedi n
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
ti
ssueswhi ch al r
eadyhad a pr e-malignantcondit
ion,t he
evidenceshowedt hatt hecancermi ghtnothav edev el
oped
withoutthebur nalt
houghi tmighthav edonesosomet i
mei n
hislif
e.
Held:Sincethebur nresulti
ngf r
om thedef endant
s'breachof
dutywasr easonablyf oreseeableandt hecancerwasj ustan
extensionofthebur n,theywerel i
abl
e.
Princi
ple:Thet estforl i
abil
i
tyfornegligencei swhethert he
defendantcoul dreasonablyhav eforeseent hety
peofi nj
ury
sufferedandnotwhet hertheconsequenceoft heinj
ur ywas
reasonablyforeseeable.
u182
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
hand,havingregardtothenumberofmat t
erswhi ch
can be pr omoti
ng agenci
es,there was a strong
l
ikel
ihood thatatsomest agein hislif
ehewoul d
developcancer.Butt
hatthebur
ndi dcontr
ibut
eto,or
causeinpar t
,atanyrat
e,thecancerandthedeat h,I
havenodoubt .
"
Andatpp.414and415:" Formypar t,Iam qui te
sati
sfi
edt hatt heJudici
alCommi tt
eei nt heWagon
Moundcasedi dnothav ewhatImaycal l
,loosely,the
thi
nskullcasesi nmind.Ithasal waysbeent hel awof
thi
scount rythatat ort
feasort akeshi sv i
ctim ashe
fi
ndshim.I tisunnecessar ytodomor ethanr eferto
theshortpassagei nt hedeci sionofKennedyJ.i n
Du/i
euvWhi te&Sons,wher ehesai d:'I
famani s
negli
gentl
yr unoverorot herwi
senegl igentl
yi njuredin
hisbody,iti snoanswert ot hesuf ferer'
scl aimf or
damagest hathewoul dhav esufferedlessinjury ,
orno
i
njuryatall
,ifhehadnothadanunusual l
ythinskul lor
anunusuallyweakhear t
.'
"I
tist r
uethatifthewor
dingintheadvi
cegivenby
LordSimondsint heWagonMoundcasei sappli
ed
str
ict
lytosuchacaseast
his,
itcoul
dbesai
dthatt
hey
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
183•
•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
"TheJudi cialCommi tt
eewere,Ithi
nk, disagreeingwith
thedeci si oni nt hePol emiscaset hatamani sno
l
ongerl iabl eforthety peofdamagewhi chhecoul dnot
reasonabl yant i
cipate.TheJudi ci
alCommi tteewer e
not,It hink,say i
ngt hatamani sonl yliablef orthe
ex t
entofdamagewhi chhecoul dant i
cipate,always
assumi ng t he t ype of i nj
ury coul d hav e been
antici
pat ed.It hi
nkt hatv i
ewisreallysuppor tedbyt he
wayi nwhi chcasesoft hissor
thav ebeendeal twi
thin
Scot l
and.Scot l
and has nev er,so f aras Iknow,
adopt edt hepr i
ncipl
el ai
ddowni nPol emi s,andy etI
am qui te sat isfi
ed t hat they hav e t hroughout
proceededont hebasi sthatthet ortf
easort akesthe
victi
m ashef i
ndshi m.
Br
adf
ordvRobi
nsonRent
alsLt
d[1967]1Al
lER267
Facts:The57- year-
oldplaintif
fwasi nstructedbythedef
endant ,
his empl oyer,to undertake a j ourney ofabout500 mi les
i
nvolvingalmost20hour sofdr iv
ingtochanget heol
dv anofa
coll
eaguei nasev ereweat her.Bothv answer eunheatedand
theradiatorint heoldvanwasdef ecti
v e.Hepr ot
est
edbutt he
defendantdi dnotheed.Asar esultofthej our
neyandthecol d,
hesuf feredinjurybyfrost bit
ewhi chwasunusuali nEngland.
Held:Althought hepart
icularinjurysufferedwasunusual,i
twas
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
for
eseeableinj
uryandthusthedefendantswer el
iabl
e.
Pri
nci
ple:Liabi
li
tyfornegl
igenceisnotdependentonwhet her
t
he precise natur
e oft he inj
ury suffered was reasonably
for
eseeable,butwhetherthet ypeofi njurycouldhavebeen
for
eseeninagener al
way .
•
184
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
Buer ,act ual lycont empl ated t hatt hepl aintiffmi ght
suf ferf rom ' fr
ost bite'ifhewer er equiredt ocar ryout
the j our ney . Howev er, I am sat isfied t hat any
reasonabl eempl oy eri npossessi onofal lt hef acts
knownt oMrJonesandMrBueron8Januar y1963,
woul dhav er eal
ised—andMrJonesandMrBuermust
hav er eal ised—t hati fthepl aintiffwasr equi r
edt ocar ry
outt hej our neyhewoul dcer t
ainlybesubj ect edt oa
realr i
skofsomei njur yt o hi sheal th ar ising f rom
prol ongedexposur et oanexcept ionaldegr eeofcol d.
Nodoubtt heki ndsofi njuryt oheal thduet opr olonged
exposur et o an except ionaldegr ee of col d ar e
commonl yt houghtt oi nclude,f orex ampl e,t hatt he
victim mi ghtsuf ferf rom acommoncol dori nasev ere
casef rom pneumoni a,ort hathemi ghtsuf ferf rom
chilblainsonhi shandsandf eet.Thequest ionwhi chI
hav e t o consi der i s whet her t he pl aint iff has
est ablishedt hatt hei njuryt ohi sheal thby' f rostbite'
(and Iuset hel ayt er m f orconv enience) ,whi chi s
admi ttedlyunusuali nt hiscount ry,isnev erthel essof
the t ype and ki nd ofi njurywhi ch was r easonabl y
foreseeabl e.Thel awdoesnotr equiret hatt hepr ecise
nat ureoft hei njurymustber easonabl yf oreseeabl e
bef orel iabi li
tyfori tsconsequencesi sat tri
but ed.The
poi ntist husdeal twi thi naconv enientwayi nSal mond
OnTor ts( 14t hEdn)atp719: '(
i)Ty peofdamagemust
bef oreseen.I thasbeenmadepl aint hatt hepr ecise
det ailsoft heacci dent ,ort heexactconcat enat ionof
circumst ances,neednotbef oreseen.I ti ssuf ficienti f
thet ype,ki ng,degr eeoror derofhar m coul dhav e
beenf oreseeni nagener alway .Thequest ioni s,was
theacci dentav ar iantoft heper il
sor i
gi nallybr ought
aboutby t he def endant 's negl i
gence? The l aw of
negl igencehasnotbeenf r
agment edi nt oanumberof
dist i
nctt or ts."'
Andatp.270:"
Inal
ltheseci
rcumst
ancesIhol
dthat
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
185•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
Robi
nsonvPostof
fi
ce[
1974]2Al
lER737
Fact s:Thepl aintiff
,anempl oyeeoft hedef endant,slippedandf el
l
from al adderduet ooi lthathadbeennegl igentl
yallowedt oleakont o
thel adderf rom apump.Hesust ainedawoundonhi schi nandwas
givenanant i-t
etanusser um ( ATS).Hehadal r
eadyt akenATSsome
year sear lierandf orsuchpat ients,atestr unwast obeadmi nist
er ed
30 mi nutes bef oret he f ulldose was admi ni
stered.The doct or
howev erdidt het estr unf oronl yonemi nut eandadmi nisteredt hef ul
l
dose.The pl aintif
fl aterdev el
oped encephal i
ti
s and l aterbr ain
damageasar esult.Thecour thowev erf oundoutt hatt hepl aintif
f
woul dnothav er eactedt ot heATSev eni ft hedoct orhadwai tedf or
the30mi nut esandt hust hedoct orwasnotnegl i
gent .Inanact ion
agai nstt hedef endant ,theycl aimedt hatt hei nj
urycompl ainedofwas
nota ki nd t hatcoul d hav e been f oreseen t or esul tf rom t he
admi nistrati
onoft heATS.
Hel d:Si ncei twasf oreseeabl ethatwhenoi li
sallowedt ol eakont o
thel adderawor kmanmi ghtsust aini njuryandsuchi njurymi ght
requi re medi calt reatment ,t he defendant s wer el iablef or t he
consequencesoft hemedi cal t
reatment .
Pr i
nci ple:At or tf
easormustt akehi svictim ashef indshi m andt hus
thef actt hatapl aintif
f'scondi t
ionmi ghthav econtri
but edt othei njury
i
snoexcuse.
"Onthi
sappealcounself
orthePostOf
fi
cedidnotchal
lenge
the corr
ect
ness of Lor d Par
ker CJ'
s reasoni
ng and
concl
usi
onintheLeechBr ai
ncaseandaccept
edthatsome
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
atleastoft hesubsequentdeci
sionsfel
lwi
thi
nthesame
pr
incipl
e,buthecl
aimedthatanessenti
all
i
nkwhi
chwas
—•
186
Wi
l
shervEssexAr
eaHeal
thAut
hor
it
y[1988]AC1074
Facts:Whi l
eadmi nist
eri
ngoxy gent othepl aint
if
fwhowasbor nprematurely
,
aj uni
ordoct oroft hedef endantmi stakenlyinsertedthecatheteri
ntot he
umbi l
icalvei
ninsteadoft heumbi li
calartery.Thisaffect
edthemoni t
ori
ngof
thebloodoxy genv essel
s.Hel aterdevelopedar et
rolent
alf
ibr
oplasi
aswhi ch
result
edi nbli
ndness.Hesued.
Held:Si ncet her
ewasconf li
cti
ngexper tev i
denceonwhet hert he
defendant '
s actcaused orcont ri
buted materi
all
yto cause t he
plainti
ff'sconditi
onandt het ri
aljudgef ai
l
edtomakeaf indi
ngoff act
ont hat,t hemat terwoul d ber emi t
ted f
orretri
alonthei ssueof
causat ion.
Principle:Tosucceedi nanact i
oni nnegli
gence,theplai
nti
ffmust
prov et hatt henegligenceoft hedef endantcausedorcont ri
buted
mat eriall
yt ocausetheinjurysuffered.
PerLordBri
dgeofHarwichatpp.190and191:"
Inthepresent
casethequesti
onisdi
ff
erent
.Thereareanumberofdif
ferent
agent
swhi chcoul
dhav ecausedtheRLF.Excessoxy gen
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
wasoneoft hem.Thedef endantsfai
l
edt otakereasonable
precauti
onstopr eventoneoft hepossibl
ecausati
veagent s
(e.
g.excessoxy gen)fr
om causingRLF.Butnoonecant el
lin
thi
scasewhet herexcessoxy gendidordi dnotcauseor
contri
butet
ot heRLFsuf f
eredbyt hepl
aint
if
f.Thepl
aint
if
f '
s
187"
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
"Theposi ti
on, tomymi nd, i
swhol l
ydifferentfrom thatint heMcGhee
[1973]1W. L.R.1,casewher et herewasonl yonecandi date(brick
dust)whi chcoul dhav ecausedt heder mat it
is,
andt hefailuretotakea
precautionagai nstbrickdustcausi ngder matiti
swasf oll
owedby
dermat i
tiscausedbybr ickdust .Insuchacase, Icanseet hecommon
sense,i fnott helogi
c,ofhol dingt hat,int heabsenceofanyot her
evidence,t hef ail
uretot akethepr ecautioncausedorcont ri
butedt o
thedermat iti
s.Tot heext entt hatcer tai
nmember soft heHouseof
Lords deci ded t he quest i
on on i nferences f r
om ev i
dence or
presumpt ions, Idonotconsi dert hatthepr esentcasef all
swi thi
ntheir
reasoning.Af ail
uretotakepr ev entati
v emeasur esagai nstoneoutof
fi
vepossi blecausesi snoev i
denceast owhi choft hosef ivecaused
theinj
ur y.
"Si
nce, ont hisv i
ew, t
heappealmust ,i
nanyev ent,beal lowed, itisnot
stri
ctlynecessar yt o decidewhet heritwasopent ot heCour tof
Appealt or esolveoneoft heconf l
ict
sbet weent heexper tswhi cht he
j
udgel eftunr esolv edandt of i
ndt hattheoxy genadmi nisteredt o
Mar ti
ni nconsequenceoft hemi sl
eadingP02l evelsder ivedf rom t he
misplaced cat heterwas capabl e ofhav i
ng caused ormat eri
all
y
contributed to hisRLF.Iv erywel lunderstand t heanxi et yoft he
major i
tyt oav oidt henecessi tyfororderi
ngar etr
iali fthatwasatal l
possible:Buthav ingaccept ed,asy ourLordshi psandcounselhav e
hadt oaccept ,t
hatt hepr i
mar yconfli
ctofopinionbet weent heexper ts
ast owhet herexcessi veoxy geni nthefir
sttwoday sofl i
f epr obably
didcauseormat eriall
ycont r
ibutetoMar ti
n'
sRLFcannotber esolved
byr eadingt het ranscript
,Idoubt ,withallrespect ,iftheCour tof
Appealwer eent itledtot ryt oresolvethesecondar yconf li
ctast o
whetheri tcoul dhav edoneso.Wher eexpertwi t
nessesar er adicall
y
atissueaboutcompl extechnicalquesti
onswi t
hint heirownf ieldand
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
JoblingvAssoci atedDai r
ies[19881AC837
Facts:Thepl ai
nt i
ffhadsuf f
eredanacci dentatwor kwhi chlef thim
withacont inuingbackpai nwhi chwassomewhatdi sabli
ng.Thr ee
yearsaf tertheacci dent,andbef orethetrialofhisclaimi nnegligence
againstt he def endanti nr espectoft he accident,he suf fered a
condi t
ioncal ledmy elopathywhichwasunconnect edwi t
ht heacci dent.
Thecour tf oundt hatatt hetimeoft heacci dent,thatconditionhad
beendor mantbutwoul dhavemani festedatt hetimeoft het r
ial.Itfel
l
todeci det hequest i
onoft heassessmentofdamages.
Held:The l oss ofear nings which the pl ai
ntif
fsuf fered mustbe
reducedbyt hef urtherdisabil
it
yar i
singfrom t hemy elopathysincehe
woul dhav esuf feredi tanywaywi thouttheacci dent.
Principle: In assessi ng damages t he cour t must t ake i nto
consider ati
onanysuper veni
ngcondi t
iont hatdidnotar i
sef r
om t he
negligenceoft hedef endantt oreducet hedamages.
PerLor dWi l
ber forceatpp.803and804:" Inthepr esent ,and
i
n ot heri ndust r
iali njur
y cases,t here seems t o me no
j
ust i
ficationfordi sregar di
ngt hef actthatt hei njuredman' s
empl oyeri si nsur ed — i ndeed si nce 1972 compul soril
y
i
nsur ed— agai nstl iabili
tytohi sempl oyees.Thest atehas
decided,i not herwor ds,onaspr eadi ngofr i
sk.Ther eseems
tomenomor ej ust i
ficati
onf ordi sregardi
ngt hef actt hatthe
plai
ntiff— pr esumabl y,wehav enotbeent ol
dot herwi se i s
entit
ledt osicknessandi nvali
ditybenef itinr espectofhi s
my el
opat hy the amount of whi ch may depend on hi s
contributionrecor d,whi chi nturnmayhav ebeenaf fectedby
hisacci dent.Sowehav enomeansofknowi ngwhet hert he
plai
ntiffwoul dbeov er -
compensat edi fhewer e,inaddi ti
on,to
receivet heassesseddamagesf rom hi sempl oyer ,orwhet her
hewoul dbeunder -compensat edif
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
189•
l
ef tt ohi sbenef i
t.I tisnoteasyt oacceptasol utionbywhi cha
partiall
yi ncapaci t
atedmanbecomeswor seof fint ermsofdamages
and benef itthr ough a gr eat erdegr ee ofi ncapaci ty.Many ot her
i
ngr edient s,ofwei ghti nei therdi rect i
on,mayent eri ntoi ndi vi
dual
cases.Wi thoutanysat isfact ionIdr aw f rom t hi
st heconcl usiont hat
nogener al,logical,oruni v ersal l
yf airr ulescanbest at edwhi chwi ll
cov er,in a mannerconsi stentwi thj ustice,casesofsuper vening
event s whet herdue t ot ortious,par ti
allyt orti
ous,non- culpabl e or
whol lyacci dent alev ent s.Thecour tscanonl ydealwi theachcaseas
bestt heycani namannersoast opr ov i
dej ustandsuf ficientbutnot
excessi vecompensat i
on,t akingal lfact orsi ntoaccount .It hinkt hat
thisiswhatBakervWi ll
oughbydi d— andi ndeedt hatLor dPear son
reachedhi sdeci sioni nt hi
sway :t
her ationalisationoft hedeci sionas
towhi chIatl easthav edoubt s,needandshoul dnotbeappl i
edt o
othercases.I nt hepr esentcaset heCour tofAppealr eachedt he
unanswer ableconcl usiont hatt oappl yBakervWi l
l
oughbyt ot hef acts
ofthepr esentcasewoul dpr oduceanunj ustr esult,andIam wi lli
ngt o
acceptt hecor ol l
ar ythatj ustice,sof arasi tcanbeper cei ved,liest he
otherway and t hatt he super vening my elopathy shoul d notbe
disregar ded.I fr ationalisat i
oni sneeded,Iam wi l
lingt oacceptt he
'
v i
cissitudes'ar gumentast hebestav ail
able.Ishoul dbemor ef i
rml y
conv incedoft hemer itsoft heconcl usioni ft hewhol epat ternof
benef it
shadbeenconsi der ed, inhowev ergener alaway .Ther esul tof
thepr esentcasemaybel acki ngi npr ecisionandr at i
onalj ustification,
butsol ongaswear econt entt ol i
vei namansi onofsomanydi f f
erent
architectur es,thisi sinev it
abl e."
'
Thenat ureoftheinj
ust
icebecomesappar entifthe
superv
eningev
entistr
eat
edasat or
t(asi
ndeeditwas)
andifoneenvi
sagestheplai
nti
ffsui
ngtherobber
swho
shothim.
Andatp.809:" Butwhati sclearisthatwhere,asi nthe
presentappeal ,t he questi
on ini ssue rel
ates tot he
assessmentofdamages when,a t orthav i
ng been
commi tted,the v ict
im is overt
aken beforet r
ialbya
whollyunconnect edanddi sabli
ngill
ness,thedecisionin
BakervWi ll
oughby[ 1970]A.
C.467hasnoappl i
cati
on.
YourLor dshi
psar et heref
oreuntrammel l
edbypr ecedent
.
Theef fectoftheCour tofAppeal'
sdeci si
oni sthatno
considerati
onsofpol i
cywarrantthei mposit
ionont he
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
respondentofl iabili
tyforthel ossofear ningsaf terthe
emer genceofmy elopathy.Thati si naccor dancewi t
h
thelongest abl
ishedandemi nentlyreasonabl eprincipl
e
thatt heonsetoremer genceofi ll
nessisoneoft he
vici
ssitudes of l if
er elevant tot he assessment of
damages.Andi ti sofsomei nteresttonot et hatt hi
s
view was ev i
dent l
y shared atal lstages by l earned
counself orthepl ai
ntif
finBakervWi l
loughbyi t
self,and
hadbeenant i
cipatedasl ongagoas1961byGl anv il
l
e
Wi l
l
iams
(
[1961]C.
L.J.62,
76)
.Ibel
i
evet
heCour
tofAppeal
deci
si
on
191"
wasent
ir
elycor
rect
,andIwoul
ddi
smi
sst
heappeal
."
"Oneoft hesevici
ssi t
udesi sthatapl aint
iffmightt hereaft
er
succumbt o adisease( unconnect edwi t
ht het ort)whi ch
woul dabbr evi
atet hepl aintif
f'
swor ki
ngl i
fe.Commonl ythe
discountf orsuchapossi bili
tymightwel lbesmal l
:buti tis
nott o be i gnored.I fbef oret rialt he plai
nt i
ffdoes so
succumb,i n myopi nion t he evidence ofi t
sabbr eviat
ing
effectmustt ake t he place ofest i
mat e,and r educe t he
amountofcompensat ionf orthetor ti
ousdamageundert hat
head.I nt he instant case t he plai nt
if
f succumbed t o
spondy l
ot i
c my el
opat hy whi ch by 1976,bef or
et he tri
al,
terminatedhiswor kingl i
fe, which,hadi tslengthremai nedas
atthedat eofthet ort,woul dhav econt inued(albeitatal ower
wage ear ni
ng capaci ty)f orsev er almor ey ears.Fort he
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
plai
nti
ffappel l
antitwascont endedthatsincetheev i
dence
didnotshow t hatthiscondi
ti
onwasl atentanddormantat
thedat eofthet ort
iousinj
ury
,it
semer gencecouldnotserve
toreducet heamountofcompensat ionbasedonanest imate
ofwor kingli
fe.Butitwasconcededt hatift
hecondit
ionwas
i
nsomedegr eepr esentatthedateoft hetortthecontr
ary
viewshoul dprevail
."
PerLor dKei t
hofKi nkelatpp.814and815:" Itisimplici
ti n
thatdecisi onthatthescopeoft he" vi
cissitudes"pr i
ncipl
ei s
l
imitedt osuper v
eningev entsofsuchanat ureasei thert o
reducet hedi sabil
it
iesr esult
ingf rom t
heacci dentorel set o
shortent heper i
oddur i
ngwhi cht heywil
lbesuf fered.Iam of
opini
on t hatf ai
lur
et o consi derorev en adv ertt ot his
i
mpl i
cationweakenst heaut hori
tyoft her ati
odeci dendiof
thecase,andmustl eadt ot heconclusi ont hatini tsf ul
l
breadthiti snotaccept able.Theassessmentofdamagesf or
personali njur
iesinvol
v esapr ocessofr estitut
ioini nt
egrum.
Theobj ecti s
193•
Per Lor d Br i
dge of Har wi
ch at p. 820:" The
vi
cissit
udespr i
nci
pleit
self
,itseemst ome,st ems
fr
om t hef undamentalproposit
ionofl aw thatt he
objectofev eryawardofdamagesf ormonet ar
yl oss
i
st oputt hepar t
ywrongedsof araspossibleint he
sameposi ti
on,nobett
erandnowor se,ashewoul d
bei nifhehadnotsuf feredthewr onginrespectof
whichhecl ai
ms.Toassumet hatani nj
uredplai
nt i
ff
,
i
fnoti njured,wouldhavecontinuedt oearnhisf ul
l
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
wagesf oraf ullwor kingl if
e,isv erypr obablyt oov er-
compensat ehi m.Toappl yadi scount ,inrespectof
possiblef uturel oss of ear nings,ar ising f rom
i
ndependentcauses,maybet ounder -
compensat e
him.When conf ront ed byf uture uncer tainty,t he
courtassessest hepr ospect sandst rikesabal ance
betweent heseopposi tedanger sasbesti tcan.But
whent hesuper veni ngi llnessori njurywhi chi st he
i
ndependentcauseofl ossofear ningcapaci t
yhas
mani fested i tself bef or e t ri
al,t he ev ent has
demonst rat
edt hat ,ev eni ft hepl aintiffhadnev er
sustainedt het ortiousi njur y,hisearningswoul dnow
ber educedorext i
ngui shed.Tohol dt het or t
feasor ,
i
nt hissi t
uation,liablet opaydamagesf oranot ional
continuing l oss of ear nings at tri
but ablet ot he
tort
ious i nj
ur y,ist o putt he plaintiffi n a bet ter
positionthanhewoul dbei nifhehadnev ersuf fered
thet orti
ousi njury .Putmor eshor tly,appl yingwel l
-
established pr i
nci ples f or t he assessment of
damagesatcommonl aw, whenapl aintiffinjuredby
thedef endant '
st or ti swhol lyincapaci t
at ed from
earningbysuper v eningi ll
nessoracci dentali njury,
thelaw wi l
lnol ongert reatt het ortasacont i
nui ng
causeofanyl ossofear ningcapaci ty."
HughesvLor
dAdv
ocat
e[19631AC837
Fact:ThePostOf fi
ceopenedamanhol eunderi tsstat
ut ory
power sf or t he purposes of mai ntaining under ground
tel
ephoneequi pment .Itwascov ered bya t entonl yand
surroundedbyl ampsi ntheev ening.nhewor kmenl efti t
unguardedi ntheev eningandt hepl ainti
ff,an8- yearoldboy ,
entered thet entand l owered oneoft hel ampsi ntot he
manhol e.Anexpl osionoccurredandhef ellintothemanhol e
andwassev erelyinj
ured.Hesued.
Held:Al t
hought hei nj
urywasunpr edict
abl e,sinceitwasa
reasonableandf or
eseeableconsequenceoft henegl i
gent
actoft heservantsofthedef endant, t
heyar el i
able.
Princi
ple:A def endant isl iablef or a r easonable and
foreseeableinjuryeveni fi
tisgr eaterthancoul dreasonabl y
hav ebeenforeseen.
PerLordReidatp.845:"Theappell
ant
'sinjuri
esweremainly
causedbyburns,
anditcannotbesai
dthatinjur
iesf
rom bur
ns
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
"Tomymi nd,thedistinct
iondr awnbet weenbur ni
ngand
explosi
oni stoof i
net owar rantaccept ance.Supposi
ng
thepur suerhadont hedayi nquest i
ongonet othesit
e
andt akenoneoft hel amps,andupseti toverhimsel
f,
thus set t
ing hi s clothes alight,t he person to be
consideredr esponsibleforpr otect
ingchi l
drenfrom t
he
dangerst obef oundt her
ewoul dpresumabl yhavebeen
l
iable.Ont heot herhand, i
fthel amp,whent heboyupset
i
t,explodedi nhisf ace,hewoul dhav ehadnor emedy
becauset heexpl osionwasanev entwhi chcouldnot
reasonablybef or
eseen.Thi sdoesnotseem t omet obe
ri
ght.
"
Ithi
nk t
hati
nthese i
magi
nar
y ci
rcumst
ances t
he
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
dangerwoul d bea dangeroff ireofsomeki nd,for
exampl e,sett
ingal i
ghtt ohisclothesorcausi nghim
bodil
yhur t
.Ifthereisariskofsuchaf i
reasthat
, Idonot
thi
nk t he duty of car e prescr
ibed in Donoghue v
Stevensoni spr ev
entedf r
om comi ngint
ooper ati
onby
the presence oft he remote possibi
li
ty ofthe mor e
seri
ousev entofanexplosion."
PerLor
dMor
ri
sofBor
th-
y-Gestatp.853:
"MyLor
ds,
in
195•
•
my v i
ew,t here was a dut y owed by the defenderst o
safeguar
dt hepursueragainstthet
y peorki
ndofoccur rence
whichinfacthappenedandwhi chr
esult
edinhisinjur
ies,and
thedefendersar enotabsol vedfr
om liabi
l
itybecauset hey
didnotenvisage't
hepreciseconcatenat
ionofci
rcumst ances
whichledupt otheacci
dent '
.
"
dangerouspar af
fi
nlamp.Iadopt ,wit
hr espect
,LordCar mont'
s
observat
ion i
nt hepresentcase:'Thedefendercannot,Ithink,
escape li
abil
i
tybycont endi
ng thathe did notforesee al
lthe
possibi
li
ti
esoft hemannerinwhi chall
urements— t hemanhole
andthelanter
n—woul dactuponthechil
dishmind."
'
197"
Ownersof
DredgerLi
esboschvOwner
sofSt
eamshi
pEdi
son
[
1933]AC449
Fact s:Thedef endant snegl igentlysankt hepl aint
iffs'dredger.Att he
ti
meoft heacci dent ,thepl aintif
fshadaconst ructioncont r
actunder
whi chadr edgerwasnecessar yandtheywer eusi ngthedr edgerf orthat
purpose.Thatcont racti ncludedpenal t
yf ordel ayi ncompl etionand
cancel lati
on f orpr olonged del ayand si nce t he pl ai
nti
ffs coul d not
purchaseanew one,t heyhi r edanotherdr edgeraf terabout6mont hs
butt hatdr edgerwasmor eexpensi vet ouset hant hef ir
st.Theycoul d
hav esecur edoneonanear l
ierdat ebuthadnothadf undst odot hat.
Held: Thedamagesf ort heplai nti
ff
sshouldi ncludedamagesf ort he
l
ossi ncurredduet ot helossoft heship;i.
e.,ther easonabl ecostatt he
ti
meoft hel ossandt hecosti nv olv
edinsecur i
ngar eplacement ,butnot
thecostoft hedel ayinsecur ingt henewdr edger ,asthatwasduet othe
plaintiff
'sowncr editunwor thiness.
Principle:Wher eav esselisi napr ofi
tableempl oyment ,atthet i
meof
l
oss,t helossi ncur r
edasar esul tofthenegl igencemustbet akeni nto
consi derationint heassessmentofdamages.
solefaul t
,mayf orcet heshi powneri ntobankr uptcyandt hatagai n
may i nvolve hisf ami lyi n suf feri
ng,l oss of educat ion or
opport unit
iesinli
fe,butnosuchl osscoul dber ecoveredf rom t he
wrongdoer .Inthev ar i
edwebofaf f
airs,t hel aw mustabst ract
someconsequencesasr elevant ,notper hapsongr oundsofpur e
l
ogi cbutsi mplyforpr act i
calr easons.I nt hepr esentcasei ft he
appellants'f i
nancialembar r
assmenti st o be r egar ded as a
consequenceoft her espondent s'tort,Ithinki tistoor emot e,butI
prefert oregarditasani ndependentcause,t houghi tsoper ative
effectwascondi t
ionedbyt hel ossoft hedr edger .Thequest i
onof
remot enessofdamagehasbeenconsi deredi nmanyaut hori
ties
and fr om manyaspect s,butno case has been ci ted toy our
Lordshi pswhichwoul dj ustifytheappel lants' cl
aim."
Fi
tzger
aldvLane[
1989]AC328
Facts:Theplainti
ffwascr ossi
ngar oadwhent hetraff
icli
ghtsshowed
green.He was st r
uck bya cardr i
ven byt he f
irstdefendantand
propell
edint
ot heroad.Asar esult
,anothercardr i
venbyt hesecond
defendantstruckhi m.The cour tf ound thatboth defendants wer
e
negli
gentbutthattheplainti
ffhadalsobeennegl i
gent.
Held:Theappor ti
onmentofcont ributi
onbet weenthedefendantsmust
bekeptseparatef r
om thatbetweent heplai
ntif
fandthedefendants.
PerLor
dAckneratp.399:"Al
lthedeci
sionsr
efer
redtoabove
ar
emadeint hemainact i
on.Apporti
onmentofliabi
l
ityi
na
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
t nGh
si ana
case of cont r
ibutory negl i
gence bet ween pl aint
iff and
defendants mustbe keptsepar atef rom appor t
ionmentof
contri
buti
onbet weent hedefendant si nt
erse.Al t
hought he
defendantsareeachl iabletotheplaintifff
ort hewholeamount
forwhichhehasobt ainedjudgment ,thepr oporti
onsinwhi ch,
as bet ween themsel v es the defendant s must meet t he
plai
ntif
f'
scl ai
m,do nothav eanydi rectr elati
onshiptot he
extenttowhi chthet ot aldamageshav ebeenr educedbyt he
contri
butorynegligence,althoughthef act
sofanygi v
encase
mayj usti
fythepropor t
ionsbeingthesame. "
Atpp.339and340:' '
Thejudge,inmyjudgment ,misdi
rect
ed
himselfbyt hinki
ng intri
parti
teterms,i
nstead ofpur sui
ng
separatel
ythetwost ages—phase1:wast heplaint
if
fguilt
yof
contr
ibutorynegli
genceand,ifso,towhatext entshouldthe
recover
abledamagesber educed,i
ssueswhi
chconcer nedthe
plai
nti
ffontheonehand
77ae
andt hedefendantsjoint
lyontheot herhand;andphase2:t he
amountoft he contri
buti
on recoverabl
e betsveen the two
defendantshav i
ngr egardtotheext entoftheirresponsi
bil
it
y
fort hedamager ecoveredbyt hepl ai
nti
ff ani ssuewhich
affectedonl
yt hedefendant
sinterseandi nnowayi nvol
vedthe
plainti
ff
."
(
Addi
ti
onal
Cases)
Wi
l
li
amsvBer
mudaHospi
tal
sBoar
d(2(
)14)84WI
R155
Facts: Thepl
ainti
ffwasadmi ttedwi t
hsev er eabdomi nal pains.Owingto
delaysi nor
deringaCTscanandget tingther esult
s, surgerytookplace
almost11hour safteradmi ssi
on.Thepl aint
iffwasf oundt ohavea
perforatedappendi xwhi chr upturespr ogressivelywi tht i
me.Hel at
er
developedadhesi onsasacompl icat
iont otheper forati
on.
Held:Si ncethedel aysi n ordering thescan and i n perfor
ming the
surgerycontri
butedt ocauset hepl ainti
ff'
si nj
ury,thedef endantswer e
l
iable.
Pr
inci
ple:A personisli
ableinnegl
igenceifhi
sact
scauseOfcont
ri
but
es
mater
iall
ytocausethei
njur
ytothepl
aint
iff
.
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
t nGh
si ana
PerWardJAatpp.158and159, par
s.22-24:
[221"Havi
ngconsider
ed
the f
actualmat r
ix,Iask myselfwhethert
he BHB omi t
ted t
o do
anyt
hingwhichitoughtt
ohavedoneandasar esul
tofwhichomissi
on
thepati
entsuf
fereddamage
23]"
[ Theanswercomesbackwi
thr
esoundi
ngcl
ari
tyt
hati
tdi
d.
24]"
[ The numer ous del aysi ndiv
idually and coll
ecti
v el
y were
contri
butingf actorst ot hedamageul ti
matelysuffered.There
were del ay s bet ween ar r
ival
,admi ssion,exami nation,the
orderi
ng,t akingandr eadingoft heCTscanandt hesurgery.And
when v iewed agai nstt he backgr ound oft he physicalsigns
exhibi
tedbyt heappel l
antonhi sarr i
valattheKEMH,hi stossi
ng
andscr eami ng, Ifi
ndt hedelaytobei nordinat
e."
201"
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
t nGh
si ana
expr
esseduncert
aint
yastot hecauseofthecompl
icat
ions
and wentont o hol
dther
eforethattheappel
l
anthad not
prov
edhiscase.
[
36] "Asr egardst hatf i
nding,wehol dthatthelearned
j
udgewasi ner r
orbyr ai
singthebarunat tai
nabl
yhigh.The
propertestofcausat i
onwasnotwhet herthenegli
gentdelay
andi nadequatesy stem causedt heinjur
ytot heappel
lantbut
ratherwhet hert he br eaches ofdut y by BHB contri
buted
mat eri
all
ytot heinjury.Thatt hosebreachesdidcontr
ibuteis
bey ondargument .
[
37] "Origi
nall
ywher ecausati
onwasal legedi twasfor
theclai
mantt oestabli
shthatthedefendantowedhi m aduty
ofcare,thatthedefendantwasi nbreachoft hatdutyandthat
thebreachoft hatdutycausedthedamageorl ossofwhich
theclai
mantcompl ained.I
twasf orthepl ai
nt i
fftoprove'
the
realsubstantial
,dir
ectoreffecti
vecause'.St apleyvGypsum
MinesLt d[ 1953]2Al lER478at489- 490,[1953]AC663at
687perLor dAsqui t
h.
[39] "I
nBailey(byherfatherandli
ti
gati
onfiend)vMi nistr
y
ofDef ence[2008]EWCACi v883,(2008)103BMLR134t he
'
butf or'rul
ewasmodi fi
edandt hecor r
ectquest i
onwas
whethert henegligencehadcausedormat er
iall
ycont ri
buted
tothei njur
yandi f'butfor'thecontri
buti
onoft het ort
ious
cause t he i
njur
y woul d probably nothav e occurred,t he
clai
mantwoul dhav edischargedtheburdenofpr oof.
[
40] "
Counself
ort
he BHB r
efer
red t
o Gr
egg vScot
t
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
t nGh
si ana
[
2005]
"
202
7he
[ "
41]Iti
snol
ongeraquest
ionofal
lornot
hingbutoneof
suf
fi
ciency
.
[ "
42]In myv
iew i
nthe case atbarcausalorcausat
ivel
i
nks
bet
weentheinor
dinat
edelay
scoupl
edwit
hthedefect
ivesy
stem
whi
chtoget
hercontri
but
edt ot
heappel
l
ant'
sinj
urywereclear
ly
est
abl
i
shed.
"
Hussai
nvBr
adf
ordTeachi
ngHospi
tal
NHSFoundat
ion
[
20111EWHC2914
Facts:Thepl aint
ifffellwhi l
epreparingforabat handwasr ushed
byanambul ancet ot hedef endanthospital
.Intheear l
yhour sof
thefollowingmor ning, hedev el
opedCausaEqui naSy ndr
ome( CES)
whichr oset oCausaEqui naSy ndromewi thRet ent
ion(CESR)by
noon.Anemer gencysur gerywasper formedont heplaint
ifftwo
daysl aterbuthi scondi t
ioncouldnotbei mpr ovedandhewas
paraly
sed f rom wai stdownwar ds and was r endered sexuall
y
i
mpot ent .Hesuedt hedef endantforthedelayint hesurgery.The
courtf oundt hatwhenhi sconditi
onr eachedCESR,i tbecame
i
mpossi blet
omakeagood
r
ecov
ery
.
Hel
d:Si
ncet
hedel
ayi
nthedel
ayi
nthesur
ger
yhadnotcausedt
he
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
t nGh
si ana
CESRorr enderiti
rr
eversi
ble,
thedefendantswerenotli
able.
Princi
ple:
Tosucceedi nanactionf
ornegligence,
theplai
ntif
fmust
provethattheinjur
ysuf f
eredwasther esultofthenegli
genceof
thedefendant.
PerCoulsonJatpar .51:"
Incasesofthiskind,
thecourtis
try
ingtodeci dewhatwoul dhav ehappenedi fanev ent
which,bydef i
nit
ion,di
dnotoccur,hadinfactoccur
red:see,
forexampl e,Bolit
hovCi tyandHackneyHeal thAuthorit
y
[
1998]AC232at239F,[ 1997]4AllER771,39BMLRI .The
bestguidance
203•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
onthi
selementofcausationcanbef oundinthejudgmentof
Ott
onLJinTahirvHaringeyHeal thAut hoHt
y[1998]3Lloyd'
s
RepMed104.There,hesai d:
'I
nr eachingmyconclusionsI
st
artwi
ththefol
lowi
ngpr oposit
ionsofl aw:
'
(1)Thebur
denofpr
ovi
ngcausat
ionwasupont
hePl
aint
if
f.
'
(2)Causat
ionisaquestionofpastfact
,tobedeci
dedona
bal
anceofpr obabi
l
iti
es:seeMallet
/vMcMonag/ e[1970]
AC166.
'
(3)Ifhepr ov
esthatt henegl igencewast hesolecause,ora
substantial
cause,orthati tmaterial
lycont
ri
butedtot hedamage,
hewi l
lsucceedinfull
:seeBonni ngtonCasti
ngsvWar d/aw[1956]
AC613_ andMcGheevNat ionalCOW Board[1973]1WLR1. (
4)If
hef ail
st o cr
osst hist hresholdt henhef ail
stor ecoverany
damages: see Bar nett v Chel sea & Kensington Hospi t
al
ManagementCommi ttee11969]1QB428.( 5)APlaintiffcannot
recoverdamagesf orthel ossofachanceofacompl eteorbetter
recovery:seeHotsonvEastBer kshir
eDistl
i
ctHea/th[ 1987]AC
750."'
[
96] "
Fort hereasonssetouti ns6.2abov e,Iconcl
ude
thattheFirstDefendantwasnegl i
gentinit
st r
eatmentoft he
Claimant.Itisalwaysunaccept abl
ewhenaf ami l
ymember
hast ogoi nsearchofanur sei nordertotryandobt ai
nt he
appropri
ate t r
eatment for t he patient
, and such
i
ndi f
fer
encei smadef arworsewheni tbecomescl earthat
the famil
ymemberwas r i
ghtt o be concerned and t
hat,
through negli
gence,the pati
entwas notget ti
ng the r
ight
treatment,
orindeedanyt r
eatmentatall.
[
97] "
Forthereasonssetoutins6. 3above,Ifindthat
,
asadi r
ectresul
toft heFirstDefendant'
snegligence,the
Cl
aimant'
ssurger
ywasdel ayedfor48hour s.I
tshoul dhave
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
t
akenpl
acel
ateon28Augustårear
lyon29August
,not
•
204
The
l
ateon30August
.
[ "
98]Fort
her
easonssetouti
ns7.
3abov
e,If
indt
hatt
he
expertev i
dencepointsov erwhelmi ngl
ytot heconclusi
on
thattheculpabledelaydi dnotcauseCESRorpr eventit
s
reverse;onthecontrary,theev i
dencei splaint
hat,onthe
balanceofpr obabi
lit
ies,theCl aimantwoul dneverhave
madeagoodr ecoveryf oll
owingt heonsetofCESR.The
delayinsurgerywast hereforeimmat eri
al.
[ "
99]Fort
her
easonssetouti
ns7.
4abov
e,If
indt
hat—
evenifaf all
-backcasei sopent ot heCl aimant— ittoo
mustfail.Thedelayinsur ger
ymayhav el eftt
heClaimant
i
nawor secondi ti
onthanhewoul dot herwisehavebeen
i
n,butt heev idenceissov agueandspecul at
ivethatI
cannotfind,ont hebal anceofpr obabili
ti
es,thatsucha
casehasbeenpr oved.Indeed,t hewei ghtoft heexpert
evi
dencesuppor tsMrMacf arl
ane'sconcl usionthat,on
thebalanceofpr obabili
ties,nomeasur ableimprovement
wouldhav ebeenachi evedbysur geryper f
ormedl at
eon
28August .
[
100] "
The cl
aim fordamages agai
nstt he Fi
rst
Defendantt
her
efor
efai
lsonthegr
oundsofcausati
on."
LessvHussai n( 2012)130BMLR51
Facts:Thepl ainti
ffwhohadahi storyofmedi calandobst et
ric
problems,i ncluding fibr
oids and deep v eint hrombosis( DVT),
soughtadv i
cef rom thedefendantaboutwhet heri twouldbesaf e
to pr oceed with a pr egnancy.The def endantadv i
sed thata
pregnancywaspossi bleprovi
dedshesoughtear lyantenatalcare.
Thepl ai
nti
ffwentaheadt oconcei veandf ol
lowi ngapai nfuland
di
fficultpregnancyasar esultoft hefibr
oid,shegav ebirtht oa
sti
ll
bor n child. The pl aint
iff sued f or t he phy si
cal and
psychol ogi
calpai n.Thecour tfoundt hatthedef endanthadbeen
negligentinnotdi scussi
ngt heresul tofascanwi t
ht heplainti
ff
andnoti nf
ormingheraboutt herisksinvol
vedi nt hepregnancy .
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
PerJudgeCot t
er,QCatpp.75and76,pars.139— 144:
[
139]'Tti s my opini
on t
hatthe under
standable but
powerf
ulinf
luenceofhi
ndsi
ghthasbeenatplay.I
tis,
asI
havesetout
205•
i
not hercases,unforgivi
nganddoesnotaf f
ordthel at
itudeoft he
tr
ulybal anced consider
ati
on ofcompeting opti
onswhi ch isa
normalandessent ialpartofever
ydayl
if
e.Wi t
ht heperf ectvision
ofhindsightiti
salltooeasytopercei
vemat t
ersaremor ecer tain,
eventsthatoccur r
edt ohavebeenmor epredict
able,thani nf act
wasact uall
ythecase.
140] "
[ MsLesshadt wo chi
ldren:Luke,aged13. 5y earsand
Lati
fa,
aged12. 5year
s.Shehadbeeni nalovi
ngrelat
ionshipsince
2000.MrCarterwascl ear
lykeenerwithi
nthepartner
shipont hem
havi
ng a fur
therchild;butt he mutualdesire was,as Ihav e
i
ndicat
ed,astrongone.
[141] "MsLesshadsuf fer edDVTandapul monar yemboli
sm.
Shehad' terr
ibl
e'morningsi cknessinherfi
rstpregnancyuptofi
ve
orsi xmonths.Shegott hroughi tandproceededt ohaveasecond
child.Chil
dbirt
hitsel
fisofcour senottobeunder est
imat
edasa
painfulexperi
ence.Thest rongi mpressi
onIformedofMsLessi s
thatsheisast oicandstrong- wil
ledi
ndivi
dual.
142] "
[ Alsounl
iket
heposit
ionaf
terLui
s'deat
hMsLessandMr
Car
terwerebothhappyandful
lyf
ocusedonbuildi
ngaf
ami
lyl
i
fe
asat2006.
143] "
[ Sowhatwoul
dshehav
edonei
fgi
venpr
operadv
ice?
[1441"Fortheavoi
danceofdoubtIshoul
daddint
hisregardthatI
havenodoubtt hatMrsHussainwoul dhavebeenposi t
iveas
regar
dspr egnancy
.Hadshei denti
fi
edallt
herel
evantrisksshe
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Andatpp.77and78,pars.149-154:[
149]"Myfindi
ngoff
acton
t
hisi
ssuealsogai
nssupportfr
om t
heevidenceaslhe
150] "
[ Ofcour set hemostl i
kelyr i
sks,t hoseofmi scar r
iageand
ofRedDegener at
ionwoul dcer tainlyhav econcer nedMsLess.
Howev er,
asIhav eindi catedshesuf f
er edillnessbywayofsev ere
mor ningsicknessdur ingherf irstpr egnancyy etwentont ohav ea
secondpr egnancy .Shor noft hepr efectv isionofhi ndsight,itis
my j udgment t hat t he r isk of mi scarriage and r easonably
art
iculatedr i
skofpai n,ev enoft her el ati
velysmal lr i
skofsuch
si
gni f
icant pai n and di scomf ortt hat she r equired hospi t
al
tr
eat ment,woul dnothav eputherof f.Ofcour se,hadshebeen
advisedofav erysi gnifi
cantr i
skoft het y
peofunusual l
ysev ere
painshedi dexper i
encet hatwoul dhav ebeenmor elikelytohav e
causedsi gnifi
cantlymor eandanxi ousr ef
lection.Howev erinmy
j
udgmentshewoul dnothav ebeensoadv isedbyMr sHussai nat
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
151] "
[ I
tisalsomyj udgmentthatadvi
ceast ot hev er
yseri
ous
ri
skswer eshenott oconti
nuewi t
hant i
-coagulantswouldnot
havesoconcer nedherast odi v
ertherform awi shtohavea
fur
therchil
d.Shehadf acedari
skofthisnaturebeforeduri
ngher
twopregnanciesandIseenoreasontobeli
ev ethatshewouldnot
havetrust
edherselft
obecompliantwit
hmedi cati
on.
152] "
[ As for t
he other ri
sks whil
st they amounted toa
f
or mi
dabl
ebatter
yonpaperwhent heclai
mantsf i
rstsawthem i
n
NirWood'
sreport
,whenreasonabl
yexpl
ainedI
donotbel i
evethatt heywouldhaveweighedsuff
icient
ly
toalterthecour seMsLessandMrCar terwantedto
adopt.Age-rel
atedr iskswoul
dnoti nmyopi ni
onhav e
deter
redherandi twasonl yafterthespri
ngbutatOf
befor
et hesummerof2010t hainanormaltshehad
for
medt hev i
ewt hatshewasnowt oool
d.
[153] "I
ndeed Iam oft he v iew t hatev en ift he
consultanthad,aft
inaff
ferpr operlyset ti
ngoutt her isks,
soughtt oact i
vel
ydi scourageMsLessf rom t r
ylngt o
conceivewi ththereasoningadv ancedt hatsheal ready
hadbeenbl essedwitht wochi l
dren,t hatt hiswoul dnot
hav estoppedher.Whatshewant ed,butnev ergotwas
balanced and compr ehensive adv ice.She woul dt hen
hav etakent i
mewi thMrCar t
ertor eachadeci si
on.Buti n
theendIf avourMrdeBono' ssubmi ssi
ont hatwhatwas
reall
yrequir
edt ostopt hem taki
ngt hest epwasnot hing
shortofadv i
cethattheycoul dnotormustnott ryf or
anotherchil
d.
ClementsvClements[2013]1LRC718
Facts:
Thecoupletrav
elledonamotorcy
cledri
venbythehusband.
Themot or
cyclewasov erl
oadedandanailhadpunct
uredtherear
ty
re,afacttheydidnotknow.Thehusbandaccelerat
edov erthe
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
PerMcLachl
i
nCJ(Deschamps,Fi
sh,Abell
a,Cromwell
,
Moldav
erandKar
akat
sanisJJconcurr
ing)atp.723,
pars.8and9:[ 8]'Thet estforshowingcausat i
oni st he'
but
for'test.Thepl ainti
ffmustshowonabal anceofpr obabili
ti
es
that' butfor'thedef endant'snegli
gentact ,thei nj
urywoul d
nothav eoccur red.I nherentinthephr ase' butfor 'isthe
requirementt hatt hedef endant'
snegligencewasnecessar y
tobr ingaboutt hei njury—inotherwordst hatthei njurywould
nothav eoccurredwi thoutthedefendant'
snegl igence.Thisis
af act uali
nquiry .I
ft hepl ai
nti
ffdoesnotest abl i
sht hisona
balanceofpr obabi l
it
ies,hav i
ngregardtoal lt
heev i
dence,her
actionagai nstthedef endantfai
ls.
[9]"The' butf
or'causationtestmustbeappl i
edinar obust
commonsense f ashion.Ther eis no need f orscient
if
ic
evidence of t he pr ecise cont
ri
bution the defendant
's
negligencemadet otheinjury
.SeeWilshervEssexAHA
[
1988]1Al
lER871at881perLor
dBr
idgeandSnel
lv
[
1990]2SCR311.
"
factualdet erminati
on.Except ionally,howev er,court
s hav e
accept edt hatapl aint
iffmaybeabl etor ecoveronthebasi s
of'mat erialcont ri
butiontor iskofi njury'
,withoutshowi ng
factual'butf or'causati
on.Aswi llbediscussedi nmoredet ail
below,t hiscan occuri n caseswher ei tisimpossi bl
et o
determi newhi chofanumberofnegl igentact sbymul ti
ple
actorsi nf actcausedt heinjury,buti ti
sest abli
shedthatone
ormor eoft hem di dinfactcausei t
.Inthesecases, t
hegoal s
oft ortl aw andt heunder lyi
ngt heoryofcor r
ecti
vej ust
ice
requiret hatt hedef endantnotbeper mitt
edt oescapeliabi
lit
y
bypoi nting t hef i
ngeratanot herwr ongdoer .Court
shav e
therefore hel dt he defendantl i
able on the basist hathe
mat eri
al l
ycont ri
butedtother i
skoft heinjury
.
209"
toper mi tplai
nti
ffstorecoverinsuchcasesdespi tet heirfai
lur
et
provecausat i
on.Insuchcases,pl aint
iff
sar epermitt
edt o" j
umpt h
evidentiarygap":see"Lordsa'leapingevidenti
arygaps'
" ,(
2002)Tor t
Law Jour nal276,and" Cause-
in-Factandt heScopeofLi abil
it
yfo
Consequences: ',(2003)119 L. Q.R.388,bot h by ProfessorJan
Stapleton.Thatisbecauset odenyliabi
lit
y"wouldoffendbasicnot i
on
offairnessandj usti
ce"
:HankevResmf iceCorp.,par
a.25. '
cont
ri
buti
ontor i
skapproach.TheEngl
i
shl
aw t
akest
hesame
appr
oach,asdi
scussedbel
ow.
[16] " El
imi nati
on ofpr oofofcausat i
on as an el ementof
negligencei sar adicalst epthatgoesagai nstt hef undament al
principl
est atedbyDi plockLJi nBrowningvWarOf f
ice[ 1962]3Al l
ER1089at1094- 1095:' [a]defendanti
nanact i
oni nnegl igenceis
notawr ongdoeratl ar
ge;hei sawr ongdoeronlyi nr espectoft he
damage whi ch he act ual l
ycauses tot he plaintiff'
:Mooneyv
Briti
shCol umbi a( A-
G)( 2004)31BCLR( 4th)61at[ 157]perSmi th
JA, concurringint heresul t.Fort
hatreason,recourset oamat erial
cont r
ibuti
ont ori
skappr oachi snecessari
lyrareandj ustifi
edonl y
wher eitisrequiredbyf ai rnessandconf or
mst othepr incipl
esthat
groundr ecov eryintort.
"
Atpp.729and730,par s.35,39:[35]"Thei dearunni
ngt hr
ough
thejuri
sprudencethattoapplythemat er i
alcont
ri
buti
onapproach
i
tmustbe ' impossibl
e'f or the plainti
ffto provet hatt he
defendant'
snegligencecausedt heplainti
ff'
sinj
uryuslngthe'but
for
'testhasproduceduncer t
aint
yinthiscaseandel sewhere.
Andatp.732,par.46:"
Thefor
egoi
ngdi
scussi
onleads
metot hef
oll
owingconcl
usi
onsastot
hepresentst
ate
oft
helawinCanada:
"(1)Asagener alrul
e,aplainti
ffcannotsucceedunl ess
sheshowsasamat teroffactt hatshewoul dnothav e
suffer
edtheloss'butfor
'thenegl igentactoractsoft he
defendant
.At r
ialj
udgeistot akear obustandpragmat i
c
approachto determini
ngi fapl ainti
ffhasestabli
shed
that the defendant'
s negligence caused her l oss.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Sci
ent
if
icpr
oofofcausat
ioni
snotr
equi
red.
"(2)Except i
onal l
y,apl aintif
fmaysucceedbyshowi ng
thatthedef endant 'sconductmat eriallycont r
ibutedt o
ri
skoft hepl ai
ntif
f'si njury,where( a)t hepl aintif
fhas
establi
shedt hatherl osswoul dnothav eoccur red'but
for'the negl i
gence oft wo ormor et ortfeasors,each
possiblyi nf actr esponsi blef orthel oss;and ( b)t he
plai
ntif
f,throughnof aultofherown,i sunabl etoshow
thatanyoneoft hepossi bletort
feasor sinf actwast he
necessaryor' butf or'causeofheri nj ury,becauseeach
canpoi nttooneanot herast hepossibl e'butfor'causeof
theinjury,defeatingaf indingofcausat iononabal ance
ofprobabi l
it
iesagai nstany one."
Cal
ver
tvWi
l
li
am Hi
l
lCr
edi
tLt
d[20091Ch330
Facts:Thepl ai
nti
ffwasapr obl
em gambl erthrought elephone
betti
ngwiththedef endantbookmaker .Thedefendantandot her
bookmaker soff
eredproblem gambl ersthechoiceofmaki ngself
-
exclusi
onagreement sbywhi chthei raccountsforbetti
ngwoul d
becl oseduponr equest.Thepl aintif
fplacedar equestf orhis
accountt o be closed butowi ng t ot he negli
gence oft he
defendant'
sservant
,hisaccountwasnotcl osedandhel ostover
{2m.Hesued.
211.
Held:Si
ncetheplai
ntif
fcoul
dhavelostthemoneybybet t
ingwit
h
otherbookmaker
sev enifhi
saccounthadbeenclosed,
therewas
no causalconnecti
on between t
he loss and t
he defendant
's
negli
gence.
Principl
e:Tosucceedi nanacti
oni
nnegli
gence,t
heplai
nti
ffmust
provet hatthe i
njury woul
d nothav
e happened butf orthe
negligenceofthedefendant.
PerSi
rAnt honyMayPatpp.347—349, pars.45—48:45" As
LordHof fmann'sarti
clemakescl ear
,thesear chf orthe causal
connecti
onwhi cht hel aw requirescannotbeunder takenwithout
ref
erencetot heli
abil
it
ywhi chthedef endanthasunder t
akenandt he
damage whi ch the l
iabil
i
tyi st aken to have caused.The causal
connecti
on whi ch t
he law pr escri
bes isi n a sense onlya li
nk.
Negli
genceclaimsar ehabitual
lyanalysedcompar tmentall
ybyasking
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
"Thi
squest
ionnecessar
il
ysubsumest hequesti
onwhether
theact
soromissionsofthedefendantcausedt
herel
evant
damage.
47"Thedefendantsdidnotassumer esponsi
bili
tytoprevent
theclai
mantfrom gambli
ng.Theyassumedar esponsibi
li
ty
nottoall
owhimt oplacetel
ephonebetswi t
ht hem.Theydi d
notassumear esponsi
bil
i
tytopreventhimf r
om gambl i
ngi n
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
213•
wouldprobablyhavesustainedbutforthei
rbreachofduty.
The law not only pr escri
bes the appropri
ate causal
connect
ion,butal
sothescopeoft hedut yandthescopeof
thel
osswhi chthecausalconnecti
onlinks.
"
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Gr
eggvScot
t[200512AC176
Facts:Thepl aintif
fsaw t hedef endantf oral ump which had
developed underhi s arm.The def endantt old hi
m i twas a
coll
ect ionoff atandt hatnof urtheract i
onwasneeded.Af ter
aboutoney ear,thedefendantattendedanot herhospitalwherehe
wasdi agnosedofl ymphomaandwasoper atedupon.Att hetime
oft heoper ati
on,t het umourhadspr eadt o hischestandhe
sufferedt wor elapseswhichr educedhispr ospectofsur v
ival
.The
courtf oundt hatt hecondi
ti
ont hepl ai
nti
ffsufferedfr
om gav ehim
0
onlya42/ 0chanceofsur vi
valforonlyt eny earsevenifhehad
beent reatedpr ompt l
ybutt hatt her elapseshadr educedt hat
prospectt oonl y25%.
Held:Sincetheplai
nti
ffcoul
dnotpr ovethatthedel
ayi nthe
tr
eatmentwast hecauseoft hereduct
ion i
n hi
sprospectof
survi
val
,thedef
endantwasnotl
iabl
e.
Pri
ncipl
e:Inacl
aimi
nmedicalnegl
igence,
theplai
nti
ffmustpr
ovet
hat
thenegl
igencewast
hecauseofhiscondit
ion.
oromissi
on f
orwhich t
he def
endantwasr
esponsi
ble.The
nar
rowter
msofthe
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
except i
onmadet ot hi
spr i
ncipl
ei nFai rchil
d'scase
onlyser vestoemphasi sethest r
engt hoft her ul
e.The
factt hatpr oofi srendered diffi
cultori mpossi bl
e
becausenoexami nati
onwasmadeatt het ime,asi n
Hotson'scase,orbecausemedi calsci encecannot
providet heanswer ,asi nWi l
sher '
scase,makesno
diff
erence.Ther eisnoinherentuncer t
aintyaboutwhat
caused somet hing t
o happen int hepastorabout
whet hersomet hi
ngwhi chhappenedi nt hepastwi ll
causesomet hingtohappeni nthef utur
e.Ev eryt
hingis
determinedbycausal it
y.Whatwel acki sknowl edge
and t he law deals withlack ofknowl edge byt he
conceptoft hebur denofproof.
80" Si
milarl
yint hepr esentcase,t hepr ogressofMr
Gregg'
sdi seasehadadet erminatecause.I tmayhav e
beeninherentinhi sgenet icmake- upatt het i
mewhen
hesaw DrScot t
,asHot son'
sf atewasdet ermi nedby
whathappenedt ohi sthighwhenhef el
loutoft het r
ee.
Oritmay ,asManceLJsuggest s,havebeenaf f ected
bysubsequentev ents and behav i
ourf orwhi ch Dr
Scottwasnotr esponsi ble.Medicalsciencedoesnot
enableust osay .Butt heout comewasnotr andom;i t
wasgov ernedbyl awsofcausal i
tyand,int heabsence
ofa speci alruleasi n Fai
rchil
d'scase,i nabi l
ityt o
establ
ishthatdel ayi ndiagnosiscausedt her educt ion
i
nexpect ationinl ifecannotber emedi edbyt r eating
theoutcomeashav i
ngbeensomehowi ndet ermi nate."
PerLor dPhill
i
psofWor t
hMat raversMRatpp.221
and222,par .174:"Underourlaw asi tisatpr esent,
and subjecttot heexcepti
on in Fairchil
d'
scase,a
clai
mantwi l
lonlysucceedif
,onbal anceofprobabi l
it
y
thenegli
gencei sthecauseoft heinjury.I
fthereisa
possibi
li
ty,butnotapr obabil
it
y,thatt henegligence
causedt heinj
ury,t
heclai
mantwi llrecovernothingin
respectofthebreachofduty:HotsonvEastBer kshi
re
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Heal t
hAut hori
ty[1987]AC750;Wi lshervEssexAr ea
Heal t
hAut honty[1988]AC1074.Ther eisanargument
thatj ust
ice woul d be bet t
erser ved if
,in such a
sit
uation,damageswer er ecoverableforthechance
thatt he negligence may hav e caused t he inj
ur y
.
NeitherLor dNicholl
sofBi rkenheadnorLor dHopeof
Craigheadconsi derst hatint hi
scaseweshoul dhol d
thatthoset wodeci sionsoft hisHousear enol onger
goodl aw.Iagr ee.Sot ohol dwoul dhaveimplicati
ons
forthebalanceofpr obabi li
tytestofcausationinot her
areasofourl aw.Thatconsi derati
oncouldbet terbe
givenbyt heLaw Commi ssionthant hisHouseandi t
certai
nlyhasnotbeen
215•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
gi
veni
nthepr
esentcase.
"
195"Ifitismoreli
kel
yt hannotthatthedef endant'scar
elessness
causedmet oloseal eg.Idonotwantmydamagesr educedt o
theextentthatiti
slesst han100%cer tainthati tdi
dso.Ont he
otherhand,ifi ti
smor el i
kel
yt hannott hatthedef endant'
s
carel
essnessdidnotcausemet olosethel eg,thenthedefendant
doesnotwantt ohavet opaydamagesf ort he20%or30%chance
thatitdid.A'morelikelythannot'appr oacht ocausationsuits
bothsides?'
Atp.227,par
.197:"Wehav eneverseent hatschedul
e.Butwe
candeducef rom t
hewayi nwhi chthej udgeassessedt he
damageswhi chhewoul dhaveawar ded,hadt hecl
aimant
prov
edt hecaseasallegedi nt
hepar ti
cularsofclai
m,t hati
t
was a conventi
onalclaim forpain,suf fer
ing and l
oss of
amenit
y;loss ofearnings and cost
s ofcar e;and l
oss of
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
expect ati
onofl i
fe.Al loft hiswoul dhav ebeenpay ablehadhe
succeededi npr ov i
ngont hebal anceofpr obabi l
iti
est hat'but
for't hedef endant '
sf ail
uret or ef erhi mf ori nv estigati
oni n
Nov ember1994 he woul d hav e been ' cured'.The l aw's
definition ofcur ef ort his pur pose i s a per manentcur e,
restor i
nghi mt oanor malexpect at i
onofl i
fe.Onl yt hatwoul d
entitl
ehi mt odamagesf orl ossofear ningsdur ingwhatwoul d
other wi sehav ebeent hatnor mall ifespan.Oneoft hemany
compl icationsi nt hiscasei st hatt hedef i
nit
ionofcur et o
whicht hemedi calev idencewasdi rectedwasdi seasef ree
surviv alt en yearsaf tert hei ni
tialt reatment .Onecan wel l
under st andwhy ,bot hf orclinicalandr esear chpur poses, t
here
hast o beawor king def init
ionoft hiski nd.Buti thasno
particul arrelevancet ot hel aw.Thel aw askswhatdi f
ference
thenegl i
gencehasmadet ot hecl aimant '
sl i
feasawhol e.But
i
ft hecl aimanthad succeeded i n pr oving thatbutf ort he
defendant 'snegl igence he woul d hav e been cur ed,nei t
her
clai
mant nor def endant woul d hav e suggest ed t hat his
damagesshoul dbedi scount edt or eflectthedegr eet owhi ch
thejudgewasnotcer tainthatt hi
swasso. "
Cor
rvI
BCVehi
cles[
2008]1AC884
Fact
s:Thedeceasedsuff
eredasever
eheadinj
urywhi
l
einthe
employ
mentoft hedef
endantowi
ngtoadefecti
vemachi
nery
.
He
217"
suffer
edpost -tr
aumat icstressdisorderanddepr essi
onand
l
atercommi tt
edsui cide.Thepl ai
nti
ff,t
hewi dow,sued.The
defendantsadmi ttedl iabi
l
ityfortheheadi nj
uriesbutnotf or
the death arguing t hatthe suicide was nota r easonable
consequenceoft heirnegli
gentactandt hatthesuicidehad
beenanewi nter
v eningactbr eaki
ngthechainofcausat i
on.
Held:Sincet hedepressi
veill
nesshadbeent hedirectand
reasonabl
econsequenceoft henegl
igentactofthedefendant
andt hesui
cide,t
houghdeli
berat
ehadbeendi rectr
esultofthe
depressi
veil
lness,t
hedefendantswereli
abl
e.
Pr
inci
ple:Aper
soni sl
iabl
ef ort
hef
oreseeabl
eri
skofi
njur
y
t
hatresul
tsf
rom hi
snegli
gentact
.
Andatp.902and903,par.13:"Her
e,thei
nescapable
facti
sthatdepr
essi
on,possi
blysever
e,possi
blyvery
sever
e,wasafor
eseeabl
econsequenceofthi
sbreach.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
TheCour tofAppealmaj or i
t ywer er i
ghtt ouphol dt he
claimant 'ssubmi ssi ont hati twasnoti ncumbentonher
toshow t hatsui cidei tselfwasf oreseeabl e.But ,as
Lord Pear ce obser ved i n Hughes v Lor d Adv ocat e
[1963]AC837,857,' t
odemandt oogr eatpr ecisioni n
thet estoff or eseeabi l
itywoul dbeunf airt ot hepur suer
since t he f acet s ofmi sadv ent ure ar ei nnumer abl e'
.
Thatwas f act ual l
ya v ery di fferentcase f r
om t he
present ,but t he pr inciplet hat a t or tf
easor who
reasonabl yf or eseest heoccur renceofsomedamage
neednotf oreseet hepr eci sef or m whi cht hedamage
mayt akei nmyv i
ew appl ies.Icanr eadi l
yacceptt hat
some mani fest at i
ons of sev ere depr essi on coul d
proper l
ybehel dt obesounusualandunpr edi ctableas
to be out side t he bounds ofwhati sr easonabl y
foreseeabl e,butsui cidecannotbesor egar ded.Whi l
ei t
i
snot ,happi ly,ausualmani festation,iti sonet hat ,as
Sedl ey LJ puti t[ 2007]QB 46,par a 66,i s not
uncommon.That i s enough f or the cl aimant t o
succeed.Buti fi twer enecessar yfort hecl aimanti n
this case t o hav e est abl i
shed t he r easonabl e
foreseeabi li
tybyt heempl oy erofsui cide,It hi
nkt he
empl oyer woul d hav e had di ffi
culty escapi ng an
adv ersef indi ng:consi der ingt hepossi bl eef fectoft his
accidenton a hy pot het i
calempl oyee,a r easonabl e
empl oyerwoul d, It hink, hav er ecogni sedt hepossi bi l
ity
not onl y of acut e depr essi on but al so of such
depr ession cul mi nat i
ng i n a way i n whi ch,i na
significantmi nor ityofcases, itunhappi lydoes. "
219•
hi
m."
'
And perLor d Ll
oyd ofBer wick,atp 189:" The
negl
igentdef
endant.t
akeshisv i
cti
m ashef i
ndshim.
Thesameshoul dapplyinthecaseofpsy chi
atri
c
i
njury
.Thereisnodiff
erenceinpr i
ncipl
ebetweenan
eggshell
skul
landaneggshellpersonali
ty.
"
"PagevSmi th,theref
ore,extendedt heruleasst ated
i
nSmi thvLeechBr ain& CoLt dsoast oi nclude
psy chiat
rici
njury.I
fadut yofcar et oavoidphy sical
i
nj uryi s br
oken and psy chiat
ri
ci njur
yi st hereby
caused,whet herwithorwi thoutanyphy si
cali njury
bei ngcaused,t henegligentdef endantmustaccept
l
iabi l
i
tyf orthepsy chi
atricinjury.Hemustt akehi s
victim as he f i
nds hi m.That t hi
si s so i sa
consequenceoft heHouse'sdeci sioninPagevSmi th.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Dal
l
ingvRJHeal
e&co.Lt
d[2011]EWCACi
v365
Fact s:Theplainti
ffsuffer
edheadi njur
ieswhenhef ellf
rom a
heightwhi l
e athi s place ofempl oyment.As a r esulthe
suf f
eredi mpairedmemor yandl ossofemot i
onalcont r
oland
abili
tyt oplanaheadamongot hers.Heal sotooktoexcessive
drinking.He l ater suff
ered anot her inj
ury when he f el
l
backwar dsabout3y earslater.Inanact i
onfordamages,t he
plainti
f fcl
aimedf ordamagesar i
singf rom bothaccidentson
thegr oundt hatt hefir
stacci denthadi mpair
edhisj udgment
andhi sabili
tytocont rolhisdr i
nki ngandt huswerecausal l
y
l
inkedt othesecondacci dent.
Held:Sincethefi
rstacci
denthadcont
ri
butedt
otheplai
nti
ff'
s
condit
ion which had caused the second acci
dent
,t he
defendantswerel
iabl
e.
Pri
ncipl
e:A per son i
sl i
abl
eforthe consequence ofhi
s
negl
igentacti
fitisj
ust
,fai
randr
easonabl
etosohold.
ChubbFi
reLt
dvVi
carof
Spal
ding[
2010]EWCACi
v981
Facts:
The def endant
s suppl i
ed t he pl aintiff wit
h fir
e
exti
nguisher
swhi chwer epl acedint hechur ch.Thechurch
was unlocked and unattended to.Thr ee boy s enter
ed t
he
churchanddi schar
gedt hecont entintov ari
ouspar t
softhe
church.Thepowder ycont entcausedsubst antialdamageto
vari
ousitemsinthechurch.Thepl ai
ntif
f'
s
221•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
i
nsurersrepai
redthem andsuedt orecovert
hecost.Theyall
eged
thatthedefendant
shadbr eachedt hei
rdutyofcarebyf ai
li
ngto
warnt he pl
aint
if
fs aboutt he consequence ofdischar
ging t
he
content
soft heexti
nguisherandt hatthatbreachhadcausedthe
l
osssuf f
eredbythem.
Held:Si
ncetheplai
nti
ffswouldhaveinstal
l
edt heexti
nguisher
s
evenift
heyhadbeenwar ned,t
hebreachofthedefendants'dut
y
wasnott hecauseofthelosssuf
feredandt hust
hedef endant
s
werenotl
iabl
e.
Pr
inci
ple:Tosucceedi
nanact i
oninnegl
igence,thepl
aint
iffmust
pr
ovethatthedamagewast heresul
toft
hedef endant
'sbreachof
hi
sdutyofcareowedtotheplai
nti
ff.
[47] "I
tseemst o met hatthej udgedi d nott ake
account of Canon Bar ker's clear evidence in cr oss-
ex ami nati
onthati fthechur chhadbeengi venbal anced
adv ice,incl
udingawar ningaboutt hedangerofamess
from t he di
scharge ofa dr ypowderext i
nguisher,t he
chur chwoul dhav et akenf urtherprofessionaladv i
ceon
whi cht ypeofexti
ngui shertoi nstal
linthenewv estryarea.
Ther ewasnof ur
therev i
denceonwhatt hatprofessional
adv icemi ghthav ebeen.Buti tisnot eworthyt hatt he
ex pertsdidnotcriti
ciset heultimatedecisionoft heChubb
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
engi
neertoinstal
ladrypowderexti
nguisherint henew
vest
ryarea,asi scl
earf
rom thejudge'
sr eci
taloft hei
r
evi
denceandthepassageofthei
rrevi
sedjointstatement
quotedat13above.
[
48] "
Inmyv i
ew, i
fthejudgehadpr oper l
yhadinmi nd
CanonBar ker
'sev idencethatifthechur chhadbeengi ven
balancedadv iceont headvantagesanddi sadvant
agesof
thedi f
ferentt
y pesofext i
nguisher,i
ncludingt hewarningin
thet ermst hej udgef oundshoul dhav ebeengi ven,then
thejudgeshoul dhav emadet wof i
ndingswhi chhedidnot.
Fir
st,t hat the chur ch woul d hav e t aken f urt
her
professionaladv ice.Secondl y,thatsuch adv ice would
havebeent hatt hedr ypowdert ypeext inguisherwast he
'
leastwr ong'opt i
on,inthati
twast he
"
222
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
safestandmostcosteffect
ivesol
uti
onwhereel
ectri
calequi
pment
andl ar
geamount sofClassAmat er
ialwer
ePresent'
,asstat
edin
theexperts'j
ointst
atement(asquotedbythej
udgeat11ofhi s
judgment).
81] "
[ Theot
hercr
it
icalf
act
ualdeci
sionf
ort
hej
udge
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
223•
•
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
tsi
nGhana
l
i
e
exti
nguisher )namel ythati twasessentialnott ouse
waterf i
rstift herewasaf i
reintheelectricsareaand
thatper sonnell ikelytouset heext i
nguisherswoul d
havet obet rainedi ntheiruse;thealter
nat i
vesy stem
woul d also be mor e expensivet han a dr ypowder
exti
nguisher( seepar a36oft hejudgment ).Evenift he
j
udgedi dnotposi ti
vel
ymeanwhatIhav edescr i
bed
whenheusedt hephr ase' bal
ancedadv ice',itwoul d
(according tot he exper tev i
dence)hav e been t he
advicewhi chCanonBar kerwouldhav erecei v
edi fhe
hadaskedf orf urtheradvice.
82] "
[ Thi
s bei ng the case the Church did not,i
n my
j
udgmentpr ov ethati nthesecircumstancest hemor e
expensiv
e and t roublesome opt i
on would hav e been
chosen;thej udge'sfindi
ngt hat
,ifther el
evantwarning
hadbeengi v enbyChubbt heChurchwoul dhav etaken
thatcoursecannot ,t
hereforebesupported."
JDvMat
her[
20121EWHC3063
Fact s:Thepl ai
ntif
fv isi
tedt hedef endantGener alPractit
ioner
concer ning a gr owt hin hi s groin.The def endantt ol
dt he
plaintiffthatitwasnot hingt owor r
yabout .Thepl ai
ntif
flater
attendedanot herGener alPr acti
ti
onerwher eitwasf oundt hat
thegr owt hhadact uall
ybeencancer ous.Emer gencysur gery
wasconduct edtor emov eitbuti thadspr eadatt hetimeand
hadr educedhi sl
ifeexpect ancybyt hreeyears.
Hel
d:Since t
he plai
nti
ff
'slif
e expectancy woul
d nothave
r
educedbutforthenegl
igentdiagnosi
sbyt hedef
endant
,she
wasli
abl
eforthel
ossoftheli
feexpectancy.
Pr
incipl
e:Adef endanti
sli
ableforaninjur
ythatr
esul
tsast
he
di
rectconsequenceofhisnegl
igentact
.
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
tsi
nGhana
49."
TheClai
mantisther
efor
eent
it
ledt
ojudgmentf
or
damagest
obeassessed
Net
workRai
lwayInf
rast
ruct
ureLt
dvConar
kenGr
oupLt
d
[
201211All
ER( Comm)692
Facts:The pl ai
nti
ff,owneroft he nati
onalr ail
waynet work,
earneditsr evenuef rom chargi
ngt rai
ncompani esusingi ts
rai
lway li
nes.The pl aint
if
fpaidt he compani es when train
servi
ceswer edisruptedasum permi nut
eofav er
agelat
eness.
Thiswasbecausedel ayswerelikel
yt opreventpeoplef r
om
usingthetrainsandt husthecompaniest ookcompensationf or
that.
•
224
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Held:Sinceitwasreasonabl
yfor
eseeablethatdamagetothe
rai
lwayl i
neswouldcausetheplai
nti
ffslossofrevenue,t
he
defendantswereli
ablebothfort
hecostoft herepai
randthe
compensat i
on.
Pri
nci
ple:Lossofrev
enuecausedbyphysical
damageto
rev
enuegenerat
ingproper
tywasrecov
erablei
fitwasr
easonabl
y
for
eseeable.
PerPi l
lLJatp.711,par .68:"Thel ossescl ai
med
sat
isf yther equir
ementofbei ngadirectconsequence
ofthet ort.Thel iabi
l
ityoftherespondentstopaysums
tot heTOCsi sthedi r
ectconsequenceoft het or
t
whichoccasi onedthedamaget othetracks.Howev er
,
i
thasal sot obeconsi deredwhethertheappel l
antsare
boundbyt heassessmentofdamagesi nthecont r
acts
betweent her espondentsandt heTOCsand,i fnot,
whet her t he damages cl aimed ar e reasonably
for
eseeabl e( seeThewagonMound( No1)[ 1961]1All
ER404, [1961]AC388) .
"
Andatp.713,pars.81— 83:[81]'
Thavecomet othe
conclusi
ont
hatt
heappell
antsshouldbeli
ableforeach
of the heads clai
med,t hatist he soci
etalrate
componentandtheMREcomponent .
225.
.
i
s notpl aced on recover
y by reli
ance on passenger
psychol
ogywithit
sf earsofar epeatoftheindexev ent
.
Thatisenoughtodecidetheissuei
nt hi
scase.
"
[1011" Ithinki tiscl ear ,ther efore,t hatt wot ypesofl oss
flownat urallyfrom anydamaget ot hei nfrastructurethat
renderst het r
acki t
sel funav ai
labl ef oruse:t hecostof
repairandt hel ossofr evenueat tri
but ablet ot helossof
av ai
l
abili
tyoft het racki t
sel f.Bot har ei nmyv i
ew wi thin
thescopeoft hedut yoft hemot orist,ori ndeedany one
else,toexer ci
ser easonabl ecar enott ocausephy sical
damaget ot hei nfrastr ucture.Subj ectt ot hel imitat
ions
i
mposedbyt her ulesr elatingt oremot eness, therefore, al
l
suchl ossi sinpr incipler ecov erablef r
om t heper sonwho
causedt hedamage.Ther ulesconcer ningr emot enessof
damageconf i
net hescopeoft het ortfeasor'sl i
abili
tyt o
that whi ch was r easonabl y f oreseeabl e as t he
consequenceofhi swr ongf ulact :seeOv erseasTankshi p
(UK)Lt d v Mor ts Dock and Engi neer i
ng Co Lt d,The
WagonMound( No1)[ 1961]1Al lER404, [
1961]AC388.
[
102]"
Fort
heser
easonsIam unabl
etoacceptt
hati
npr
inci
ple
•
226
thescopeofNet wor kRai l
'
sr ecov erablel ossshoul dbe
l
imi tedt othecost sofr epairst oi tspr opertyandanyl oss
of r evenue r esul ting f rom i nter r
upt i
on t o i t
s own
passengerorf rei ghtser vi
ces.Net wor k Rai ldoes not
oper aterailser v
icesofanyki nd, butt hatdoesnotpr ovi
de
agoodr easonf orr ender i
ngt hef i
nanci all ossf lowing
from t he i nterr
upt ion ofi ts abi li
tyt o make t he t r
ack
av ai
lablet o ot her si rrecov er able.The f actt hati nt he
presentcaset hel osst ookt hef or m ofal iabili
tyt omake
pay ment sundert het rackaccessagr eement sdoesnot
renderi tirrecov erabl e,si nce l iabili
tydepends onl yon
foreseeabi li
tyoft heki ndofl osssuf feredr athert hant he
manneri nwhi chi twascaused.I nEhml ervHal l[1993]1
EGLR137acardr ivenbyt hedef endantcr ashedi ntoacar
showr oom ownedbyt hepl aint i
ffbutl ettoat hirdpar ty.
The showr oom became unusabl ef orsev eralweeks,
dur i
ngwhi cht het enantceasedt obel iabl
ef orr entunder
anexpr esspr ovisionoft hel ease.Thi scour theldt hatthe
plainti
ffwasent itledt or ecoverdamagesi nt heamountof
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
thel ostrentasf i
nancialAossf l
owi ngf rom t hephy sical
damage t ot he bui ldi
ng.I tdid notmat tert hatt he
defendantmi ghtnothav ef or
eseent hatt hel easewoul d
cont ainacl auseoft hatnat ure,pr ovidedt hathecoul d
foreseef inanciallossofsomeki nd.Ther ei snomat erial
distincti
onbet weent hatcaseandt hepr esent ,thel ossof
revenuet aki
ngt hef orm ofl ossofr entr athert hant he
pay mentofasum i ncompensat ionf ort heunav ail
ability
oft hepr operty .Apply i
ngt heest abl i
shedpr inciplest hat
gov erncausat ionandr emot enessofdamagei nt or t
,itis
diff
iculttoseewhyt hel ossofr evenuer epr esent edbyt he
Sch8pay mentsshoul dnotber ecov er
abl e."
"
(i
)Economi cl osswhi chflowsdirectl
yandf oreseeably
from phy sical damage t o pr opert
y may be
recov
er able.The t hr
esholdtestoff oreseeabil
ity
doesnotr equir
ethetortf
easortohav eanydet ail
ed
knowledgeoft heclaimant'
sbusi nessaf fai
rsor
fi
nancialci rcumstances,so long as the gener al
natur
eoft heclaimant'
slossisforeseeable.
227.
"
(i
i)Oneoftherecogni
sedcategori
esofrecover
able
economicloss i
sl oss ofincome fol
lowing
damagetor ev
enue-
generati
ngproper
ty.
"
(i
ii
)Lossoff ut
urebusinessasar esultofdamage
topropert
yisaheadofdamagewhi chl i
eson
theouterfri
ngeofr ecoverabil
ity
.Whet herthe
clai
mantcanr ecoverforsucheconomi closs
dependsupont heci r
cumst ancesoft hecase
andtherelat
ionshi
pbet weent heparties.
"
(i
v)I
n choosi
ng t
he appr
opr
iat
e measur
e of
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
damages f or t
he purposes of assessing
recover
abl
eeconomi cl
oss,thecourtseeksto
arri
ve atan assessmentwhi ch i
sf ai
rand
reasonabl
easbet weentheclaimantandt he
defendant
."
NOVUSACTUSI
NTERVENI
ENS
Br
andonvOsbor
ne[
1924]1KB548
Facts: The plaint
iff
s, husband and wi fe, wer e in t he
defendant'
sshopwhenasky li
ghtfr
om therooff ellandstruck
thehusband,causinghim severeshock.Thewi f
er easonably
beli
evingthatherhusbandwasi ndanger,tr
iedinst i
ncti
vel
yt o
pullhimf rom t
hespotandi ntheprocess,st r
ainedherl eg.
Held:Sincetheactionofthewi f
ewasanat uralandpr obable
consequenceoft hedefendant
'snegl
igence,therewasnonew
i
nterveningact.
Pri
ncipl
e:Wher ethe new acti s a nat
uraland probabl
e
consequence ofthe ori
ginalnegl
igentact,the chai
n of
causati
onisnotbr
oken.
PerSwi f
tJatp.555:" Without,howev er
,det ermi ning
thesequest ions,itseemst omet hatwher eaper son
sust ainsi nj
uryt hr
oughacombi nat i
onofact s,some
donebyt hedef endant sandsomebyhi msel f,i
tisf or
thej ur yt osay ,hav ingregardt ot hewhol eoft he
circumst ances,whet her(1.)thei njuryist henat ur al
and pr obableconsequenceoft hedef endant s'act ,
and ( 2.)whet hert he plaintif
fhas been gui lt
y of
cont ri
but orynegl i
gence.I fi nthiscaset hef emal e
plaintiffhadbeenst andinginapl aceofper f
ectsaf ety,
andsaw,asshesay sshedi d(althoughi nt hisIt hink
sheexagger ated),the' gl
assr ainingdownuponher
husband' ,andhadt imet othinkwhatwast hewi sest
thingt odo,i tmi ghtpossi blybesai dt hatshewas
guiltyofnegl igencebygoi ngi ntot hedanger ;but ,
hav i
ng r egardt ot he pl ace she was i n and t he
fri
ght ening nat ure of t he acci dent ( f
or i t was
undoubt edlyfri
ghteningev enforpeopl eofst eady
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
.
228
nerv
es and st rong legs),I t hi
nk t hat acti
ng
i
nsti
nctiv
elyasshedi dinclut
chingherhusband'sarm
andtryi
ngt odraghim outofdanger ,shedidnothi
ng
wrong orany thi
ng thatcan be called cont
ri
butory
negl
igence.Itheref
orefindinfavouroftheplaint
iff
s,
andIassesst hedamagespay abl
etot hehusbandat
35/andthosepay abletothewifeat251."
JonesvBoy
ce[
1814-1823]Al
lERRep570
Fact
s:Theplaint
if
fwasapassengeri nacoachwhent he
coupli
ngrei
nbrokeoffandt hedri
verveeredofftheroadsoas
tostopitbyhi
tti
ngapost .Itappear
edt heplai
ntif
fseeingt
he
dangerhewasexposedt ojumpedof fthecoachandbr okehi
s
l
eg.Hesued.
Hel
d:Sincethepl ainti
ffhadactedreasonabl
ytoprotecthi
s
own l
if
e,t he chain ofcausat
ion was notbroken and t
he
def
endantswer el
iable.
Principl
e:Ifasar esultofthenegli
gentactofadef endant
,a
plainti
ffactsr easonablyto prot
ecthi mself
,the chain of
causat i
onisnotbrokenandt hedefendantwil
lbeli
ablefort
he
i
njur i
esthatresul
tfrom suchactoftheplai
nti
ff
.
PerLor dEl l
enboroughCJatp.571:" Toenabl et he
plainti
fftosust ai
nt heact i
oni tisnotnecessar ythathe
shoul dhavebeent hr
ownof fthecoach;i tissuf fi
cient
i
fhewer eplacedbyt hemi sconductoft hedef endant
i
n such a si t
uation as obl iged him t o adoptt he
alternati
veofadanger ousl eap,ortor emai natcer tain
per i
l.I
fthatposi t
ionwer eoccasi onedbyt hedef aul
tof
thedef endant ,theact ionmaybesuppor t
ed.Ont he
otherhand,i fthepl ai
nt i
ff'
sactr esultedf r
om ar ash
appr ehensionofdangerwhi chdi dnotexi st,andt he
i
njur y which he sust ained i st o be at tr
ibuted t o
rashnessandi mpr udence, hei snotent it
ledtor ecov er
.
The quest ion is whet herhe was pl aced in such a
situati
onast or enderwhathedi dapr udentpr ecaution,
forthepur poseofsel f-preser v
at i
on.
..
.
"
Ther
efor
e,i
tisf
ory
ourconsi
der
ati
on whet
hert
he
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
plainti
f f
's actwas t he measur e ofan unr easonabl y
alarmedmi nd,orsuchasar easonabl eandpr udent
mi ndwoul dhav eadopt ed.IfIplaceamani nsucha
situationt hathemustadoptaper i
lousalternativ
e, Iam
responsi blef ort he consequences.I f
,t herefore,y ou
shoul dbeofopi niont hatther ei
nswer edef ective,did
thisci rcumst ancecr eat eanecessi t
yf orwhathedi d,
and di d he use pr opercaut ion and pr udence i n
extricatinghimsel ffrom t heappar entl
yimpendi ngper i
l.
Ify ouar eoft hatopi nion,then,sincet heor i
ginalf ault
wasi nt hepr opri
etor,hei sliabl
et ot heplainti
fffort he
i
njur ywhi chhi smi sconducthasoccasi oned.Thi si sthe
fi
rstcaseoft hekindwhi chIrecoll
ectt ohav e
229•
occurred.A coachpr opri
etorcer
tai
nlyisnott obe
responsibl
ef ortherashnessand imprudenceofa
passenger;it must appear that ther
e exist
ed a
reasonablecauseforalar
m."
AduvGl
i
kst
ein[
196112GLR662
Facts:Thepl ainti
ff'
scarwasdamagedbyt hedef endant sina
l
or r
yacci dentcaused byt he defendant's negl igence.The
plai
ntif
f'sservantwhowasdr ivingthecaratt het i
mel ef
tit
andwhenher eturnedt henextdaywi tht hepl aintiff,cert
ain
parts of t he car had been st olen whi ch r ender ed it
uneconomi calt orepair.Theplai nt
if
fsuedf orthev alueoft he
carbeforetheacci dent .Thedef endantarguedt hatt heact sof
thethieveshadbr okent hechai nofcausat i
onandt hatthey
werenotl i
ablef ort hat
.Inev i
dence, t
heplai nti
ff'
sser vantsaid
thathehadl eftthecarunat tendedt obecausehewasso
perplexedbyt heacci dentthathel ef
ttoinfor m hismast er.
Held:Si ncetheactofthepl
ainti
ff
'sservantwhi
chr esul
tedin
thethef thadbeencausedbyt hedefendant'
snegli
gence,the
actsoft hethi
evesdi
dnotbreakt hechai nofcausati
onand
thedef endantswereli
abl
eforthev al
ueoft hecarbeforethe
accident .
Pr
inci
ple:Thechai
nofcausati
onisnotbrokenifthenew
i
nter
veningactwasther
esul
toftheor
igi
nalnegl
i
gentactof
t
hedefendant.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
PerApal ooJatpp.663and664: "Thepl ai ntif
fseekst o
recov erf r
om t hedef endant st hev alueoft hel orry
whi chhesai dwasLG1, 150.Al thought hedef endant s
did not r aise t he poi nt , I hav e my self gi ven
consi derat i
ont ot hequest ionwhet hert hedef endant s
arel i
ableonl yf ort heact ualdamaget ot hel orr yor
also f ort heconsequent iall ossduet ot het hef tof
partsoft hel or r
y .Thepl aint iff'
sdr i
verdi dnotl eav e
any one t o at tend t ot he l or ryand i n a sense t he
defendant sar enott obl amef ort het hef toft hepar ts.I
hav e,howev er, comet ot heconcl usiont hatIoughtnot
tohol dt hatanypr incipl eofact usnov usi nter veniens
broke t he chai n of causat i
on and absol ved t he
defendant sf rom r esponsi bilit
yf ort he t heftoft he
parts.Accor dingt oFof ie,t hepl aintiff'
sdr iver,theonl y
personshehadont hel or ryatt het imewer ehi smat e
andapassengerwhoownedt hegoodsi nt hel orr y
.
Bot hwer eappar ent lyi nt hel or ryatt het imeoft he
acci dent.Theev i
dencei st hatbot hsuf feredi njuries
andwer er ushedt ot hehospi tal.Fof i
ewasal oneand
thepr udentt hi ngt odoi nt heci rcumst anceswast o
arrangef orsomeonei nt hev i
llagewher et heacci dent
occur redt okeepaney eont hel or ry.ButFof iesai d:'I
wasper plexedatt hesi ghtoft heacci dentandr ushed
toi nformt hel orryowner .'Iam sat isfiedhewasi na
real dil
emmaandt ookacour se, whi cht ur nedoutt obe
l
esst hanpr udent .Buti nmyj udgment ,thedef endant s
byt heirnegl igenceputhi mi nt hisdi lemmaandhe
tookacour set hatwasnotunr easonabl e.Ir eacht he
concl usiont hatt hedef endant sar el iabl enotonl yf or
the act ualdamage t ot he l orry butf ort he l oss
sust ainedbyt hepl aintiffbyt het hef toft hepar tsas
wel l
.I not herwor ds,t hepl ai ntiffi sent itl
edt or ecov er
from t hedef endant st hewhol epr e-acci dentv alueof
hislor ry.
"
CorrvIBC(supr
a)
Factsandholdi
ng:
(supr
a)
Pri
ncipl
e:Wher ethe new acti s a di
rectresul
tof the
consequenceofthedef endant
'
stort
iousact,thechai
n of
causati
onisnotbr
oken.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
PerLor dBi ngham ofCor nhillatpp.903and904, pars.
15and16:15' Ther ati
onal eoft hepr incipl et hata
nov nsact usi nter veni ensbr eakst hechai nofcausat i
on
i
sf airness.I ti snotf airtohol dat or tfeasorl iable,
howev ergr osshi sbr eachofdut ymaybe,f ordamage
causedt ot hecl aimantnotbyt het ortfeasor '
sbr each
ofdut ybutbysomei ndependent ,super veni ngcause
(whi ch mayormaynotbet orti
ous)f orwhi ch the
tortfeasori snotr esponsi ble.Thi si snott hel essso
wher et he i ndependent ,super vening cause i sa
volunt ary,infor meddeci siont akenbyt hev ictim asan
adul tofsoundmi ndmaki ngandgi vi
ngef f ectt oa
personaldeci sion about hi s own f uture.Thus I
respect fullyt hi nkt hatt heBr itishCol umbi aCour tof
Appeal( McEacher nCJBC,LeggandHol li
nr akeJJA)
wer er ightt ohol dt hatt hesui cideofar oadacci dent
victi
m wasanov usact usi nt hel ightofi tsconcl usion
thatwhen t he v i
ct im t ook herl ife' she made a
consci ous deci sion,t her e bei ng no ev idence of
disablingment ali ll
nesst ol eadt ot heconcl usi ont hat
shehadani ncapaci tyi nherf acul tyofv oli
tion' :Wr i
ght
Estat evDav idson( 1992)88DLR( 4th)698,705.I n
suchci rcumst ancesi tisusualt odescr ibet hechai nof
causat i
on bei ng br oken buti ti s per haps equal ly
accur atet o say t hatt he v ictim'si ndependentact
formsnopar tofachai nofcausat i
onbegi nni ngwi th
thet ortfeasor 'sbr eachofdut y.
231•
•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
M'
Naght
ent
erms,
insane.
"
ChubbFi
reLtdvVicarof
Spal
ding[
20101EWCACi
v
981Fact
s:(
supra)
Hel
d:Theactofthevandalsconst
it
utedanewi
nter
veni
ngact
t
hatbr
okethechainofcausat
ion.
Pr
inci
ple:
Anewi
nter
veni
ngactbr
eakst
hechai
nofcausat
ioni
f:
PerAikensLJat63:'
ff
nmyv i
ewiti
scleart
hatbot
hLor
dRodger
[
inSimmonsvBl i
ti
shSteel
p/c([
2004]UKHL20]
•
232
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
andLor dBi ngham [ inCor rvI BC]wer enotconf ini
ngt heir
remar ksabout' newi nterveningcause' tocaseswher ethenew
i
nt erv
eni ngacti st hatoft heor iginalvictim, asopposedt othat
ofat hirdpar ty.Thei rstatement sofpr i
nci plemustcov ercases
wher et he' new inter veningact 'ist hatofat hirdpar tyand,I
woul dsuggest ,alsowher eitisanactofnat ur
e.Fur ther,i
nmy
viewi talsodoesnotmat terwhet hery our egardt hedoct ri
neof
'
new i ntervening act 'as par toft he l aw of' causation'Of
'
remot eness ofdamage' .The doct r
ine of" new i ntervening
cause"i susedbyt hecour t
sasoneofanumberofmeansby
whi cht odeci dewhet heraDef endant ,whosebr eachofadut y
ofcar et oaCl ai
manthasbeenest ablished, willber esponsible
forcer tainconsequencesoft hatnegl i
genceandt hedamages
thatar ecl aimedt of low from t hoseconsequences.I nRober t
ElicSpencer vWi ncant onHol dingsLt d, ([
2009]EWCACi v1404:
see29)Idubbedt hosemeans' exclusionar yrules'.Itisalla
par tofwhatLor dHof fmannhassai d,ext ra-j
udiciall
y,ist he
l
aw' smet hodofat tri
butingl egalr esponsi bil
it
yf ort hi
ngst hat
happen.( Seehi sar t
icle:'Causat ion'in( 2005)121LQR592. )
233•
thekit
chenet
te,butthatwasappar entl
yneverconsider
ed,
evenwhentheywerebeingconsi
der
edf orot
herext
ingui
shers
(37oft
hejudgment)
.
[69] "
Ont hesecondi ssue,i tiscleart hatt hev andals'
actswer edel i
berate,unr easonableandcr i
mi nal.Mor eover,
givent hehi storyofi nci
dent sofext inguisher
sbei ngletoffin
thechur chbet ween1999and2006,wi thnohi storyofthis
extinguisher( ortheot heronei nt heki t
chenette)bei ngletoff,
the act ions oft hese v andals can be r egar ded as bot h
unpr edictableandext r
eme.Fur t
her ,themet hodofdi scharge
oft heext inguisherinthebodyoft hechur chont hisoccasion
was obv iously calculated t o cause maxi mum damage,
somet hingwhi chwas i tselfunpredictableandext reme.
[
70] "
Asf orthet hir
di ssue,whet hert hei nter venti
onwas
foreseeable,t hej udgef oundt hatmal i
ciousdi schar gewas
foreseeablei n 1999.Howev er,as at1999 t her e was no
evidenceofpr evi
ousi ncident sofv andal ism i nt hischur ch.
Therei snof indingthat ,asat1999, v
andal ism bydi schargeof
fi
reext i
nguisher sinthi schur chwaspr obabl e, orl i
kely,orthat
therewasapr obabi l
i
t yofext ensi
v edamaget ot hechur chby
thedi schargeofext ingui shersgener allyort hedi schargeof
thisextinguisher,placedasi twasi nt heki tchenet te.Therei s
onlyt hemor et entativef indingt hatift heext inguisherwas
discharged,subst antialdamagewasar ealpossi bili
ty.
[
71] "
Ont hef ourthissue— whet hert heconductoft he
thi
rdpar tywaswhol l
yi ndependentoft heDef endantordi dthe
Defendantowet heCl aimantanyr esponsi bil
ityfortheconduct
ofthei nterveni
ngpar ty—MrEkl undconcededt hatChubbwas
undernodut yposi t
ivelytopr eventtheact i
onsoft hev andals.
Iti
scl eart hatChubbowednoot herrelevantdut yt
hant heone
foundbyt hejudge.Theact ionsoft hev andalswer ewhol ly
i
ndependentofChubb, whichhadnocont rolov erthem norany
responsi bil
it
yfort hem.
[
72] "
MrEkl und ar gued t hatChubb was,t o useLor d
Gof f'
sphr aseinSmi thvLi ttl
ewoods( [
1987]AC241at272D-
H.),the' sourceoft hedanger 'andsowasr esponsi bl
ef orthe
actionsoft hev andal s.Ido notacceptt hisanal y
sis.The
extinguishercannotbecal leda' sourceofdanger '.Thej udge
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
f
ound,
ont
he
"
234
basi soft heexpertev idence,t hati twasr easonabl eto
i
nst alladrypowderext i
nguisheri nt hekit
chenet t
e.The
i
nst all
ati
onoft hattypeofext inguisherbyChubbdi dnot
i
nv olveanybreachofdut ybyi tbecausei twasr easonable
toi nstal
lthattype.Mor eover,althought hej udgef ound
thatmal i
ciousdischargewasf oreseeablein1999,hedi d
notf i
nd( i
ncontrasttot hetestexpoundedbyLor dGof fin
Smi th v Litt
lewoods) ( i
bid at 273F- G) that it was
reasonablyf oreseeablei n 1999 t hat vandals woul d
trespassintothechur ch,interfer
ewi ththeex ti
nguisherin
theki t
chenett
eandt herebycausedamaget othechur ch.
[
73]" Looki ngov erall atthef ouri ssues, asi dentifiedbyCl erk
& Li ndse/ /,and doi ng so wi t
ht he r ational ef ort he
doct ri
neof' new i nt erveni
ng act 'inmi nd,Iaskmy self
whet heri tisf ai
rt ohol dChubbl iablef ort hedamage
causedt hei ndependentact soft hev andal s?I nmyv iew
theansweri st hati ti snot .Theat tackhappenedsev en
year saf tert hebr eachofdut y.Itwast hedel i
ber ateand
cri
mi nalact of per sons f or whom Chubb had no
responsi bilit
y . Al though mal i
cious di schar ge was
foreseeabl ein1999,noonet houghtt hent hatt herewas
anydegr eeofl i
kelihoodt hatt hecombi nat i
onofev ent s
thatdi doccuron1Sept ember( 2006)woul d,inf actdoso.
Thatcombi nationofev entsi s:t hatv andal swoul dent er
thechur chi nt heshor tspacewheni twasunat tendedand
unlockeddur ingt heday ; t
hatt heywoul dmaket heirwayt o
the ki t
chenet te; t hat t hey woul d t ake down t he
extinguisherandt hent akei ti ntot hebodyoft hechur ch
anddi schar gei tinamannert hatwasdesi gnedt ocause
themaxi mum amountofdamage.Thatcombi nat i
onwas,
atitshi ghest , amer epossi bil
ity.So, Iwoul dconcl udethat
thei nterv eningconductoft hev andal swassuchast o
rendert heor iginalbr eachofdut ybyChubbmer elyapar t
oft hehi st oryofev ent s,sot hatChubbi snotr esponsi ble
forthedamagecausedbyt hev andal s."
Smi
thvYout
hJust
iceBoar
dforEngl
andandWal
es[
20101
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
EWCA
Ci
v99
Facts:The pl aintif
fwas empl oyed as a custodyof fi
cerin an
i
nstituti
onforv ulnerabl
echi l
drenser vingcustodi
alsentences.One
oft he restr
aintmet hods appr oved byt he defendantwas t he
'
seateddoubl eembr ace'(SDE) .Thepl ai
nti
ffandsomecol l
eagues
appliedthismet hodt oa15y earol dboywhoev entual
lydiedasa
resultofsuffocationandi nhalationofv omit
.Thepl ai
nti
ffsuffer
ed
post-tr
aumat i
cst ressdisorderasar esul
t
235•
•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
andwasunabl etoconti
nuewor k.Shesuedt hedefendants.The
cour
tfoundt hatat i
meousr eview oft hatmethodbyexper t
s
wouldhav
eledt oi
tsabandonment .I
talsofoundt
hatalthoughthe
methodwasanappr ovedone,theplainti
ffhadappli
edi twrongl
y
andhadr ef
usedt oreleasetheboywhenheshowedobv i
ous
si
gnsofdist
ress.
Pri
ncipl
e:Causat
ionisaquest
ionoffai
rnessandthusapl
aint
if
f
shouldnotsucceedi fiti
snotfai
rt oholdhim li
abl
eforthe
consequenceofhisact
.
[32] "Factualcausali
ty,itfoll
ows,isthefi
rstbutnot
theonlystep.Appl yi
ngithere,t her
eisnodoubtt hatbut
fort
hesanct i
oningbyt heHomeOf f
iceofSDEasameans
ofrestr
aini
ngy oungof f
enders,noneoft hiswoul dhave
happened.Butt hesecondst epist oasktowhatpoi ntt
he
stat
eoughti nfairnesstober egardedasresponsibl
e,and
soheldli
ablefort hesequenceofconsequences.
f
air
lyr
egardedassuper
v eni
ngcausesofthet
raumawhich
t
heAppell
anthersel
feventual
l
ysuffer
ed?Inmyjudgment
t
helat
teri
sthecase.
[
34] "
Fir
st,t
heunnecessar
yuseofSDEonGar
eth,i
n
breach
ofrule,madei tanassaultwhichinl
aw hewasenti
tl
edto
resi
standi nwhicht
heAppellant,
whoknewhowithadcome
about,becameaparti
cipant
.
[35] "
Secondl yandsepar atel
y ,thesi gnst hati twas
necessar yt or eleaset het hreeof f
icer s'hol donhi m wer e
i
nmyj udgmentcl earandwer ei gnor ed.It akef ullaccount
i
nt hi sr egar dofMrMat thewson' ssubmi ssiont hatt here
wasnogoodr easont oappr eci atethi satt het ime: itwasa
commonf allacyt hati fat raineecoul dsay' Ican' tbr eat he'
he musti nf actbe abl et o br eat he;i twas per fectl
y
possi blet hatat raineewoul dnotonl ythreat ent osoi l
himsel fbutwoul dact uallydosoi nor dert ogetr eleased;
byt het imesomev omi tescaped,hi sl ungswoul dal ready
hav ebeenf i
ll
edwi thi t
;andsl umpi ngi ner tcoul dwel lhave
beenanot hersubt erfuge.I ft heof f i
cer shadbeendeal ing
withal argeandv iolenty outhwhoser elease, i
fhewasnot
i
nt ruthi ndi str
ess, mighthav eenabl edhi mt oat tackt hem,
onecoul datl easthav eunder stoodt heirr eluct ancet o
rel
easehi m.Butt hiswasanunder sized,under wei ght15-
year -
oldwhohaddonenomor ethanshow hi sf istt oan
offi
cert wicehi ssi ze anof fi
cerwho,mor eov er,had
prov okedhi mi ntodoi ngi tbyapoi ntlessandi nsensi ti
ve
act.Whenoner ecal l
st hecl earadv i
cei nt hemanualt o
rel
easet hehol di fitbecameunsaf ef ort het rai nee,t he
repeat edi gnor ingormi sreadi ngofhi ssi gnsofdi stress
becomesi nexcusabl e.Ast heAppel lanther selfsai di n
evidence,f ort hosesev enmi nutescommonsensewent
outoft hewi ndow.Ther ewer eper f ectl
ysaf eway sof
cont roll
ingGar eth, assumi ngt hatcont r olwasst illneeded,
whi chdi dnoti nv olv eSDE.
enabledt hetr
agedytooccur,itsact
ualoccur
rencewas
the responsi
bil
it
y ofthe Appell
anthersel
f,al
beitwi
th
others.Itwouldberi
ghtl
yregardedasunjusti
fshewere
torecoverdamagesforit
seffectonher
."
237•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
ReevesvCommi ssionerofPol
iceoft heMet ropolis[
200011AC360
Facts:Thedeceased,ar emandpr isoner,washel dinthedefendants'
pri
son.Thedef endant swerealer
tedt hathewasatr i
skofcommi t
ti
ng
sui
cide.Thef l
apoft hecellwasnegl igent
lyleftopenbyaser vantof
thedefendantsand,t akingadvantageoft hatsi t
uati
on,thedeceased
ti
edhi sshirtthroughaspyhol eandcommi tt
edsuicidebyhangi ng.
Theadmi nistr
atorsofhi sest
atesuedandt hedef endantspleaded,
amongot hers,thedefenceofactusnov usi
nterveni
ens.
Held:Si
ncet hesuici
dewast hever yactt
hedefendantswereundera
dut
yt oprevent,thedeceasedperson'sactofcommi t
ti
ngthesuici
de
hadnotbrokent hechai
nofcausation.
Pri
nciple:Whereadefendantunderadutyt
oguardagainstaspeci
fi
c
actbr eaches t
hatduty,itis no def
ence t
hatthe acthas been
del
iberatel
ydonebytheplai
nti
ff
.
PerLor dJaunceyofTul li
chet t
leatpp.374and375:" Itgoesont o
stat ethatt henov usact usi nterv eniens' mustconst ituteanev entof
such i mpactt hati tr ight l
y obl iterates t he wr ongdoi ng oft he
def endant'.Ther efer encet oani ndependentactsuper sedi ngt he
effectoft het ortiousconductmust ,inmyv i
ew,r elat et oanact
whi chwasoutwi tht hecont empl atedscopeofev ent st owhi cht he
dut yofcar ewasdi rect ed.Wher esuchadut yisspeci ficallydirected
att hepr ev ent ionoft heoccur renceofacer t
ainev entIcannotsee
howi tcanbesai dt hatt heoccur renceoft hatev entamount st oan
i
ndependentactbr eaki ngt hechai nofcausat ionf rom t hebr eachof
dut y,evenal thoughi tmaybeunusualf oroneper sont ocomeunder
adut yt o pr ev entanot herper sondel i
beratelyi nflictinghar m on
himsel f.Iti st hev er yt hingatwhi cht hedut ywasdi rected:see
Stansbi evTr oman[ 1948]2K. B.48,TuckerL. J.atpp.51- 52.I n
Kirkham v .Chi efConst ableoft heGr eaterManchest erPol i
ce[ 1990]
2Q. B283,295CFar quhar sonL. J.r ejectedt hedef enceofv olenti
nonf i
tinjur i
aas' i
nappr opriatewher et heactoft hedeceasedr eli
ed
oni sthev eryactwhi cht hedut ycastupont hedef endantr equi r
ed
him t o pr ev ent '
.Theseobser v ationsar eequal l
yapposi tet ot he
def enceofnov usact usi nterveni ensi nthepr esentcase.I nPal li
ster
vWai katoHospi talBoar d[ 1975]2N. Z.L.R.725WoodhouseJ.i na
dissent i
ngj udgment ,atp.742,putt hemat termostsucci nctl
y :The
concept of a nov us act us i nt erveniens does not embr ace
foreseeabl eact sinr espectofwhi cht hedutyofcar ehasspeci fi
cally
arisen.'Itf ollowst hatt heobser v ationsofLl oydL. J.i nKi rkham v
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
ChiefConstable ofthe Gr
eat
erManchesterPol
ice,atp.290B,
cannotappl
yt oacasei nwhicht
her
eexi stsadutyofcar
eona
custodi
ert
opr eventa
manwi
thknownsui
cidal
tendenci
esf
rom commi
tt
ingsui
cide.
ELECTI
ONS
EkowvEnechukwu14WACA512
YeboahvYamak[
1962]1GLR120
Pr
inci
ple:Wher
etheactoft
hepl
aint
if
fisanecessar
yconsequenceof
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
t
hedef
endant
'sact
,thechai
nofcausat
ioni
snotbr
oken.
239•
fr
om whichtheycome,av isi
tintheseci rcumstancestot he
nati
vedoctorisunnecessary.Dr.Evans-Anfom admi t
tedthat
al
thoughhewoul dnothaveadv i
sedav isi
ttothenativedoctor,
heknew thatincasesofbonei njurynativesalmostalway s
consul
tedthenati
vedoctor.Iknowt hattheyperfor
m wonder s
i
nboneheal ing.Intheresult
,therefor
e,Iwoul dallow these
cl
aims,andal sothetotalofLG498s.i nr espectofspeci al
damages."
Adj
eivYeboah[
1962]1GLR495
Facts:The pl ai
nti
ff,while a passengeri nt he defendant'svehicl
e
sufferedinjuri
eswhent hev ehi
clecol
lidedwithastati
oner yvehi
cle.He
wasi nhospi t
alfort womont hsbutaf terthatheconsul tedanat iv
e
doctorf ornat iv
et reat
mentf oraf urthersevenmont hs.Duri
ngt he
whol eperiod,heempl oyedt heservicesofaconduct ortocar r
yhi m
aroundashecoul dnotwal k.Inanactionfordamagesar i
singfr
om the
defendants' negli
gence,hecl ai
medaspar tofthespecialdamages, t
he
expensesont henativetreatmentandt hewagest otheconduct orhe
empl oyed.
Held:Si
ncet henati
vetr
eat
mentandthewagesfort
heconductorwer
e
necessary expenses r
equi
red by hi
s speci
alsi
tuat
ion,they ar
e
recover
able.
unreasonabl e.Iwi l
lacceptthatamountast hef eespaidbyt he
plaint
iffwhenhewasadmi ttedattheTamal ehospi t
alforthetwo
mont hs.Agai nIwi l
lacceptt heLG12asr easonableexpenses
i
ncur redfort henativedoctor'
streat
mentwhi ch,accordingtothe
defendant, l
ast edaboutsevenmont hs.Iam sur ethatduringthi
s
ti
met hepl aintif
fspentmuchmoneybuy ingt hev ari
oust hi
ngs
withwhi cht hemedi cinewasmadef orhiscur e.Thatbr i
ngsthe
totalspecialdamagest oLG4666s. "
Damal
i
evKwadzi
[197411GLR161
Facts:Theplainti
ffwasapassengeri nthedef endants'vehiclewhi ch
hadwor noutty r
es.Thedr iverdrov ethev ehicleatanexcessi v
espeed
suchthatthetyrebur standthepl aint
iffsustainedser i
ousinjuriessuch
thathewasper manent l
ydi sabled.Inanact ionfornegl igence,t he
defendantarguedt hattheacci denthadnotbeenf oreseenandt hatit
wasi nevi
tabl
e.Hel d:Sincear easonabl emani ntheposi t
ionoft he
defendantwoul dhav eforeseent her i
skoft heacci dent,thefactt hat
thedefendantsthemsel ves
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
hadnotf
oreseeni
twasnoexcuse.
Princi
ple:A def
endantisli
abl
eift
her i
skoft hei
njur
ywas
reasonablyf
oreseeabl
eundert
heci
rcumstances.
241•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Quar
coovAppi
ah[
1972]2GLR30
Facts:Thepl ainti
ffwasknockeddownbyacardr ivenbyt he
defendantandwasr ushedt ohospital
.Howev er,t
hehospi tal
couldnotper form asur geryonhi m owingtotheshor tageof
bl
ood att he bl ood bank,leading t
o an aggravati
on oft he
pl
ainti
ff'
scondi ti
on.Atthet ri
alfordamagesinnegl i
gence,the
defendantarguedt hattheshor t
ageofbloodatt hebloodbank
wasnotr easonabl yf
oreseeableandt husthedefendantshould
notbeheldliableforthef ul
ldamagesuf f
eredbythepl ai
nti
ff
.
Held:Thedamagesuf f
ered bythepl
ainti
ffwasreasonabl
y
for
eseeabl
eandthusthedefendanti
sli
ablefort
hef
ulldamage
suff
eredbythepl
aint
if
f.
Pri
nci
ple:Foracti
onsinnegli
gence,solongassomedamage
wasreasonablyfor
eseeabl
e,thedefendantisli
ablefort
heful
l
damagesuf f
eredbytheplai
nti
ffevenifthatpar
ticul
ardamage
wasnotforeseeabl
e.
McKewvHoll
andandHannenandCubi
tt
s(Scot
land)Lt
d[1969]
3Al
lER1621
•
261
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Facts:Thepl ai
ntif
f,whi l
eint heempl oymentoft hedef endant,sustai
ned
i
njuriesowi ngtot henegl i
genceoft hedefendant.Thiscausedhi mt olose
controlofhi sleftleg,onoccasi onsmaki nghimf all
.Theev i
denceshowed
thatthepl ai
ntif
fwoul dhav erecov eredi naweekbutf orasecondacci dent.
Thesecondacci dentoccur r
edwhenhel ostcont r
olofhi sl egwhi le
descendingast air
casewi t
houtar ail
.Inordertoprev enthimselffr
om
fal
li
ngdownt hest ai
rsandi njuringhisdaughter,hepushedt hedaught er
awayandj umpedof fthest airs.Hel andedsobadl yt hathesust ai
ned
severeinj
uries.
•
262
CaseBri
efs:Ti
e
LawofTortsin
Ghana
243•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
"ButIt hinkitri
ghtt osayawor daboutt heargument
thatthef actthattheappel l
antmadet ojumpwhenhe
fel
thimsel ffall
i
ngi sconclusiveagai
nsthim.Whenhi s
l
eg gav e wayt he appellantwas inav erydiffi
cul
t
sit
uation.Hehadt odecidewhatt odoinaf racti
onofa
second.Hemayhav ecomet oawr ongdeci sion;he
probablydi d.Buti fthechai nofcausat ionhadnot
beenbr okenbef orethisbyhi sputt
inghi mselfina
posit
ion wher e he mi ght be confronted wi th an
emergency ,Idonott hinkthathewouldputhi mselfout
ofcour tbyact i
ngwr onglyintheemergencyunl esshis
acti
onwassout terl
yunr easonabl
ethatev enont he
•
266
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
•
267
Theappel l
antwasst i
llconvalescentf rom hi sf i
rstaccident
whent hesecondacci dentoccur r
ed.Hewasl i
mpi ng.Hehad
theexperienceofhi sleggi vi
ngway .Yethechosewi thout
assi
stance,wi thouthangingont ot hewal l,t
ocommencet o
descendthosest eepstair
sholdinghi sy oungdaught erbyt he
hand.LiketheLor dJust i
ce-Cl
erkIcoul dnotchar acteri
sesuch
conductasot herthanunr easonablei nt hecir
cumst ances.If
thi
sbeso,t hent hechainofcausat ionbet weent hef ir
stand
secondaccidenti sbrokenandt heappel lantmustf ail
."
Rousevsqui
res[
1973]QB889
Fact s:Thet hi
rdpar t
y '
sv ehicleski ddedi nt
oaposi t
ionblocki
ngt woof
thet hreelanesoft hemot orway .Anot hervehi
clecolli
dedwi ththis
vehi cleandstoppedi nt hemi ddleoft heway .Athir
dv ehi
cleparkedon
thewayt ogi v
et hem l ight.Thedef endant,whowasdr iv
ingint hat
direction,came t ot he v ehi cl
es and,wi thoutreal
isi
ng they wer e
stat i
onary,drovei ntot hem such t hatt he par
ked carwas pushed
forwar d,knocking and ki lli
ng t he deceased.The pl ai
nti
ffsued t he
def endantwho compr omi sed t he act i
on and broughtt hi
rd par t
y
proceedi ngsagainstt het hirdpar tyf orcontri
buti
on.Thet hi
rdpar t
y
argued t hathisnegl igencewasnott hecauseoft hedeat h oft he
deceased.
Held:Alt
houghthei mmediatecauseofthedeat hwast hedefendant
's
negli
gentdri
vi
ng,sincethathadresul
tedfrom t
hethi
rdparty
'snegli
gent
parki
ngont heroad,hisnegli
gencecontr
ibutedtocausethedeathand
hewast husli
abl
e.
Pri
nci
ple:Whereasubsequentnegli
gentactwasreasonabl
ycausedby
anorigi
nalnegl
igentact
,thetor
tfeasoroftheor
igi
nalnegl
igentacti
s
l
iabl
e.
Andatp.896:"Mr.St
uartSmi
th,f
ort
hethi
rdpar
ti
es,cont
ends
t
hatthejack-
knif
edlorr
yceasedtoconst
it
uteadangeronce
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
tsi
nGhana
theothert wovehicl
es,themot orcarandMr .Frankl
i
n'sl orry
,
tookup t hei
rpositi
ons.Thej udge,inmyv i
ew,appl i
ed t he
wrongt estwhenhef oundthatthesceneoft heobst ruction
wasadequat elyli
ghtedtowar nanydr i
vercomingal ongand
keepi
ngapr operlookout.I
fonet akesaccount
,asIconsi der
onemust ,
245"
oft hedr i
verwho,whi lenotdel i
ber atelydr i
ving agai nstan
obstruct i
on,nordr ivi
ngr ecklessl
ywi thoutr egardt opossi ble
danger s,isdrivingatanexcessi vespeedandnotobser vingor
notint er
preti
ngcor rect
lyli
ght sahead, Ifindi timpossi bl
et osay
thatt het hi
rdpar t
yl orr
ydi dnotcont inuet obeadanger .I ts
dangerwasduet oi t
sbei ngi naposi t
ionwher ei tcausedan
ex t
ensi v
eobst ruction,li
ghtedi nawaywhi chwoul dnotmakei t
cleart oappr oachingt r
affi
cwhatt henat ureorext entoft he
obstruct i
onwas;andi tmustbet akeni ntoaccountt hatt he
roadwasf rosty ,sot hati twouldbenecessar yf oradr iver
comi ngal ongt hecar ri
agewayt oappr eciat eatanear li
erst age
thanwoul dor dinaril
ybenecessar yt hatt herewassomet hing
aheadwhi chr equiredhi mt oapplyhi sbr akes.Idonott hinki t
canbesai dt hatt henegl igenceofwhi cht hedef endantwas
undoubt edlygui l
tywasofsuchachar act erordegr eeast ot ake
i
toutoft heconductwhi chanot herdr i
v eroughtt oexpectmay
occurupont hehi ghway ."
Andatp.898: "Ifadr iv
ersonegl i
gentlymanageshi sv ehicl
eas
tocausei ttoobst r
uctt hehighwayandconst ituteadangert o
otherr oaduser s,incl
udingt hosewhoar edrivi
ngt oof astornot
keepingapr operl ookout ,butnott hosewho del i
beratelyor
recklessly dri
vei ntot he obst r
ucti
on,t hen the f i
rstdr iver'
s
negli
gencemaybehel dt ohavecont ri
butedtot hecausat i
onof
anacci dentofwhi cht hei mmedi at
ecausewast henegl igent
driv
ingoft hev ehicl
ewhi chbecauseoft hepr esenceoft he
obstruct i
oncollideswi thitorwi thsomeot herv ehi
cleorsome
otherper son.Accor dingly,Iwouldholdi nthi
scaset hatt het hi
rd
partydr i
ver
'snegl i
gence di d contr
ibutet othe deat h ofMr .
Rouse. "
Kni
ght
leyvJohns[
1982]1Al
lER851
Fact
s:Thefi
rstdef
endant'
sv ehicl
ewasi nvol
vedinanaccidentatthe
exi
tofaone-
wayt r
aff
ictunnel,obscur
ingtheexit
.Thepol
icef or
gotto
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
tsi
nGhana
cl
oset hetunnelt ot r
af f
icandwhent heyr ealisedt hi
s,ani nspector
orderedt hepl
aintif
fandanot herofficertor ideagai nstt heoncomi ng
tr
affictocloset het unnel.Whileri
dingagai nstt hetr af
fic,theplainti
ff
coll
idedwi t
hanoncomi ngmot ori
standsust ai nedinj
ur i
es.Hesuedt he
fi
rstdefendantandt hepol i
ce.Thefir
stdef endantar guedt hatthepol i
ce,
i
nor deri
ngthepl ai
nt i
fftorideagainstt heoncomi ngt raffi
chadbeen
negligentandthatnegl i
gencehadbr okent hechai nofcausat ion.
Held:Thei nspectorhadbeennegl i
gentinorder
ingtheplaint
if
ft ori
de
againsttheoncomi ngtraff
icandthatnegli
gencehadbeent hemai n
cause oft he plainti
ff
'sinj
uri
es and had t
hus broken the chain of
causati
onbet weent hefir
stdef
endant'
sactandtheinj
uri
essustainedby
theplai
ntif
f.
Thus,
thepol
i
ce,
andnott
hef
ir
stdef
endant
,wer
eli
abl
e.
Pri
nci
ple:Thetestf orconsi
deri
ngwhet herthechainofcausat
ionhas
beenbrokeniswhet herthesubsequentactwasanat ur
alandprobabl
e
cause ofthe originalnegli
gentactsuch t hatitwas reasonabl
y
for
eseeabl
eundert hecir
cumstances.Ifyes,
thenthechai
nofcausati
on
hasnotbeenbroken.
247•
Rivingt on(1932)146LT391at392,[ 1932]Al lERRep81at82.The
questiont obeaskedi saccor dinglywhet herthatwhol esequenceof
eventsi sanat uralandpr obableconsequenceofMrJohns' snegl igence
andar easonablyf oreseeabl eresul tofi t
.Inanswer ingt hequest ioni tis
helpfulbutnotdeci siveto consi derwhi ch oft hese ev ents wer e
deli
ber atechoicest odoposi ti
veact sandwhi chwer emer eomi ssi ons
offailurestoact ;whi chact sandomi ssionswer einnocentmi stakesor
miscal cul
ati
ons and whi ch wer e negl igent hav i
ng r egar dt ot he
pressur esandt hegr av it
yoft heemer gencyandt heneedt oactqui ckly.
Negligentconducti smor elikelytobr eakt hechainofcausat iont han
conductwhi chi snot ;positi
veact swi l
lmor eeasi l
yconst i
tutenew
causest haninact ion.Mi st
akesandmi schancesar et obeexpect ed
whenhumanbei ngs,howev erwel lt r
ained,hav et ocopewi t
hacr i
sis;
whatexact l
ytheywi llbecannotbepr edicted,buti fthosewhi choccur
arenat uralt
hewr ongdoercannot ,Ithink,escaper esponsi bil
i
tyf ort hem
and t heir consequences si mpl y by cal l
ing them i mpr obabl e or
unforeseeable. He must accept t he r isk of some unexpect ed
mischances:seeWar dvTEHopki ns&sonLt d[ 1959]3Al lER225at
244, [
1959]1WLR966at984perWi l
lmerLJandChadwi ck'scase[ 1967]
2Al lER945at952,[ 1967]1WLR912at921perWal l
erJ.Butwhat
mischances?
"
Theanswert
othi
sdi
ff
icul
tquest
ionmustbedi
ctat
edbycommon
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
tsi
nGhana
senser athert hanlogicont hef actsandcircumst ancesofeachcase.I n
thi
scasei tmustbeanswer edi nthelightoft het ruev i
ewt obet akenof
theev entsl eadingupt oInspect orSommer vi
ll
e'sact s,orr at
herhisact
and omi ssion,and t he plaintif
f'
s,and Pc East hope's,act s.Ihav e
expressed myv i
ew ofal lt hesel i
nksi nt hechai nl eading fr
om Mr
Johns'snegl igencet ot hepl ai
ntif
f'
scol l
isionwi thMrCot t
on.Ihav e
decided,r espect f
ullydisagreeingwi ththejudge,t hatt hei nspectorwas
negli
genti nf ail
ingt oclosethet unneland, respect fullyagreeingwi t
hthe
j
udge,t hatt hepl ainti
ffwasnotnegl i
genti nr i
dingt hewr ongwayaf t
er
beingor deredt odosobyt hei nspectorori ndeci dingont hespuroft he
momentt oridehismot orcy cleclosetothewal li
nl ane.
i
nthe
EVI
DENCEANDPROCEDUREI
NNEGLI
GENCE
RESI
PSALOQUI
TUR
Hender
sonvH.
E.Jenki
nsandSons[
19701AC282
Facts:Thebr akesoft hedef endant s'vehi
clefail
édwhi let he
vehiclewasdescendi ngahi l
landst r
uckandki ll
edthedeceased.
Thef ail
ureoft hebrakewasduet ot heescapeoff lui
df r
om t he
hydrauli
cbr akingsystem whi chhadbeencausedbycor rosion
ofapi peint hehy dr
auli
csy stem.Onl ypartofthepipecoul dbe
seenbyv isualinspecti
onbutt hecor rosi
vepar tcouldnotbe
seenbyv i
sualinspecti
on.Thedef endant spl
eadedlatentdefect.
Held:Sincet hedefendantscoul dnotl eadev i
dencetoshowt hat
thev ehi
clehadbeensubj ectedt oacor rosi
vemat eri
alandt hat
all
reasonabl ecarehadbeent aken, t
hedef encefail
ed.
PerLordReid291:"Ift
herewer
enothi
ngi ntheevi
dence t
o
i
ndicat
e a probabi
l
itythatsomet
hing unusualmusthave
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
tsi
nGhana
happenedt othislorrytocauset hev eryunusualt ypeofbr ake
fai
lurewhi cht helearnedt rialj
udgehashel di nf actoccurred
here,thenundoubt edlyt her espondent swoul dhav epr oved
thattheyhadexer cisedal lpropercar eint hi
scase.Buti fthe
evidencei ndicatesal ikeli
hoodt hatsomet hingunusualhas
occurredt ocauseabr eakdown,t henIdonotseehow t he
ownercansayt hathehasexer ci
sedal lpropercar eunlesshe
canpr ovet hathenei t
herknew noroughtt ohav eknownof
anysuchoccur r
ence.Fori fhedi dknow ofi thewoul dhav e
beenboundt ot akeadequat est epst oprev entanyr esult
ing
breakdown.I tmaywel lbet hatitwoul dbesuf fi
cientforhimt o
provet hathehadapr opersy st em fordr i
v ersr eport
ingall
unusual occurrences
•
250
andt
hatnonehadbeenr
epor
tedt
ohi
m.
251•
The
i
mmedi
atel
yat
otal
fai
l
ureoft
hebr
akes.
"Fr
om thesef actsitseemst omecl ear,
asapr imaf aci
e
i
nference,thatt he acci dentmusthav e been due to
defaul
toft hedef endant sinr espectofi nspecti
onor
maintenanceorbot h.Unl esst heyhad asat i
sfactor
y
answer,suff
icienttodi splacethei nfer
ence,theyshould
havebeenhel dliable.
ScottvLondonandSt .Kat
heri
neDocksCo.[1861—73]AllERRep
246;(1865)159ER665
Facts:Theplai
nti
ffwasint
hedefendant
'
swarehousetoper
form hi
s
duti
esasacust omsoffi
cerwhenbagsofsugarfel
lonhi
m,inj
uri
ng
Hel d:Since t
he defendantcoul
d notexplain how the acci
dent
happened, t
heywereliabl
e.
Principl
e:Wherethet hi
ngisonet hatwoul
dnotor di
nar i
l
yoccur
withoutnegli
genceont hepar
tofthepersonincharge,itrai
sesa
presumpt i
onofnegli
genceintheabsenceofexpl
anati
on.
PerEr l
e CJ atp.248:" There mustbe r easonable
evidenceofnegl i
gence,but ,wheret hethingisshownt o
be undert he managementoft he def endant,orhi s
servants,and t heacci denti ssuchas,i ntheor di
nar y
courseoft hings,doesnothappeni fthosewhohav ethe
managementoft hemachi neryusepr opercare,itaff
ords
reasonableev idence,int heabsenceofex planati
onby
thedef endant,thatt
heacci dentar osef r
om wantofcar e.
Weal l
assentt otheprinciplelaiddowni nt hecasescited
fort hedef endants;butt hej udgmentt urnsupon t he
const r
ucti
ont obeput
•
252
ont hejudge'
snotes.AsmybrotherMELLORandmy sel
f
read those notes,we cannot find t
hat r
easonabl
e
evidenceinthepresentcaseofthewantofcarewhich
seemsappar entt
ot her
estoft
hecourt.
"
UdevBonjut(1954)14WACA533
Facts:Thedef
endantoccupiedt
hetopfl
oorofthepl
aint
if
f'
sshop.
Hel eftt
hehousei nt
hecareofhisser
vant
s.Someoneletthetap
runningandfl
owi ngoversuchthatwat
erseepedthr
ought othe
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
tsi
nGhana
plainti
ff'
s shop and dest r
oy ed his goods.I n an action for
negl i
gence,thetr
ialjudgehel dthattheonuswasont hepl
ainti
ffto
prov ethattheseepi ngoft hewat erhadbeenduet ot hefaul
tof
thedef endantorhisser vant
s.
Held:Si nce the plainti
ffhad no means ofshowi ng how t he
i
nci denthappened,t hatbei ng int he sole knowledge oft he
defendant ,t
heonuswasont hedef endant.
Principl
e:Wher ethehappeni ngofani ncidenti
ssolelywithi
nt he
knowl edgeoft hedef endant,theprinci
pleappli
esandt heonusi s
ont hedef endanttoshow t hatt hehappeningoft heinci
denthas
notbeenduet ohisfaul t
.
PerFoster-Sutt
onPatp.534:" Intheci r
cumst anceshereIam of
theopini
ont hatthef actoftheacci dentr aisesapr esumptionof
negli
gencef orwhi cht hedef endanti sr esponsi bl
e,andthati f
ther
ewer eanyf actsi nconsi
stentwi thnegl igence,ornegli
gence
forwhichhecoul dbehel dresponsi ble,itwasf ort
hedefendant
toprovet hem.Br amwel l,B.
,saidi nBy rnevBoadl e:'
Lookingat
themat t
eri nar easonabl eway ,i
tcomest ot his— aninj
uryi s
donet othepl ai
ntiffwhohasnomeansofknowi ngwhet herit
wast heresultofnegl i
gence;thedef endantwhoknowshowi t
wascaused, doesnott hi
nkfittotellthejury.'Itseemstomet hat
thi
sreasoningisappl i
cabl et
ot hepresentcase.
253.
The
evidenceinconsist
entwit
hhisli
abil
it
y,Iam oft heopi
nion
that the defendant must be hel
dr esponsi
blefor the
damage."
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Mbadi wevYay a(1954)14WACA613
Fact s:Thepl ai
nti
ff
'sl orrywaspar kedont hesi deoft heroadwhen
theseconddef endantdr ovetheirlorrytohi ti
t,kil
li
ngt heplai
ntif
f'
s
dri
v er.Thedef endant '
sar gumentwast hatt hebr akesofhi slorr
y
fai
ledandt hatifhehadnothi ttheplainti
ff'
scar ,hewoul dhavehi t
thegat eoft hebri
dge.
Held:Si ncetheplaint i
ff'
scarwasst at
ionar yandt hedefendant
drov ehiscart ohitit,itraisedapr esumpt ionofnegl igenceforthe
defendantt odisprovewhi chtheyf ai
led.
Principle:Wher ethecauseofan acci denti ssol elywithi
nt he
knowl edgeofaper son, hebear stheonusofpr ove.
"Ther
ecanbenodoubtt hatacoll
i
sionwouldnothave
occurred i
fthebrakesoft hedefendant'
svehi
clehad
funct
ionedproper
ly.Thei
rfai
l
uretodosowasduet othe
factt
hatthebrakewascompletel
yempty."
—054
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
tsi
nGhana
PerApal ooJSCatpp.543and544:" Atpage79,par a.81,
Vol.28ofHal sbur
y '
sLawsofEngl and( 3r
ded.),
t hecor r
ect
l
egalposi t
ioni sstatedasf oll
ows:' Themaxi mr esipsa
l
oquiturappl i
esonlywher ethecausesoft heacci dentare
unknownbutt heinferenceofnegl i
genceisclearf rom the
natureoft heaccident ,and thedef endantist heref
ore
l
iableifhedoesnotpr oduceev idencet ocount eractthe
i
nference.Ift hecausesar esufficientl
yknown,t hecase
ceasest obeonewher ethef actsspeakf orthemsel ves
andt hecour thast odet er
mi newhet herornot,f rom the
knownf acts,negl
igencei stobei nferred.
'
"
Itfol
lowsinmyjudgment
,thatt
hepl
ainti
ff
'scasest
oodor
f
ellaccor
dingasshesucceededorf
ailedtoestabl
i
shthe
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
tsi
nGhana
act
sonwhichsherel
i
edasconsti
tuti
ngthenegl
i
gence.
I
ndeedt
hati
sthev
iewwhi
cht
hiscourtt
ookwhenall
owi
ng
an
255.
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
tsi
nGhana
"
Ihe
AboakuvTet teh[196212GLR165
Facts:Thedef endantdrov ehiscart ohittheplainti
ff
'scarwhi
ch
waspar kedbyt her oadside.Thedef endantchosenott ogi
ve
evi
denceatt het r
ialbutr el
iedont wost atementsgi v
entothe
poli
ce, whichthecour tfoundt obeinadmi ssi
ble.
Held:Sincet hedef endanthadnoev i
denceorexpl anati
onfort
he
accident,themaxi m ofr esi psal oquit
urwoul dappl yandthe
defendantwoul dbeliable.
Pri
nci pl
e:Thef actofanacci dentmayr ai
seapr esumpti
onof
negligencesuchast omaket hemaxi m apply.
•
256
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
tsi
nGhana
PerSarkodee-AddoJSCatpp.169and170:" Turningto
ground (2)itisa set t
led rul
eofl aw and cannotbe
doubtedthattheonusofpr oofthatt
hefirstdefendantas
theservantoragentoft heseconddef endanthasbeen
guil
tyofnegl i
gencefall
supont heplai
ntif
fandunt i
lhe
hasdischargedthisburdenthereisnocaset obel eftt
o
thejur
y.Inal i
mitednumberofcases, howev er,t
hef acts
oftheaccidentmayoft hemselvesconsti
tuteev i
denceof
negli
genceandt hedoct r
ineofr esi
psaloqni t
urappl i
es.
'
Insomeci rcumstancesthemer ehappening
•
257
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
ofanacci dentaf
for
dsPr i
mafacieev i
dencethatitwas
ther esul
tofwantofduecar eon t hepartoft he
defendant'
;seeClerkandLindse/lonTor t
s,(1It
hed.)
p.399.I n such ci
rcumstancest he plai
nti
ffwillbe
enti
tl
edt osucceedunlessthedef endantbyev i
dence
rebutstheprobabi
li
ty.
"In McAr t
hur v Domi nion Car t
ri
dge Company ( a
Canadi ancase) ,ajur
yhav i
ngf oundthatanexpl osion
occur red t hrough the negl ect of t he def endant-
companyt o supplysuitable machi neryand t ot ake
properpr ecauti
ons,andt hatt her esul
ti
ngi njurytot he
plai
nt i
ffwasnoti nanywayduet ohisnegl i
gence,t he
verdictwasuphel dbyt heunani mousj udgment soft wo
cour t
s.TheSupr emeCour tr
ev ersedthejudgment sof
thet wocour ts.Onappealt ot hePr i
vyCounci l
,itwas
heldt hatanor derbyt heSupr emeCour tsett i
ngasi de
thev erdictont hegroundt hatt herewasnoexactpr oof
oft hef aultwhi chcertai
nlycausedt heinjurymustbe
reversed.Pr ooft ot hatef fectmay be r easonabl y
required i n parti
cul
arcases;i ti snotso wher et he
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
accidenti st heworkofamoment ,anditsorigi
nand
coursei ncapableofbeingdet ect
ed.I nacasesuchas
theoneunderconsi derati
onher et heacci
dentitsel
f
rai
ses a pr esumpt
ion of negl i
gence against the
defendant s,andtheonusofdi spr
ov i
ngnegli
gencewas
upon t hem and t hi
st hey completelyfai
l
ed to do.
Hav i
ng al readyindi
catedt hatexhibit
sD andEwer e
i
nadmi ssiblet he
257"
onlyev i
dence befor
et he cour twas thatoft he
plai
nti
ffandhi stwowi t
nessesi nsuppor tofthe
clai
m;andexcl udi
ngt hesest atements(exhi
bit
sD
andE)wear eoftheviewt hatinthecir
cumstances
thedoctri
neofresipsaloquiturappl
ies.
"Uponappl icationoft hi
sdoct ri
ne,wedi ffer,with
respectandgr eatr eluct
ance,afterlisteningt othe
argument sofl earnedcounselandr ev i
ewi ngal lthe
facts,from t he findings and conclusi ons oft he
l
ear nedtri
aljudge,andar eoft heopiniont hatupon
fail
ure oft he def endantsto cr oss-exami ne the
plai
ntif
fast ot hequant um ofhiscl aimf orr epai
rs
andt helossofear ningscoupl
edwi t
ht heirf ail
ureto
l
eadev i
dencet or ebutthepr obabili
ty,thepl aint
if
f
wasent it
ledtosucceedi nhisclaim."
DeckervAt ta(1970)CC109
Facts:Thepl ai
ntif
fwasapai dpassengeri nt hedef endant's
l
or r
ywhent helorr
yov ert
urned, causingseverei nj
uri
est othe
plai
ntiff
.He sued and r el
ied on t he doctri
ne ofr es ipsa
/oquitw.Thedef endantexpl ainedthatt heaccidentoccurred
duet ot hesuddenbr eakoft helongshaf tint helorry.Held:
Thef act srai
sedaPl imafaciecaseofnegl igenceandt he
maxi m of r es ipsa applied and si nce the def endant's
explanationcouldnotdi spl
acet heonusont hem,t hevwer e
l
iable.
Dumgy
avSpor
tsCounci
lofGhana[
197411GLR429
Fact
s:Thedeceasedwasaspect
atoratt
heKumasiSpor
ts
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Stadi um f ora mat ch or gani sed by t he def endant .The
stadi um wasal soundert hecar eandmai ntenanceoft he
defendant .Partofthewal lint hest adium col lapsedandf el
l
ont hedeceasedwhosust ainedsev erei nj
uriesf r
om whi chhe
died.Thepl ainti
ffsued.Itwasf oundt hatt hepar toft hewall
thatcol l
apsedhadonl yonepi l
l
arinsteadoft heusual two.
Hel d:Si ncet heaccidentwasonet hatwoul dor dinari
lynot
occuri nt he absence ofnegl i
gence on t he par toft he
defendant ,themaxi m ofr esi psal oqui turappl i
edandt he
defendant swoul dbeheldl iable.
Princi ple:Wher eanacci dentoccur st hatint henor malcour se
oft hingswi l
lnotoccuri nt heabsenceoft henegl i
genceof
the per son i n contr
ol,the f actoft he acci dentr aises a
Primaf acieev idenceofnegl igenceont hepar toft heper son
is cont roland i sl i
ablei nt he absence ofa r easonable
expl anat ionast othecour seoft heacci dent.
PerAninJAatpp.434—436:"
From t
hedeci
dedcases,
it
i
s
sett
led thatt
he maxi
m res ipsa l
oqui
turcomes int
o
operat
ion:
onpr
oofoft
hehappeni
ngoft
heunexpl
ainedoccur
rence;
"
(i
i)whent heoccurrenceisonewhi chwoul
dnothav e
happened i nt he ordinar
y course of t
hings
withoutnegligence on the partofsomebody
otherthantheplaint
if
f;and
"
(i
ii
)thecircumstancespoi
ntt
ot henegl
i
gencei
nquest
ion
beingt hatofthedef
endantrat
herthant
hatofany
otherperson.
"Themax i
mr esipsaloquiturappli
esonl ywheret he
causeorcausesoft heacci dentareunknownbut
theinf
erenceofnegl igencei sclearfr
om thenat ure
ofthe acci dent,and t he defendanti stherefore
l
iabl
eifhedoesnotpr oduceev i
dencet ocounteract
theinf
erence.I fthecausesar esuffi
cient
lyknown,
thecaseceasest obeonewher ethef actsspeak
forthemsel ves and t he courthas to det er
mi ne
whetherOfnot ,from theknownf act
s,negli
gencei s
to be i nferr
ed: see Bar kway v Sout h Wal es
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Transpor tco. ,
Lt d[1950]1Al lE. R392atp.394, H.L.
perLor dPor ter( wher eanomni busl eftther oadand
felldownanembankment ,butt hecauseoft he
accidentwasknownt obeabur stt yreduet oan
i
mpactf r
act urewhi chdoesnotnecessar i
lyl eave
anyv isi
blemar ksont heout ert yre,itwashel dthat
themaxi m wasi nappl icabl e.Howev er ,t
heomni bus
company was f ound on t he ev idence t o be
negligenti n nothav ing apr opersy stem oft yr
e
i
nspect ion).I nt hatcasei nt heCour tofAppeal
reportedi n[1948]2Al lE. R.460atp.471Asqui t
h
L.J.(ashet henwas)summar isedt heposi tionwi t
h
regardt ot heonusofpr oofi ncasesf allingunder
themaxi mi nt hreepr oposi ti
ons,whi chpr ovidea
usefult estf orourpur pose:' (i
)I ft hedef endant s'
omni bus l eav es t he r oad and f alls down an
embankment ,andt hi swi thouti nmor ei spr ov ed,
thenr esi psal oqui t
ur ,t herei sapr esumpt iont hat
theev entiscausedbynegl igenceont hepar toft he
defendant s,andt hepl aintiffsucceedsunl esst he
defendant s[ p.435]canr ebutt hispr esumpt ion.( i
i)
Itisnor ebut t
alf ort hedef endant st oshow,agai n
withoutmor e,t hatt he i mmedi at e cause oft he
omni busl eav i
ngt her oadi sat y reburst ,sinceat yr
e
-burstperse i sa neut ralev entconsi stent ,and
equal l
yconsi stent ,withnegl i
genceorduedi l
i
gence
ont hepar toft hedef endant s.\ Vhenabal ancehas
beent il
tedoneway ,youcannotr edressi tbyaddi ng
anequal weightt oeachscal e.
259•
Thedepr essedscalewi l
lr emaindown. .
.(ii
i
)To
displacethepresumpti
on,t hedefendantsmustgo
furtherand prove(oritmustemer ge f
rom the
evidenceasawhol e)eit
her( a)thatthebursti
tself
was due t o a specif
ic cause whi ch does not
connot enegl
igenceont heirpartbutpointstoi t
s
absenceasmor eprobable,or(b),i
ftheycanpoint
to no such specifi
c cause,t hatt hey used all
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
r
easonablecar
einandaboutt
hemanagementof
t
hei
rtyres.
'
"Appl
y i
ngt hesepr i
ncipl
esofthemaxi m ofresi psa
l
oquiturandt heonusofpr oofarisingt heref
r om to
theev i
dencei nt hi
scase,Iam sat isfi
edt hatt he
l
earnedci rcuitj
udgeer r
edi nhol dingt hat( i)the
max i
m wasi napplicabl
e;(ii
)thatnegl igencehad
notbeenest abl
ishedagai nstthedef endant s;(ii
i)
thatthesur roundingci r
cumstancesshowedt hat
thedefendant swer enotincontroloft hesi tuation;
and(iv)thatthecauseoft heaccidentwasknown.
261•
"Theideathatresipsal
oquit
urassuchi spleadabl
e
must have probabl
y ar
isen ex abundant
i caute/
a
becauseoft
hecauti
onof
"I
nmyopi nion,theeditorsofBul l
enandLeakeand
BenasandEssenhi ghareent irelywrong.Or der19,r .
4ofourHi ghCour t(Civ i
lProcedur e)Rul es,1954,
whi chwascul ledwi t
houtanyal t
erati
oni nf orm or
substancef rom theEnglishRul esprovidesasf ol
lows:
'
Ev ery pleading shallcont ai
n,and cont ain onl ya
statementi nasummar yf orm ofthemat erialfactson
whi ch the par t
y pleadi
ng r elies forhis cl aim or
defence,ast hecasemaybe,butnott heev i
denceby
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
which t
heyar
eto be pr
oved .
..(
the emphasi
sis
mine)
.'
"Thispr ov
isi
onmakesi tmandat orythatonl ymaterial
factsandnot hingelsear etobepl eaded.I nmyv i
ew
paragraph( 9)oft hestat ementofcl ai
m oughtt obe
struck offand Ipr opose t oi gnorei tas bei ng
unnecessar yhavingr egar dtothepr ovi
sionofOr der
19,r .29,whichpr ovi
desasf ol
lows:'TheCour tora
Judgemayatanyst ageoft heproceedingsordert o
be st ruck out or amended any mat ter i
n any
i
ndor sement or pl eading whi ch may be
unnecessar y.
..
.'
'
Wedonotshar et heirv i
ewt hatthedoct r
ineofr es
i
psa l oqui t
urcan be r esor ted to onl y when a
plaintiffspeci fi
callypl eadst hathei nt endst or el
y
oni t.Whatt hepassagei nHa/ sbur y '
sLawsof
Engl and( 3rded. )
,Vol .28,p.77,par a.79,whi ch
wasci tedbyl earnedcounselt ous, say sisnott hat
resi psal oqui t
urmustbepl eaded,butt hatf acts
from whi ch iti si ntended t hatt hepr esumpt ion
shoul dbedr awnmustbe.Theact ualwor dsof
Ha/ sbur yar e:'Thepl ainti
ffcannotr elyuponan
i
nf erenceofnegl igenceunl esshehasal legedi n
thepl eadi ngsandpr ov edatt hetri
althef act sfrom
whi cht hei nferencei st obedr awn. 'Sot hatt he
appear ance oft he i ncantatory wor ds r es i psa
/oqui furi nt hepl eadings,Oft hepl aintiffsay ing
thereint hathei ntendst orelyont hemer eacci dent
as pr oof of t he negl igence,i s not t he onl y
foundat ionf ort hei nvocat i
onoft hedoct r
ine( the
emphasi sismi ne) .'
"I
tseems t o me wi threspectthough t
hatt he
appearanceoft hemer ephraseresi
psaloqui
turis
by it
self,inf act,no foundati
on atallfort he
i
nvocation oft he doct
ri
ne.I n my v
iew t
he true
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
foundati
onf ort
hei
nvocat
ionoft
hedoct
ri
nei
sas
clear
lystat
ed
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
i
nt he above passage.I ti s merelypleadi ng and
nothingelse,only't
hefact sfr
om whi chitisintended
that t he pr esumpt i
on shoul d be dr awn.
'
Unfortunatel
ypr obabl
yt hecaut i
ouswayi nwhi chit
wasexpr essedhasi nadv ert
ently
,Ibel ieve,l edan
academi c wr i
ter to mi sconceivet he true r at
io
decidendiand t o suggesti nt he usualv ein of
academi cwr i
tersbutv erywr onglyinmyv i
ew,t hat
the decision oft he f ul
lbench i n applying t he
pri
ncipletothecasei shar dtojusti
fy.
"
Asaf
ovCat
hol
i
cHospi
tal
ofApam [
197311GLR282
Fact s:Thepl aintif
f'sdaught erofsi xweeksol dwasadmi tt
ed
tot hedef endant '
shospi talataspeci alwar df orchi l
dren.
Althought hemot herwasal l
owedt osl eepint hehospi talin
ordert obr east f
eedher ,sheonlyhadaccesst ot hedaught er
ont hei nvit
ationoft hehospi talaut hori
ti
es.Thechi l
dl ater
disappear ed and nobody coul dt el
lherwher eabout.The
plainti
ffsued.Thedef endantsof f
erednoexpl anationfort he
disappear anceoft hechi ld.
Hel d:Sincet hedef endantcoul dnotgi veev i
dencet oshow
thatt hedi sappear anceoft hechildwasconsi stentwi thdue
careanddi li
gence,t hepl ai
ntif
fwasent i
tl
edt or elyont he
doct ri
neofr esi psal oquiturandt hedef endantwasl i
ablei n
theabsenceofexpl anation.
Principle:Wher eanev entoccur r
edsuchaswoul dnoti nt he
ordinarycour seoft hingshav eoccur redwi t
houtnegl igence,
thedoct ri
neofr esi psal oquit
urappl i
es.
269.
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
ti
mewhenshewassupposedt obesl eepinginit.The
circumst ances underwhi ch t he child gotmi ssi
ng
accor di
ngt ot hepl aintif
f'scounselwer eamat ter
withint heexcl usi
veknowl edgeoft hedef endant s'
staf fondut yatt her elevantt ime.Lear nedcounsel
fort he defendant st ook issue wi tht he pl ai
ntiff'
s
reli
ance on t he principle ofr es i
psa loqui t
urand
submi tt
edt hati nt heabsenceofanyev idencet o
show t hat t he admi nist
r ati
v e set up of t he
def endants'hospi t
alwas f ound want i
ng i nt hei r
secur ity sy stem compar ed wi t
h what exi sts
elsewher ei n ot herhospi t
al st he plai
ntif
f'
s act i
on
shoul dbedi smi ssed.
"Itist ri
tel aw t hatwher eanev entoccur ssuchas
woul d noti nt he or dinar y cour se oft hings hav e
occur redwi thoutnegl igencet hen, condi tionsexi stfor
the appl i
cat ion ofr es i psa / oqui tur.Among t he
i
nst ancesofsuchoccur rencei st het heftofgoods
from abai l
ee'swar ehouse:seeBr ooksWhar fand
Bui/Whar fLt d.vGoodmanBr other s[1937]1K. B.534
atpp.539- 540,C. A.Thef actsoft hiscasecanbe
l
ikenedt oacaseofbai lment .Theonl ydi ff
er encei s
thatachi l
dcannotst rictl
ybedescr i
bedasachat tel
whichcanbebai l
ed,butt hepr inci pleIam t ryingt o
draw i st hesame.I nmat tersofcar e,at tent i
onand
cont rolofmov ement sachi l
dofsi xweeksol di sno
diff
er entf rom ani nani mat eobj ectwhi chi si ncapabl e
ofi ndependentmov ementbutdepends f orsuch
suppor t on whoev er hav e i ts cust ody . Wher e
theref ore t he chi ld get s mi ssing whi l
st under
someone' scust odycondi tionsexi stwhi chr equi rean
explanat ionf rom whoev erhadi tscust ody ,andon
this scor e Iam oft he v iew t hatt he pl ai
nt i
ff'
s
cont ent iont hatt hef act soft hepr esentcasecal lfor
anexpl anat ionf r
om t hedef endanti st her ightv i
ew
andt hatt her eliancehepl acesonr esi psal oqni t
urto
establ ishhi scl aimi sjust ifi
able.I nmyj udgmentIf ind
resipsal oqni turappl icablet othef actsoft hepr esent
case,andi nt heabsenceofanyev idencef rom t he
270.
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Br
ownvSal
tpondCer
ami
cs[
1979]GLR409
Facts:Thepl ainti
ff'
sf iv
e-year -
oldsonwasknockeddownand
kil
l
edbyt hedef endant '
sdr iveronamaj orroadwhi chcrossed
amar ketpl aceandwhi chwasal way scr owded.Thepl aint
if
f
all
egedt hatt heaccidentoccur r
edduet oexcessivespeedat
whicht hedef endant'sdr i
v erwasgoi ng.Hewashowev ernot
aney e-witnesst otheacci dentandatt hetri
alfail
edt oprove
thespeedatwhi cht hecarwast ravel
li
ngort hedistancethe
chil
dwast hrownaf tertheacci dent.Thet ri
aljudgeheldforthe
defendantandonappeal ,hear guedt hatthej udgef ai
ledto
applythedoct ri
neofr esipsa
l
oqui
tur
.
Held:Sincethefact
spleadedandt heev i
denceleddi
dnotshow
anyev i
denceofnegli
gence,thedoct r
inewasnotappli
cabl
e.
Pri
nciple:Forthedoctri
net o apply,thefact
smustpoi ntt
oa
Pri
maf acienegl
i
genceont hepar tofthedef
endant.
"Hardcases,i
tissaid,makebadl aw.It
hinkt hi
sis
ahardcasebutf atherthanextendtheapplicat
ion
ofthemaxi mr esi
psal oquit
urtosuchacaseas
thi
s,Iwoul d,Ithink,be justi
fi
ed i
nleaving the
damageint hi
scasewher ei
tfell
.
271.
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
272.
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
BarkwayvSouthWalesTranspor
t[195011AllER392
Facts:Theplai
nti
ff
'shusband wasa passengeron the
defendant
'somni
buswhent heoffsi
defrontt
yreoft
hebus
273.
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
274.
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
yourLor dships'House,butitdoesnotconcludet he
matterordet er
mine the speed att he moment
when t he acci dent took pl ace.There was a
considerablebodyofev i
denceatt hetri
altot he
eff
ectt hattheomni buswasdr i
venatav er
yf ast
speedi nt heconditi
onsobt aining,andeventhatit
i
ncreased
275.
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
.
270
foraf indingofl iabili
tyagainsthi m.I tcanr arelyhappenwhen
ar oadacci dentoccur st hattherei snoot herev idence,and,i f
thecauseoft heacci denti spr ov ed,t hemaxi m r esi psa
l
oqui turisofl it
tlemoment .Thequest iont hencomest obe
whet hert heownerhasper f
or medt hedut yofcar ei ncumbent
on hi m,orwhet herhe i s by r eason ofhi s negl igence
responsi blef ort
hei njury.Themaxi mi snomor et hanar uleof
evidenceaf fecti
ngonus.I ti
sbasedoncommonsense, andits
purposei stoenabl ejusti
cet obedonewhent hef act sbearing
oncausat ionandont hecar eexer cisedbyt hedef endantar e
att heout setunknownt othepl aintiffandar eoroughtt obe
withint heknowl edgeoft hedef endant .Itisnotnecessar yin
thepr esentcaset oconsi dert heint ermedi ateposi tion,when
therei s some ev idence bear ing on t he causat i
on oft he
accidentandont hecar eexer cisedbyt hedef endant ,butthe
causeoft heacci denthasnotbeenpr ov ed,ort odi scusswhat
evidencei nsuchacasemaysuf fi
cet odi schar get heonus. "
271"
anadequatest
andardofcar
e,anditi
sfort
hatreasont
hatI
thi
nkt
hattheappel
lanti
sent
it
ledt
oherdamages.
"
PerPol l
ockBatp.1529:" Supposeamant obewal king
underawar ehouse,aswast hecaseher e,andabar rel
wast or olloutandf alluponhi m, thebar relcomi ngf rom a
heightabov e,how coul d he possi bl yt ellby whose
negligencei twasdone?I twaspr ovedi nev idence,i nt his
case,t hattheent i
rewar ehouseandpr emi seswer ei nt he
defendant '
soccupat i
on,usedbyhi mf ort hecar r
y i
ngon
histrade,andt hatt hebar relwhi chf ellout ,orwasbei ng
l
ower ed,camef rom t hewar ehouseoft hedef endantand
causedt hei njur ytot hepl aintiff.Thatwoul dbeofi tsel f
Pimaf acieev i
denceofnegl igencebyt hedef endant ,or
thosef orwhoseact shewasr esponsi ble.Thepl aintiffis
nott obeobl igedt ogoaboutandi nqui r
et hecauseof
suchanacci dent —whower ei nt hewar ehouseabov ehi m,
andt heirbusi nesst her e;howi twasdone, andsuchl i
ke: it
i
ssi mi l
artot hatofamanwhohast ogot hr oughapubl i
c
passagewher eabui l
dingisbei nger ect ed, andani nj
ur yis
causedt ohi m bysomeoft hemat erialsf all
i
ngonhi m
whilstpassi ng.Thi swoul dbePr i
maf aci eev i
denceof
negligenceagai nstt hebui lder;her et heev idencebef ore
thecour twas, t hatthepl aintiffandhi swi f
ewer epassi ng
alongt heScot landRoad, inLi verpool ,andwhent heywer e
doseagai nstt hedef endant 'swar ehouse,t hewhol eof
whichwasi nhi soccupat i
on, usedbyhi m asaf l
ourdeal er,
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
therecamedownsuddenl yupont hemanabar relofflour
,
andt hust heaccidentoccurredtothepl
aint
if
fofwhi chhe
compl ained.Thisisoneoft hosecasesinwhich,Ithink,a
presumpt ionofnegl i
gencebydef endantisrai
sed,andi t
wasf orhi m,whohadal lt hemeansofev i
denceand
knowl edgewi thi
nhi sreach,t omeeti t
.Ithav i
ngbeen
shownt hatthedefendant
•
272
had the enti
re possessi
on and excl
usive use oft hi
s
warehouse,i
twoul dbepresumedthattheaccidentarose
from hi
swantofcar e,unlesshegavesomeex planat
ion
ofthecausebywhi chitwasproduced,whichexplanat
ion
theplai
nti
ffcoul
dnotbeexpect edtogive,nothavingthe
samemeansofknowl edge."
PerMegawLJatp.224:" I
tisfort
heplai
ntif
ftoshowt hat
therehasoccur redanev entwhichi
sunusualandwhi ch,in
the absenceofexpl anati
on,i
smor econsist
entwi thfault
ont hepartofthedef endantst
hantheabsenceoff ault
;and
tomymi ndthel ear
nedjudgewaswhollyfi
ghtint aki
ngt hat
view ofthepr esenceoft hi
ssli
pperyl
iqui
dont hefloorof
thesupermar ket
273•
•
i
nt he ci r
cumst ances oft his case:t hati st hatt he
def endant skneworshoul dhav eknownt hati twasanot
uncommonoccur rence;andt hati fitshoul dhappen,and
shoul dnotbepr ompt l
yat t
endedt o,itcr eat edaser ious
ri
skt hatcust omer swoul df al land i nj ur et hemsel v es.
Whent hepl ai ntiffhasest ablishedt hat ,t hedef endant s
canst il
lescapef rom liabi
li
ty .Theycoul descapef rom
l
iabi l
ityi ft heycoul dshow t hatt heacci dentmusthav e
happened,orev enonbal anceofpr obabi lit
ywoul dhav e
been l ikel
yt o hav e happened,i rrespect i
v e of t he
exist enceofapr operandadequat esy stem,i nr elationt o
theci r
cumst ances, toprov i
def ort hesaf etyofcust omer s.
But ,ift hedef endant swi shtoputf orwar dsuchacase,i t
i
sf ort hem t oshowt hat,onbal anceofpr obabi lit
y ,either
byev idenceorbyi nferencef rom t heev i
dencet hati s
givenori snotgi v en,thisacci dentwoul dhav ebeenat
l
eastequal lyl ikelyt ohav ehappeneddespi teapr oper
syst em desi gned t o give r easonabl e pr ot ect i
on t o
cust omer s.That ,int hiscase,t heywhol lyf ail
edt odo.
Real lyt he essence of counself or t he def endant s'
argument —and hedi d notshr inkf rom i t
—was:' Nev er
mi nd whet herwe had no sy stem atal l:st i
ll,as t he
plaint i
ffhasf ai l
edt oshow t hatt hey oghour twasspi l
t
withi naf ewsecondsbef oret heacci dent ,shemustf ail.
'
AsIhav esai d, i
nt heci r
cumst ancesoft hiscase, Idonot
thinkt hatt hepl aintiff
,tosucceed,hadt opr ov ehowl ong
i
twassi ncet hedef endants'floorhadbecomesl i
pper y."
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Par
kervMi
l
ler(
1926)42TLR408
Facts:Thedef endantl
ethisf r
ienddr iv
ehi scart ot hel at
ter
's
houseandpar keditonav eryst eepgr adi
ent.Afterabout30
minutes,thecarrandownt hehillandcr ashedintothepl ai
nti
ff
's
house.
Held:Thef actsoft hecarrunningdownt hehi l
lwheni twas
unattended to and it
s crashi
ng t he plai
nti
ff'
s house wer e,
themselves,evi
denceofnegli
genceandt husthedef endantwas
l
iableintheabsenceofexpl
anati
on.
ThomasvCur ley(2013)131BMLR111
Facts:The def endantperformed a surgeryon t he pl
aint
if
ft o
remov east oneinhi sgal
lbladder
.Afterthesur gery
,theplai
ntif
f
suff
eredinjurytohisbil
eductresul
ti
nginabi leleak.
Held:Thedoct ri
neofr esipsaloqui
turwoul dnotappl ybutsince
theplaint
if
fhadbeenabl etoestabli
shthatinj
ur yhadbeencaused
toapar tofhisbodyot herthanwherethesur gerywasperformed,
hewasent itl
edt ojudgment.
"
274
Pr
inci
ple:Wher
ethecauseoft
heacci
denti
sknownt
hedoct
ri
ne
doesnotappl
y.
[11]"Theappel l
antsubmi tsthattherespondent '
scaseat
tri
alwasf oundedent i
relyonr esi psal oquit
ur,thatthe
j
udgewasi ner rori
nf ail
ingtor ecogniset hatandt hat
,
becauset her espondent'
scasemani festl
yf ai
ledtomeet
therequir
ement sofresipsaloquit
ur,thejudgewaswr ong
toconcludet hattheinj
urysufferedbyt herespondentwas
causedbyt heappel l
ant'
snegligence."
Atpp.115and116,par
s.17and18:[
17]"
Tomymi nditdoes
appeart
hatt
hemoreextremebasi
sonwhichPr
ofessorParks
rest
ed
275"
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
t nGh
si ana
his opi
nion did seek to draw a necessar yinfer
ence of
negli
gencef r
om themer ef actofinjuryandmi ghttheref
ore
beconsi der
edanappl icat
ionofr esi psaloquit
nr.Howev er
,
thatwasnott heonlywayinwhi chthecasewasputonbehal f
ofther espondent
.Iconsidert hatthej udgewascor r
ectto
decli
net oapplyresi psa/ oquit
urandt oaddresswhet her
negli
gencehadbeenpr ovedi nthepar ti
cularci
rcumstances
ofthi
scase.
per
sont
oshowmer
elyt
hatt
hecauseofl
ossofcont
rolwas
a
skid,becauseaski disi tsel
fa'neutralevent',consistent
equall
ywi th negligence ordue dil
igence.Accor dinglyt he
burdenremai nsont hedri
v eninsuchcircumstancest opr ove
thatheexer cisedduedi li
gence.Fort hosepr oposi
tionsMr
Brightrel
iedonBar kwayvSout hWal esTransportCoLt d
[1949]1KB54,[ 1948]2Al lER460,[1948]LJR1921( upheld
byt heHouseofLor dsat[1950]1Al lER392)andRi chie,v
Faull[
196513Al lER109,129JP498, [
1965]1WLR1454.
60] "
[ Iti
sundoubt
edl
ythecaset
hatski
dsmayOCCUfi
n
dif
ferentcircumstancesandfordiffer
entr easons.However
,
thejudgef oundthatinthepresentcaset heskidhappened
becauseoft hepresenceofblackicewhi chwasi nvi
sibl
eto
themot or
ist.Thatisnota' neutr
alev ent',butanunusual
andhi ddenhazard.
61] "
[ Thedoctrineexpressedinthemaxi mr esipsaloqui t
ur
i
sar uleofevidencebasedonf ai
rnessandcommonsense.
Itshouldnotbeappl i
edmechani stical
lybuti nawaywhi ch
refl
ectsit
sunder lyi
ngpur pose.Themaxi m encapsul ates
theprinci
plethatinor derforaCl aimantt oshow t hatan
eventwascausedbyt henegl i
genceoft heDef endant ,he
need notnecessar il
ybe abl et o show pr eci
selyhow i t
happened.Hemaybeabl etopoi nttoacombi nationof
factswhichar esuffi
cient,wit
houtmor e,togiv eriset oa
properinf
erencet hattheDef endantwasnegl igent.Acar
goingoffther oadisanobv i
ousexampl e.Adr iv
erowesa
dutytokeephi sv ehi
cleunderpr opercont rol
.Unexpl ained
fai
luretodosowi l
ljusti
fytheinferencet hatthei ncident
wast hedr i
ver'
sf aul
t.Int hewor dsoft heLat i
nt ag,t he
mat t
erspeaksf orit
self.I
nsuchci rcumst ancesthebur den
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
t nGh
si ana
rest
sont heDef endanttoest abli
shfact sfrom whichi tis
nolongerpr operforthecour ttodr awt heinit
iali
nference.
To show mer elythatt he carskidded i s notsuf f
ici
ent,
becauseacarshoul dnotgoi ntoaski dwi t
houtagood
explanation.InBar kwayvSout hWalesTr ansportCoLt d
thecour ttookt hesamev i
ewaboutat y
r eburst.Aproperly
maintainedv ehicl
eoughtnott osuf ferat yr
ebur st
.I tis
ther
eforenotsur pri
singthatt hecour theldt hatinsuch
cir
cumst ances:
'
.
..
theDef
endantsmustgof
urt
herandprov
e( Ofi
tmustemer
ge
f
rom t
heevi
denceasawhol
e)ei
ther(
a)t
hatthe
277.
.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
burstit
sel
fwasduet ospeci fi
ccausewhi chdoes
notconnotenegl
igenceont hei
rpartbutpoint
stoits
absenceasmor eprobable,or(b)i
ftheycanpointto
nosuchspecifi
ccause,thattheyusedallr
easonable
careinandaboutthemanagementoft hei
rtyr
es.'
62] "
[ Int
hepr
esentcaset
hei
nsur
erssat
isf
iedt
hej
udge
thatMrFordycewasnott rav
elli
ngatanexcessi
v espeed;
thathehadnor easontoantici
pat
eicyr oadconditi
ons;
andthatheski ddedonapat chofblackicewhi chwas
notvisi
bleandcouldnotreasonabl
yhav ebeenforeseen.
•
286
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
doesnotfoll
owasamat terofl
ogicorhumanexper ience.
Ifther
eisinvisi
bleiceonapav ement,t
hef actthatonly
onepedestri
anamonganumberhadt hemi sfort
unet o
sli
p on i
twoul d notmean thatt he pedestri
an who
sli
ppedwast heref
oretoblame.
"
DawkinsvCar niv
alPlc(t/aP&OCr ui
ses)[20111EWCACi v
1237Facts:Theplai
nti
ff,
apassengeronacruiseshi
poper
ated
bythedef endant
s,sl
ippedandfellwhi
lewalkingthr
oughthe
conserv
atoryrest
aur
antofthe
•
287
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
ship.Hesust ainedi nj
uries.Thecauseoft heslippingwast hepr esence
ofsomel iquidont heflooroft herestaurant .Therewasnoev idenceas
tohowl ongthel iquidhadbeenont hefloor.
Held:Thepr esenceoft hel iqui
dont hef loorwasmor econsi stentwith
faultonthepar toft hedef endantsandt heonusl ayont hem todi sprove
thi
swhi chtheyf ail
ed.Theywer ethusliable.
Princi
ple:Wher et he cause oft he acci denti s consist
entwi tht he
presenceoff aultratherthant heabsenceoff ault
,thedoct r
ineappl ies.
PerPil
lLJatpars.26—29:[26]"Ont hefaceofi t
,thepresence
oftheli
quidwasmor econsist
entwi t
hfaultont hepartoft he
Respondent
sthanwi t
habsenceoff aul
tont heirpart
.Thear ea
wasunderthei
rclosecont
rol
andliquidwaspr esentonthef l
oor
.
[27]"Iacceptt hatiftheprobabil
ityisofsuchcont emporaneit
y
bet weent hespill
ageandt heaccidentt
hatremedialact
ioncould
notr easonablybet akenduringthegapbetweent hem,theclai
m
woul dfail.TheRecor derdi
dnotmakeaf i
ndingast oti
mebut ,i
f
theDef endantscoulddemonst ratesuchcont emporanei
ty,the
claim woul dfail
.
28]"
[ Theabsenceofev
idencef
rom oneormor eoft hemany
member sofst affclaimedt obepr esentint heConser vator
yat
themat eri
altimeisr emarkable.Theex pl
anat ionforthelackof
evidencef rom amemberormember sofst affwas, t
heRecor der
found,t hattheDef endants' coul
dnotest ablishwhoi twas'.In
myj udgment ,i
ntheabsenceofev idencef r
om member sofstaff
claimed t o bei mplementing thesy stem,t hej udgewasnot
entitledtoinferfr
om t heexistenceofasy stem thatthespi l
l
age
whi chledtot hefal
loccurredonl yaf ewseconds, orav eryshort
ti
me, befor
et heaccident.
29]"
[ Thecl
aim succeedsont heev i
denceinthiscase.Ther eis
nothi
ngt osuggestsuchcl osenessi ntimebetweent hespil
lage
andt heaccidentaswoul d,atapl acewher ecloseobser v
ation
wasr equi
red,excludeli
abil
it
y.Intheabsenceofev i
dencetot he
contr
ary,Icanconcl udeonlythatonabal anceofpr obabil
iti
es
thewat erhadbeent her
ef orlongert hanthev er
ybr i
efperiod
which,i nt his part
icul
ar place,woul d have excused t he
Defendantsfrom taki
ngremedial acti
onbeforetheaccident.
"
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
279•
•
ChandvDut
t[200714LRC1
Facts:Thepl ai
ntif
fwasempl oyedbyt hedefendanttobepar tofat eam
repairingpot holesonr oads.Theplai
ntif
fwast otendthef i
reforbur ning
thecoalt arindr ums.Duringonesucht endi
ng,thefi
ref l
aredupbur ning
hiscl othesandbody .Hesuedandr el
iedont heprincipl
eofr esi psa
l
oqui tur.Hel d:Sincetheflari
ngupoft hefir
ewasnotat hi
ngt hatcoul d
notr easonabl yhavehappenedwi ththeheat i
ngofcoal ,thedoct rinei s
notappl icable.
Principle:Thedoct r
ineappliesonlywher eint heor di
narycour seof
humanaf fairs,t
heaccidentwouldhav ebeenunl i
kel
ytooccurwi thouta
wantofcar eont hepartofthedefendant.
[26]"Thedoct r
ineoper at
esnotasadi sti
nctsubst ant i
ver ul
eof
l
aw.Rat heri
ti nvolvesanapplicat
ionofani nf
erentialr easoni
ng
processincircumst anceswheretheplainti
ffretainst heonusof
provi
ngnegligence:Sche/ /
enbergvTunnelHol dings( 2000)200
CLR 121.I t
s ef fecti sto pass an evidenti
albur den t othe
defendanttopr ovideanexplanati
onf ortheacci dentt hatdoes
notinvol
veawantofcar eonitspart.
[27]"InBar
kwayvSout hWal esTransportCoLt d[1950]1AllER
392wher et
hedoctri
newassi mil
arlysai
dt obear ul
eofev i
dence,
i
twashel dthat,i
fthef act
sar esuf f
ici
entl
yknownast owhyor
howt heoccur
rencetookpl ace,t
hent hedoctrinedoesnotapply,
andthesoluti
onist obef ound,bydet erminingwhet her
,onthe
fact
sasestabli
shed,negli
genceist obeinfer
redornot .
28]"
[ InNgChunPui
vLeeChuenTat[
1988]132SJ124t
hePr
ivy
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Councilconf
ir
medt hatt
herul
eisoneofevi
denceal
one,anddoes
notcausethelegal
burdenofprooft
oshi
ftt
othedefendant
.
[29]"Wheret her e ar
e equall
y plausi
ble expl
anati
ons forthe
accident
,t hati s,explanat
ions which have some colourof
probabil
i
ty,thent heplai
nti
ffisbackt owherehest art
ed,andis
requir
edtoest abli
shhiscasebypositi
veevidence.
[30]"Inmostinst ances,i
twillbenecessaryforthedefendantto
callsome ev idence ofan expl anat
ion t
hathas a colourof
probabil
i
ty:see,forexampl e,Moor evRFox&Sons[ 1956]1All
ER 182 and Devine[ 1969]2 AllER 53.Itwillnot
normallysuffi
cef orthedef endanttoputupmer et heor
eti
cal
possibi
li
ti
es.
31]"
[ Howev
er,t
hatdependsf
ir
stupont
hecour
tbei
ngsat
isf
ied
that,intheor dinarycour seofhumanaf fai
rs,theaccidentwas
unli
kelyt o occurwi thouta wantofcar e on the partoft he
defendant.Unlesst hatpointismadegood,t hemerefactoft he
accidentisnotenought oraiseapresumpt i
vecaseofnegl i
gence:
Frankli
nvVi ctori
anRai lwaysComr s(1959)101CLR 197and
PieningvWan/ ess( 1968)117CLR498at508wher eBarwickCJ
said:'I
ftheoccur rencei stopr ov
ideevidence,itcanonlybethat,
withinthecommonknowl edgeandexper ienceofmanki nd,[
the]
occur r
enceisunl ikelytooccurwi thoutnegligenceonthepar tof
thepar t
ysued.'
[33]"Althoughnoev i
dencewascal l
edi nt hi
scaset oidenti
fythe
causef orit
sflar
ingup,noneoft hepossibili
ti
esment i
onedbyt he
plai
ntif
fsuchast hegustofwi ndorspil
lageofcoalt ar(assuming
i
tt ohav ebeencombust i
ble)hadanyev identi
arysupportforthei
r
occurrence.Therewer eotherpossibi
li
ti
esav ai
l
ablesuchast he
actionoftheplai
ntif
finpushingthelar
ge281•
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
pi
eceoft
imberi
ntot
hef
ir
e,orev
enst
andi
ngt
oocl
oset
oit
sfl
ames.
[34]"Whatthet ri
alj
udgehadl ef
twasthemerecir
cumst
ance
thatthefi
refl
ared,anevent
,whi
chaswehaveobser
vedwasnot
onewhi chcouldbef ai
rlysai
dt ohav
ebeenunli
kel
ytooccur
withoutnegl
i
gence.
KumarvCommi ssionerofPoli
ce[2007]3LRC214
Facts:Fol l
owi ng an armed i nsur gence whi ch result
ed i n a gener al
breakdown ofl aw and or der ,the deceased,a pol i
ce of f
icer,whi l
e
exercisi
nghi sdut i
es,waskill
edbyanescapedpr isoner.Thepl aintif
f,t
he
spouseoft hedeceasedsuedandr el i
edont hepr i
ncipleofr esipsa
l
oqui t
ur.Shear guedt hattheescapeofapr i
sonerf r
om pr i
soni si nit
self
evidenceofnegl igenceont hepar toft hedef endant .
Held:Althought heescapeofapr isonerf rom prisonwasi tselfev i
dence
ofnegl i
gence,t hegener albreakdownofl aw andor derwasnoti nthe
normal causeoft hi
ngsandt hust hepr inciplewoul dnotappl y.
Princi
ple:Thepr i
ncipl
eappl i
eswher ei nthenor malcauseoft hingsthe
accidentwi l
lnothappenwi t
houtt henegl i
genceoft hedef endant .Where
thecircumst ancesoft heacci denti st hereforenoti nthenor malcause
ofthings,thedoct ri
nedoesnotappl y.
[
14] "
Wecannotacceptt
hesear
gument
s.Pr
oofoft
he
means
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
ofescapef rom pri
soni nnormalt imesmi ghtestabli
shapr i
me
faciecaseofnegl igenceont hepar tofthepr i
sonser vice.In
Scot t
vLondonandStKat heri
neDocksCo( 1865)3H&C596
at601 Er l
e CJ del iv
eri
ng t he judgmentoft he Cour tof
ExchequerChambersai dthatt hemaxi m applied'wher et he
accidenti ssuchasi ntheor di narycourseoft hingsdoesnot
happeni fthosewhohav et hemanagementusepr opercar e'
.
Howev er,t
hesi t
uati
onwhi chpr evai
ledfoll
owingthebreakdown
ofl aw andor derafterGeor geSpei ghtandhi sconf ederates
seizedt hePar li
amentwer enot' theordinarycourseoft hings'
.
Int hatsi tuat
ion proofofan escape wi thoutmor e cannot
possiblyest abli
shapr imaf aciecaseofnegl i
gencebyt he
pri
sonser vi
ce.
[
15] "Thebreakdownofl awandor dermayhav eext
ended
tothepri
sonsandpr i
sonofficer
smayhav erefusedtodothei
r
duty.I
fso,theymay ,asar esult
,hav eactedout si
dethescope
ofthei
rempl oymentsoast oexcl udethev i
cari
ousli
abi
li
tyof
thepri
sonser v
iceforthei
ractsandomi ssions.Theremayhave
beenabsolutel
ynot hi
ngthatt heCommi ssionerandhisseni
or
off
icer
scouldhav edonetopr eventtheescape.
[
16] "
Thest
ateisnotgeneral
lyl
i
ableindamagestothose
whosuffer
edpersonali
njur
iesorpropertydamagefoll
owing
t
hebreakdownoflaw andor deri
nFijii
nMay2000.Thel aw
woul
dlackcoher
enceifthecourtscr
eatedalimi
tedexcept
ion
f
orinj
uri
esanddamagei nfl
i
ctedbyprisoner
swhoescapedat
t
hatti
me.
[17] "I
nourj udgment ,therefore,t
heappel l
antfai
ledt o
est abl
ish a prima facie case ofnegl i
gence,and i nt hese
circumst ances the factt hatt he Commi ssionercal l
ed no
evidence, wherethefactswer epeculiarl
ywithinhisknowledge,
cannotassi sttheappellant.Wet herefor
eagr eewi t
htheCour t
ofAppealt hattheclaim againsttheCommi ssionerofPrisons
failsont hisgroundwhi ch,inanyev ent,rai
sednoquest i
onof
gener alpri
ncipl
e."
Ratcl
if
fevPl ymout
hTorbayHealthAut
hori
ty(1998)42BMLR64Fact s:
Theplaint
if
funderwentasurger
yonhi sfi
ghtankleatt hedefendants'
hospit
alandwasgivenananaesthet
ict
orel
ievepost-oper
ati
vepain.The
operat
ionitsel
fwassuccessfulbuthesuf f
eredneur ol
ogi
caldef ect
s
whichcausedhi mt obeparal
ysedont herightsidedownwar dsand
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
pr
oducedej
acul
ator
ypr
obl
ems.Thedef
endant
sledexper
tev
idence
283•
to show thattheanaest heti
sthad notbeennegl i
gent
.Thepl aint
iff
soughttorelyonthedoctri
neofr esipsal
oqui
tur
.
Held:Thefactthatamedicaloper at
ionpr
oducedanunfavour
ableresult
was notev idence ofnegligence and t
hatin mostcases involvi
ng
medicalnegli
gence,exper
topinionwouldbenecessar
y.
Andatp.81:" Int hi
scase,howev er ,thej udgemadet heposi tive
fi
ndi ngt hatt heanaest hetisthadper for medt hespi nali nject ioni n
theappr opriatepl acewi thal lpropercar e.I nt hoseci rcumst ances,
anypossi blei nf erenceofnegl i
gencef all
sawayand,unl esst his
fi
ndi ngwer esetasi de,t hepl aint i
ff'
scasewasboundt of ail.Mr
Bur net tgal lantlysetoutt oper suadeust hatt hej udgehadnot
eval uatedt heev idencei nt hispar toft hecasecar ef ull
yenough,
andt hati fhehad,hewoul dnothav emadet hef i
ndi nghedi d.He
said,f ori nst ance,t hatatt he t ri
ali n Jul y 1996,DrBoaden
accept edt hathehadnodi rectr ecol l
ect i
onofMrRat cliffeorhi s
oper ation, andt hatthi swassur prising, gi v
ent hathehadbeenf i
rst
toldaboutMrRat cl
if
fe'spai nfulsy mpt omsonl y12day saf tert he
oper ation.I twascommongr oundt hat ,atanear lyst ageoft he
l
iti
gat ion,DrBoadenhadmi stakenl yt houghtt hatananaest het i
c
regist r
arcal l
edDrBy attehadbeenpr esentt hroughout , andt hathe
hadf orgot tent hatDrCl ement swaspr esent .Hehadal somadeno
posi ti
v eav er mentpr iort ot het ri
alt hati twashehi msel fwhohad
admi nisteredt hespi nali njection.Thi swassai dt ocastdoubton
hisev i
denceundercr oss- exami nat i
ont hati twascl eari nhi smi nd
att het imet hathehadper formedt hei njection,andt hatt hat
memor yhad beenwi thhi m ev ersi nce.MrBur net tal so dr ew
attent i
on t o mi nori nconsi stenci es oroddi ti
es in DrBoaden' s
earlierconductori nhi sear l
ierexpl anat ionsofwhathadt aken
place,andhemadeanumberofot herpoi nt sinanat temptt o
satisf y us t hatt he j udge shoul d hav er ejected DrBoaden' s
evidenceandconcl udedei thert hatt hepl aintiffhadpr ov edt hat
thei njectionwasadmi nisteredatt hewr ongl evel,ort hatt he
defendant shadf ail
edt opr ovet hati twasi ndeedadmi ni ster edat
295"
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
t
heL3/
L4l
evel
.
"
The bur
den ofprovi
ng t
he negli
gence oft
he def
endant
r
emai
nst hr
oughoutupont
heplaint
if
f.Thebur
denisont he
296"
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
plai
nti
ffatthestartoft het r
ialand,absentanadmi ssionby
thedefendant,i
sst i
llupont hepl ai
nti
ffatt heconcl
usionof
thetri
al.Attheconclusionoft hetri
althejudgehastodeci de
whether,uponal ltheev idenceadducedatt hetri
al,hei s
sati
sfi
edupont hebal anceofpr obabil
i
t i
esthatthedefendant
wasnegl i
gent
"
286
andthathisnegli
gencecausedthepl
aint
iff
'sinj
ury
.Ifheisso
sat
isf
ied,he gi
ves judgmentf
orthe pl
aint
if
f:ifnot,he gi
ves
j
udgmentforthedefendant
.
297"
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
def
endantmustbel iableforanyaccidentforwhi chhecannotgi ve
acompleteexplanation.Ev enift
hereisani nferencethat,absent
someexplanati
on,ther epr obabl
ywasnegl i
gence,thedef endant
canal
way s,byshowi ngt hathenev ert
helesst ookallreasonable
car
e,persuadethecour tthatont heevidenceadducedi tshould
notbesat i
sfi
edt hatt hedef endantwasi nf actnegligent
:see
WoodsvDuncan[ 1946]1Al lER420,[1946]AC401.
"Medi
calnegl
igence cases havethe pot
ent
ialto giv
eri
se t
o
consi
der
ati
onswhethertheplai
nti
ffhasmadeoutaprima
298"
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
Kyr
iakouvBarnetandChaseFar
msHospi
tal
NHS
Tr
ust[2006]Al
l
ER(D)285
Facts:Aftergivi
ng birt
h,t he plainti
ffunderwenta sur gical
operati
on att he defendant'
s hospi taltor emover etained
products ofconcepti
on.Af tert he operat
ion,she coul
d not
menst r
uate and itwas f ound t hatshe no longerhad an
endomet r
ium lay
eron t hesur faceofherut erus.Shesued
rel
yingonr esi
psaloquit
ur.Thedef endant
sledexpertevi
dence
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
Chapel
vHar
t[199912LRC341
Fact
s:Thedef
endant
,anENTspeci
ali
stper
for
medasur
gical
oper
ati
on
•
288
ont heplainti
fft
or emov eapouchf r
om heroesophagus.I nthecauseof
theoper ati
on,heroesophaguswasper foratedandani nfecti
onseti n
whichaf fectedherv oice.Thecour tfoundt hatalt
houghshehadbeen
tol
daboutt heriskoft heper for
ation,shewasnott ol
daboutt heeff
ect
onherv oiceandt hathadsheknownshewoul dnothaveunder gonethe
surgeryatt hedefendant '
spl acebutwoul dhavesoughtanexper i
enced
surgeon.Thedef endantar guedthatt herewasnocausalconnect ion
betweent hewar ni
ngandt hei nj
urysuffered.
Held:Thepr i
nci
pleofr esipsawoul dapplyandshi f
ttheburdenofpr oof
tothedef endanttoshowt hattherewasnocausalconnect i
onbet ween
thewar ningandt hei njur
yandhav i
ngf ail
edt odi
schargethisonus,he
wasl i
able.
Pri
nciple:Wher ethepr i
ncipleapplies,i
tshi f
tstheburdenofpr ooftothe
defendant .
Jenny(
AMi
nor
)vNor
thLi
ncol
nshi
reCount
yCounci
l[20001
LGR269
Facts:The plaint
if
f8-year
-ol
d pupi
lin a schoolmanaged by t
he
defendantl
efttheschoolduri
nganafter
noonbreakandwasknocked
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
tsi
nGhana
downbyacaront hemai
nroadabout1000metr
esf
rom t
heschool
.The
schoolhadapoli
cyofcl
osi
ngallgat
esbutther
ewasnooneincharge
ofclosi
ngthem.
"
290
Thet eachersclosedthem whenev ertheysawt hem opened.
Held:Themaxi m ofresi psaloquiturwouldapplyandputt heonuson
thedef endanttoexplainhow t hepl ai
nti
ffcamet obebyt heroadsi
de
whenshewasnotsupposedt obet here,andhavingfail
edtodot hat,
theywer eli
able.
Princi
ple:Theonusi sont hedef endanttoexplaint
heci r
cumstancesof
thecauseofi njuryt
ot heplai
nti
ff.
20."
Thi
sist
heappl
i
cat
ionoft
hemaxi
mresi
psa/
oqui
tur
,whi
ch
mer elydescri
best hest ateoft heev i
dencefrom whi chi twas
propert odrawani nferenceofnegl i
gence.Iti
s:'nomor et hana
rul
eofev i
denceaf fecti
ngonus.I tisbasedoncommonsense,
andi tspurposei st oenabl ej
usti
cet obedonewhent hef acts
bearing on causat ion and on t he car e exercised by t he
defendantar eatt heout setunknownt otheplainti
ffandar eor
ought t o be wi thin t he knowl edge of t he def endant
(Charlesworth and Per cyon Negl igence9t h ed ( 1997)5- 88,
cit
ingLor dNormandi nBar kwayvSout hWalesTr anspor t[1950]
AC185) .
'
21."Theschoolsimplycoul
dnotsayhowi twasthatRyancame
tobeont heA18, 1,000metresfr
om theschool
.Ifthei
rsyst
em
andt hei
rsuper
visi
onhadwor ked,t
henheshouldnothav ebeen
ther
e.Theycouldt hr
ownol i
ghtonhowhel eft
,becauseno-one
hadseenhi m.Butt hejudgeacceptedther
ear ecaseswher e,
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
tsi
nGhana
despit
et hefactt hatthedef endantcant hrow nol i
ghtonhow
theaccidenthappened, hecanst i
llsat
isfythecour tthathewas
notnegl i
gent,t hatist o sayt hatt he schoolhad t aken all
reasonableprecautionstoprev entchil
drenwhowoul dbeatr i
sk
i
funaccompani edint r
affi
cf rom beingt here(seet hef act
uall
y
verydif
ferentcasesofBar kwayvSout hWal esTr ansport
291n
Mel
O'Rei
l
lyvSeamusLav
ell
e[19901I
R372
Fact s:Thepl ainti
ffwasdr i
vingonahi ghwaywhenhi svehiclecoll
i
ded
withf resiancal fbel ongi
ngt ot hedef endant.Hesuedf ordamagesi n
respectofhi scar .Att hetri
al,hesoughtt orelyont heprincipl
eofr es
i
psal oquituralt
houghhedi dnotspeci ficall
ypleadit.
Hel d:The pl aintiffcouldr elyon t he pr i
nciple alt
hough he di d not
speci fi
call
ypl eadi t;theprinciplewoul dapplywher eanani malstrays
ont othehi ghway .Thedef endantwast herefor
el i
able.
Principle:Tor elyont hepri
nci pl
eofr esi psaloquitur,theplaint
if
fneed
notspeci f
icall
ypl eadi tpr
ov i
dedf actst hatshowt heappl i
cationoft he
principlehav ebeenadequat elypleaded.
"
Inmyopi
niont
hesubmi
ssi
onsmadeonbehal
foft
hepl
aint
if
f
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
tsi
nGhana
arecor r
ectandt helawont hi
spar t
icularpoi ntoflawhasbeen
wellstatedbyGr if
fi
nJi nMul lenvQui nnswor t
hLtd[ 199011I R
59wher ehest atesatp62oft herepor t
:'Thispri
nci pl
ewas
statedasl ongagoas1865byEr leCJ, i
nScot tvLondonandSt
KatheHneDocksCo ( 1865)3 H & C 596.Ther et heChi ef
Justicesaidatp601:' Theremustber easonableev idenceof
negligence.Butwher et het hi
ng isshown t o beundert he
managementoft hedef endantorhisser vants,andtheacci dent
i
ssuchasi ntheor di
nar ycourseoft hingsdoesnothappeni f
thosewho
.
.292
havethemanagementusepr opercare,i
taf
fordsreasonable
evi
dence,i
ntheabsenceofexplanati
onbythedefendant
s,that
theacci
dentar
osefrom wantofcare.
'
Pat
ri
ckMer
ri
manvGr
eenhi
l
lsFoodsLt
d[199613I
R73
Facts:Thepl aintiffwasempl oyedasadr i
v erofthedefendant'
scar.
Whiledr i
vingi troundacor ner,t
hev ehi
cleturnedstr
aightofftheroad
andcr ashedi ntoaf iel
d,causi
nghi mi nj
uri
es.Hesuedt hedefendantin
negligencer elying on t hepri
ncipleofr esi psa.Hear gued thatthe
accidentwoul dnothav ehappenedi fthedefendanthadmai ntai
nedthe
carpr operly
.Hel d:Si ncetheplainti
ffdidnotknow t hecauseoft he
accident,thepr inciplemustappl ytoputt hebur denofpr oofont he
defendant.Pr inci pl
e:The pr i
ncipl
e applies wherethe cause oft he
accidentisunknownt othepl
aint
iff
.
PerBlay
neyJatpp.76and78:" Thepri
ncipalgroundrel
ied
uponbythepl
aint
if
finhi
snot
iceofappeal
,andintheargument
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
tsi
nGhana
befor
ethisCour t
,ist
hatthelear
nedtri
aljudgewasmi stakenin
holdi
ngthatt hedoctri
neofr esipsaloquit
urdidnotappl y.I
t
wassubmi ttedthatthepri
ncipledidapplybecauset hetruck
wasundert hemanagementoft hedefendantandtheaccident
wasonewhi chwouldnothappeni ntheor di
nar
ycour seof
eventsi
fpropercareweretaken.
293• •
thebr eakingoft hetopleafoftheoff
sidef r
ontspring.Hefurt
her
submi tted that
,as t her
e was no explanat
ion ofwhy t he l
eaf
fract
ur ed,itwouldbeunf ai
rtoputonthedef endanttheburdenof
explainingtheinexpl
i
cable.
"MrHedi gansubmittedthatthepr i
ncipl
edi dnotapplybecauset he
defendanthadprovidedanexpl anati
onfort heacci
dent.Iam unable
toagree.Theexplanati
onpr off
ereddidnotgof arenough.Itdidnot
explai
nwhyt heleafoft hespr i
ngbr oke.Andi nt hi
sr espectthe
caseisdi st
ingui
shablefrom BarkwayvSout hWal esTransportCo
Ltd11950]1Al lER392onwhi chMrHedi ganreli
ed.Thef act
sthere
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
tsi
nGhana
weret hatt hepl
ai nti
ff
'shusbandhadbeenki ll
edwhi leapassenger
i
nt hedef endant'sbus.Theof fsi
def ronttyreoft hebushadbur st
andasar esul
tthebushadv eeredacr ossther oadandf al
lenover
anembankment .Theexper tevidenceest abl
ishedt hatthecauseof
thebur sti
ngoft het yrewasani mpactf ract
ureduet ooneormor e
heavybl owsont heout sideoft hety r
el eadi
ngt othedi si
ntegrat
ion
ofthei nnerpar ts.Itwashel dbyt heHouseofLor dst hatast he
evi
dence had est abl
ished the cause oft he accident,res ipsa
l
oquiturdi dnotappl y.LordPor ter
,af t
ercitingthepassagef r
om
ScottvLondonandStKat herineDocksCompanyt owhichI
•
294
havej ustref
erred,saidinhisopi ni
onatp394:' Thedoctri
nei s
dependentont heabsenceofexpl anat
ion,and,althoughitist he
dutyoft hedefendants,i
ftheydesir
etopr ot
ectthemselves,togive
anadequat eexpl anati
onoft hecauseoft heacci dent
,yet,ifthe
factsaresuffi
cientlyknown,thequesti
onceasest obeonewhen
thefactsspeakf orthemselves,andthesoluti
oni stobef oundby
determiningwhether,onthef act
sasest abl
ished,negli
gencei sto
beinferredornot.'
"I
ntheinst
antcaset
hefactsbear
ingoncausati
onandont hecar
e
exer
cisedbythedef
endantar
eunknowntot heplai
nti
ffandar
eor
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
tsi
nGhana
oughtt obeknownt ot hedefendant.Al
lthattheplai
nti
f fknowsis
thatthel eafoft
hespr
ingbroke.Hedoesnotknowwhyi tbrokeand
he does notknow whatcar et he defendantexerci
sed i nthe
mai ntenanceand ser
v i
cing ofthet r
uck.Iam sat isf
ied thatto
enabl ejusti
cetobedonet hedoct r
ineshouldbeappl i
edsoast o
throw t heonuson thedef endantt o provethattheywer enot
negligent."
295"
cour seoft hei
rrescuedut i
es.Butwoul dheant i
cipatesuchar esul
t
ast hisf r
om somanyer ror
sast hese,somanydepar turesfrom the
commonsensepr ocedur eprescri
bedbyt hest andingor dersfor
j
ustsuchanemer gencyast his?Icanseet hatitisaquest i
onon
whicht heopinionsofpl ainmenandwomeni nt hejuryboxand
j
udgeswhohav enow t operformt heirfuncti
onmayr easonably
diff
er .Icanonlysayt hat
, i
nmyopi nion,thejudge'
sdeci si
oncar ri
es
MfJohns' sresponsi bi
li
tytoofar:i
nt ry
ingtobef airtotheinspector
thejudgewasunf airtoMrJohnsandgav ethewr onganswert othe
fir
stj uryquesti
onputbySwi f
tJi nBrandon'scase[ 1924]1KB548,
[1924]Al lERRep703. "
249"
EVI
DENCEANDPROCEDUREI
NNEGLI
GENCE
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
tsi
nGhana
RESI
PSALOQUI
TUR
Hender
sonvH.
E.Jenki
nsandSons[
19701AC282
Facts:Thebr akesoft hedef endant s'vehi
clefail
édwhi let he
vehiclewasdescendi ngahi l
landst r
uckandki ll
edthedeceased.
Thef ail
ureoft hebrakewasduet ot heescapeoff lui
df r
om t he
hydrauli
cbr akingsystem whi chhadbeencausedbycor rosion
ofapi peint hehy dr
auli
csy stem.Onl ypartofthepipecoul dbe
seenbyv isualinspecti
onbutt hecor rosi
vepar tcouldnotbe
seenbyv i
sualinspecti
on.Thedef endant spl
eadedlatentdefect.
Held:Sincet hedefendantscoul dnotl eadev i
dencetoshowt hat
thev ehi
clehadbeensubj ectedt oacor rosi
vemat eri
alandt hat
all
reasonabl ecarehadbeent aken, t
hedef encefail
ed.
•
250
andt
hatnonehadbeenr
epor
tedt
ohi
m.
"Butinthiscasetherespondentsl
ednoev i
denceast o
thehistoryofthi
slorryotherthantheev i
denceoft he
fi
ttert
owhi chIhavereferr
ed.Itmaybet hattheycould
hav eprovedthatsof arast heyknew orcoul dhav e
discoveredbyreasonableinqui
rynothi
ngunusualev er
happenedt oitwhichcouldhav eledtothiscorrosi
on.
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Oritmaybet hattheydidknowofsomet hi
ngbutdi dnot
real
isethepossibledangerresult
ingfrom itthoughthey
oughtt ohavedoneso.Wedonotknow.Theyhadt o
provethatinallthecircumstanceswhi cht heyknewor
oughtt ohaveknownt heytookallproperst epstoav oi
d
danger.Inmyopi niontheyhav efai
ledt odot hat,andI
am t heref
ore ofopinion t
hatt his appealshoul d be
all
owed. "
251•
The
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
tsi
nGhana
i
mmedi
atel
yat
otal
fai
l
ureoft
hebr
akes.
"Fr
om thesef actsitseemst omecl ear,
asapr imaf aci
e
i
nference,thatt he acci dentmusthav e been due to
defaul
toft hedef endant sinr espectofi nspecti
onor
maintenanceorbot h.Unl esst heyhad asat i
sfactor
y
answer,suff
icienttodi splacethei nfer
ence,theyshould
havebeenhel dliable.
ScottvLondonandSt .Kat
heri
neDocksCo.[1861—73]AllERRep
246;(1865)159ER665
Facts:Theplai
nti
ffwasint
hedefendant
'
swarehousetoper
form hi
s
duti
esasacust omsoffi
cerwhenbagsofsugarfel
lonhi
m,inj
uri
ng
Hel d:Since t
he defendantcoul
d notexplain how the acci
dent
happened, t
heywereliabl
e.
Principl
e:Wherethet hi
ngisonet hatwoul
dnotor di
nar i
l
yoccur
withoutnegli
genceont hepar
tofthepersonincharge,itrai
sesa
presumpt i
onofnegli
genceintheabsenceofexpl
anati
on.
PerEr l
e CJ atp.248:" There mustbe r easonable
evidenceofnegl i
gence,but ,wheret hethingisshownt o
be undert he managementoft he def endant,orhi s
servants,and t heacci denti ssuchas,i ntheor di
nar y
courseoft hings,doesnothappeni fthosewhohav ethe
managementoft hemachi neryusepr opercare,itaff
ords
reasonableev idence,int heabsenceofex planati
onby
thedef endant,thatt
heacci dentar osef r
om wantofcar e.
Weal l
assentt otheprinciplelaiddowni nt hecasescited
fort hedef endants;butt hej udgmentt urnsupon t he
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
tsi
nGhana
const
ruct
iont
obeput
•
252
ont hejudge'
snotes.AsmybrotherMELLORandmy sel
f
read those notes,we cannot find t
hat r
easonabl
e
evidenceinthepresentcaseofthewantofcarewhich
seemsappar entt
ot her
estoft
hecourt.
"
UdevBonj ut(1954)14WACA533
Fact s:Thedef endantoccupi edt hetopfloorofthepl
ainti
ff'
sshop.
Hel ef tthehousei nt hecareofhi sservants.Someonel ett hetap
runni ngandf l
owingov ersucht hatwat erseepedthrought othe
plaintiff'
s shop and dest r
oy ed his goods.I n an act i
on f or
negl i
gence, t hetr
ialjudgehel dthattheonuswasont heplaintif
fto
prov et hatt heseepi ngoft hewat erhadbeenduet ot hef aultof
thedef endantorhi sser vant
s.
Held:Si nce t he plainti
ffhad no means ofshowi ng how t he
i
nci denthappened,t hatbei ng int he sole knowledge oft he
defendant ,theonuswasont hedef endant.
Princi pl
e:Wher ethehappeni ngofani ncidentissol
elywi thinthe
knowl edgeoft hedef endant,theprinci
pleappli
esandt heonusi s
ont hedef endantt oshow t hatt hehappeningoft heincidenthas
notbeenduet ohisfaul t
.
PerFoster-Sutt
onPatp.534:" Intheci r
cumst anceshereIam of
theopini
ont hatthef actoftheacci dentr aisesapr esumptionof
negli
gencef orwhi cht hedef endanti sr esponsi bl
e,andthati f
ther
ewer eanyf actsi nconsi
stentwi thnegl igence,ornegli
gence
forwhichhecoul dbehel dresponsi ble,itwasf ort
hedefendant
toprovet hem.Br amwel l,B.
,saidi nBy rnevBoadl e:'
Lookingat
themat t
eri nar easonabl eway ,i
tcomest ot his— aninj
uryi s
donet othepl ai
ntiffwhohasnomeansofknowi ngwhet herit
wast heresultofnegl i
gence;thedef endantwhoknowshowi t
wascaused, doesnott hi
nkfittotellthejury.'Itseemstomet hat
thi
sreasoningisappl i
cabl et
ot hepresentcase.
253.
The
evidenceinconsist
entwit
hhisli
abil
it
y,Iam oft heopi
nion
that the defendant must be hel
dr esponsi
blefor the
damage."
"Ther
ecanbenodoubtt hatacoll
i
sionwouldnothave
occurred i
fthebrakesoft hedefendant'
svehi
clehad
funct
ionedproper
ly.Thei
rfai
l
uretodosowasduet othe
factt
hatthebrakewascompletel
yempty."
Klut
sevNel son[19651GLR537
Facts:Abusonwhi cht hepl
aint
if
ftrav
ell
edcol
l
idedhead-
onwi
tha
ti
ppertruckdri
venbyt hedefendantwhenthet
ruckski
ddedof
fit
s
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
tsi
nGhana
l
anet ot hel aneoft hebus.Thepl ainti
ffcl
aimedt hecol li
sion
occurredasar esultofthenegligenceoft hedefendantindriv
ingat
anexcessi v
espeedandf ail
ingtoapplyhi sbrakesattheri
ghtt i
me.
Thedef endantont heot herhandcl ai
medt heskidoccurredwhen
heappl i
edani mmedi atebr aketoav oidhi t
ti
ngthebackofacar .
thathadov ertakenhi m atthewr ongpl ace.Thetri
alj
udger ej
ect ed
theevidenceoft hedef endantandappl iedthedoctri
neofresi psa.
Held:Sincethepl ainti
ffclai
medt oknowt hecauseoft heåccident,
themaxi m didnotappl y.
Princi
ple:Thepr incipl
eofr esipsal oquiturappli
esonlywher et he
causeoft heacci dentisunknown.
—054
"I
tfol
lowsinmyj udgment
,thatt
heplainti
ff
'scasest
oodor
fel
laccordingasshesucceededorf ailedtoestabl
i
shthe
actsonwhi chsher el
i
edasconst i
tutingthenegli
gence.
I
ndeedt hatisthev i
ewwhichthi
scourttookwhenallowi
ng
an
255.
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
tsi
nGhana
"
Ihe
AboakuvTet teh[196212GLR165
Facts:Thedef endantdrov ehiscart ohittheplainti
ff
'scarwhi
ch
waspar kedbyt her oadside.Thedef endantchosenott ogi
ve
evi
denceatt het r
ialbutr el
iedont wost atementsgi v
entothe
poli
ce, whichthecour tfoundt obeinadmi ssi
ble.
Held:Sincet hedef endanthadnoev i
denceorexpl anati
onfort
he
accident,themaxi m ofr esi psal oquit
urwoul dappl yandthe
defendantwoul dbeliable.
Pri
nci pl
e:Thef actofanacci dentmayr ai
seapr esumpti
onof
negligencesuchast omaket hemaxi m apply.
•
256
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
tsi
nGhana
PerSarkodee-AddoJSCatpp.169and170:" Turningto
ground (2)itisa set t
led rul
eofl aw and cannotbe
doubtedthattheonusofpr oofthatt
hefirstdefendantas
theservantoragentoft heseconddef endanthasbeen
guil
tyofnegl i
gencefall
supont heplai
ntif
fandunt i
lhe
hasdischargedthisburdenthereisnocaset obel eftt
o
thejur
y.Inal i
mitednumberofcases, howev er,t
hef acts
oftheaccidentmayoft hemselvesconsti
tuteev i
denceof
negli
genceandt hedoct r
ineofr esi
psaloqni t
urappl i
es.
'
Insomeci rcumstancesthemer ehappening
•
257
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
ofanacci dentaf
for
dsPr i
mafacieev i
dencethatitwas
ther esul
tofwantofduecar eon t hepartoft he
defendant'
;seeClerkandLindse/lonTor t
s,(1It
hed.)
p.399.I n such ci
rcumstancest he plai
nti
ffwillbe
enti
tl
edt osucceedunlessthedef endantbyev i
dence
rebutstheprobabi
li
ty.
"In McAr t
hur v Domi nion Car t
ri
dge Company ( a
Canadi ancase) ,ajur
yhav i
ngf oundthatanexpl osion
occur red t hrough the negl ect of t he def endant-
companyt o supplysuitable machi neryand t ot ake
properpr ecauti
ons,andt hatt her esul
ti
ngi njurytot he
plai
nt i
ffwasnoti nanywayduet ohisnegl i
gence,t he
verdictwasuphel dbyt heunani mousj udgment soft wo
cour t
s.TheSupr emeCour tr
ev ersedthejudgment sof
thet wocour ts.Onappealt ot hePr i
vyCounci l
,itwas
heldt hatanor derbyt heSupr emeCour tsett i
ngasi de
thev erdictont hegroundt hatt herewasnoexactpr oof
oft hef aultwhi chcertai
nlycausedt heinjurymustbe
reversed.Pr ooft ot hatef fectmay be r easonabl y
required i n parti
cul
arcases;i ti snotso wher et he
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
accidenti st heworkofamoment ,anditsorigi
nand
coursei ncapableofbeingdet ect
ed.I nacasesuchas
theoneunderconsi derati
onher et heacci
dentitsel
f
rai
ses a pr esumpt
ion of negl i
gence against the
defendant s,andtheonusofdi spr
ov i
ngnegli
gencewas
upon t hem and t hi
st hey completelyfai
l
ed to do.
Hav i
ng al readyindi
catedt hatexhibit
sD andEwer e
i
nadmi ssiblet he
257"
onlyev i
dence befor
et he cour twas thatoft he
plai
nti
ffandhi stwowi t
nessesi nsuppor tofthe
clai
m;andexcl udi
ngt hesest atements(exhi
bit
sD
andE)wear eoftheviewt hatinthecir
cumstances
thedoctri
neofresipsaloquiturappl
ies.
"Uponappl icationoft hi
sdoct ri
ne,wedi ffer,with
respectandgr eatr eluct
ance,afterlisteningt othe
argument sofl earnedcounselandr ev i
ewi ngal lthe
facts,from t he findings and conclusi ons oft he
l
ear nedtri
aljudge,andar eoft heopiniont hatupon
fail
ure oft he def endantsto cr oss-exami ne the
plai
ntif
fast ot hequant um ofhiscl aimf orr epai
rs
andt helossofear ningscoupl
edwi t
ht heirf ail
ureto
l
eadev i
dencet or ebutthepr obabili
ty,thepl aint
if
f
wasent it
ledtosucceedi nhisclaim."
DeckervAt ta(1970)CC109
Facts:Thepl ai
ntif
fwasapai dpassengeri nt hedef endant's
l
or r
ywhent helorr
yov ert
urned, causingseverei nj
uri
est othe
plai
ntiff
.He sued and r el
ied on t he doctri
ne ofr es ipsa
/oquitw.Thedef endantexpl ainedthatt heaccidentoccurred
duet ot hesuddenbr eakoft helongshaf tint helorry.Held:
Thef act srai
sedaPl imafaciecaseofnegl igenceandt he
maxi m of r es ipsa applied and si nce the def endant's
explanationcouldnotdi spl
acet heonusont hem,t hevwer e
l
iable.
Dumgy
avSpor
tsCounci
lofGhana[
197411GLR429
Fact
s:Thedeceasedwasaspect
atoratt
heKumasiSpor
ts
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Stadi um f ora mat ch or gani sed by t he def endant .The
stadi um wasal soundert hecar eandmai ntenanceoft he
defendant .Partofthewal lint hest adium col lapsedandf el
l
ont hedeceasedwhosust ainedsev erei nj
uriesf r
om whi chhe
died.Thepl ainti
ffsued.Itwasf oundt hatt hepar toft hewall
thatcol l
apsedhadonl yonepi l
l
arinsteadoft heusual two.
Hel d:Si ncet heaccidentwasonet hatwoul dor dinari
lynot
occuri nt he absence ofnegl i
gence on t he par toft he
defendant ,themaxi m ofr esi psal oqui turappl i
edandt he
defendant swoul dbeheldl iable.
Princi ple:Wher eanacci dentoccur st hatint henor malcour se
oft hingswi l
lnotoccuri nt heabsenceoft henegl i
genceof
the per son i n contr
ol,the f actoft he acci dentr aises a
Primaf acieev idenceofnegl igenceont hepar toft heper son
is cont roland i sl i
ablei nt he absence ofa r easonable
expl anat ionast othecour seoft heacci dent.
PerAninJAatpp.434—436:"
From t
hedeci
dedcases,
it
i
s
sett
led thatt
he maxi
m res ipsa l
oqui
turcomes int
o
operat
ion:
onpr
oofoft
hehappeni
ngoft
heunexpl
ainedoccur
rence;
"
(i
i)whent heoccurrenceisonewhi chwoul
dnothav e
happened i nt he ordinar
y course of t
hings
withoutnegligence on the partofsomebody
otherthantheplaint
if
f;and
"
(i
ii
)thecircumstancespoi
ntt
ot henegl
i
gencei
nquest
ion
beingt hatofthedef
endantrat
herthant
hatofany
otherperson.
"Themax i
mr esipsaloquiturappli
esonl ywheret he
causeorcausesoft heacci dentareunknownbut
theinf
erenceofnegl igencei sclearfr
om thenat ure
ofthe acci dent,and t he defendanti stherefore
l
iabl
eifhedoesnotpr oduceev i
dencet ocounteract
theinf
erence.I fthecausesar esuffi
cient
lyknown,
thecaseceasest obeonewher ethef actsspeak
forthemsel ves and t he courthas to det er
mi ne
whetherOfnot ,from theknownf act
s,negli
gencei s
to be i nferr
ed: see Bar kway v Sout h Wal es
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Transpor tco. ,
Lt d[1950]1Al lE. R392atp.394, H.L.
perLor dPor ter( wher eanomni busl eftther oadand
felldownanembankment ,butt hecauseoft he
accidentwasknownt obeabur stt yreduet oan
i
mpactf r
act urewhi chdoesnotnecessar i
lyl eave
anyv isi
blemar ksont heout ert yre,itwashel dthat
themaxi m wasi nappl icabl e.Howev er ,t
heomni bus
company was f ound on t he ev idence t o be
negligenti n nothav ing apr opersy stem oft yr
e
i
nspect ion).I nt hatcasei nt heCour tofAppeal
reportedi n[1948]2Al lE. R.460atp.471Asqui t
h
L.J.(ashet henwas)summar isedt heposi tionwi t
h
regardt ot heonusofpr oofi ncasesf allingunder
themaxi mi nt hreepr oposi ti
ons,whi chpr ovidea
usefult estf orourpur pose:' (i
)I ft hedef endant s'
omni bus l eav es t he r oad and f alls down an
embankment ,andt hi swi thouti nmor ei spr ov ed,
thenr esi psal oqui t
ur ,t herei sapr esumpt iont hat
theev entiscausedbynegl igenceont hepar toft he
defendant s,andt hepl aintiffsucceedsunl esst he
defendant s[ p.435]canr ebutt hispr esumpt ion.( i
i)
Itisnor ebut t
alf ort hedef endant st oshow,agai n
withoutmor e,t hatt he i mmedi at e cause oft he
omni busl eav i
ngt her oadi sat y reburst ,sinceat yr
e
-burstperse i sa neut ralev entconsi stent ,and
equal l
yconsi stent ,withnegl i
genceorduedi l
i
gence
ont hepar toft hedef endant s.\ Vhenabal ancehas
beent il
tedoneway ,youcannotr edressi tbyaddi ng
anequal weightt oeachscal e.
259•
Thedepr essedscalewi l
lr emaindown. .
.(ii
i
)To
displacethepresumpti
on,t hedefendantsmustgo
furtherand prove(oritmustemer ge f
rom the
evidenceasawhol e)eit
her( a)thatthebursti
tself
was due t o a specif
ic cause whi ch does not
connot enegl
igenceont heirpartbutpointstoi t
s
absenceasmor eprobable,or(b),i
ftheycanpoint
to no such specifi
c cause,t hatt hey used all
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
r
easonablecar
einandaboutt
hemanagementof
t
hei
rtyres.
'
"Appl
y i
ngt hesepr i
ncipl
esofthemaxi m ofresi psa
l
oquiturandt heonusofpr oofarisingt heref
r om to
theev i
dencei nt hi
scase,Iam sat isfi
edt hatt he
l
earnedci rcuitj
udgeer r
edi nhol dingt hat( i)the
max i
m wasi napplicabl
e;(ii
)thatnegl igencehad
notbeenest abl
ishedagai nstthedef endant s;(ii
i)
thatthesur roundingci r
cumstancesshowedt hat
thedefendant swer enotincontroloft hesi tuation;
and(iv)thatthecauseoft heaccidentwasknown.
261•
"Theideathatresipsal
oquit
urassuchi spleadabl
e
must have probabl
y ar
isen ex abundant
i caute/
a
becauseoft
hecauti
onof
"I
nmyopi nion,theeditorsofBul l
enandLeakeand
BenasandEssenhi ghareent irelywrong.Or der19,r .
4ofourHi ghCour t(Civ i
lProcedur e)Rul es,1954,
whi chwascul ledwi t
houtanyal t
erati
oni nf orm or
substancef rom theEnglishRul esprovidesasf ol
lows:
'
Ev ery pleading shallcont ai
n,and cont ain onl ya
statementi nasummar yf orm ofthemat erialfactson
whi ch the par t
y pleadi
ng r elies forhis cl aim or
defence,ast hecasemaybe,butnott heev i
denceby
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
which t
heyar
eto be pr
oved .
..(
the emphasi
sis
mine)
.'
"Thispr ov
isi
onmakesi tmandat orythatonl ymaterial
factsandnot hingelsear etobepl eaded.I nmyv i
ew
paragraph( 9)oft hestat ementofcl ai
m oughtt obe
struck offand Ipr opose t oi gnorei tas bei ng
unnecessar yhavingr egar dtothepr ovi
sionofOr der
19,r .29,whichpr ovi
desasf ol
lows:'TheCour tora
Judgemayatanyst ageoft heproceedingsordert o
be st ruck out or amended any mat ter i
n any
i
ndor sement or pl eading whi ch may be
unnecessar y.
..
.'
'
Wedonotshar et heirv i
ewt hatthedoct r
ineofr es
i
psa l oqui t
urcan be r esor ted to onl y when a
plaintiffspeci fi
callypl eadst hathei nt endst or el
y
oni t.Whatt hepassagei nHa/ sbur y '
sLawsof
Engl and( 3rded. )
,Vol .28,p.77,par a.79,whi ch
wasci tedbyl earnedcounselt ous, say sisnott hat
resi psal oqui t
urmustbepl eaded,butt hatf acts
from whi ch iti si ntended t hatt hepr esumpt ion
shoul dbedr awnmustbe.Theact ualwor dsof
Ha/ sbur yar e:'Thepl ainti
ffcannotr elyuponan
i
nf erenceofnegl igenceunl esshehasal legedi n
thepl eadi ngsandpr ov edatt hetri
althef act sfrom
whi cht hei nferencei st obedr awn. 'Sot hatt he
appear ance oft he i ncantatory wor ds r es i psa
/oqui furi nt hepl eadings,Oft hepl aintiffsay ing
thereint hathei ntendst orelyont hemer eacci dent
as pr oof of t he negl igence,i s not t he onl y
foundat ionf ort hei nvocat i
onoft hedoct r
ine( the
emphasi sismi ne) .'
"I
tseems t o me wi threspectthough t
hatt he
appearanceoft hemer ephraseresi
psaloqui
turis
by it
self,inf act,no foundati
on atallfort he
i
nvocation oft he doct
ri
ne.I n my v
iew t
he true
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
foundati
onf ort
hei
nvocat
ionoft
hedoct
ri
nei
sas
clear
lystat
ed
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
i
nt he above passage.I ti s merelypleadi ng and
nothingelse,only't
hefact sfr
om whi chitisintended
that t he pr esumpt i
on shoul d be dr awn.
'
Unfortunatel
ypr obabl
yt hecaut i
ouswayi nwhi chit
wasexpr essedhasi nadv ert
ently
,Ibel ieve,l edan
academi c wr i
ter to mi sconceivet he true r at
io
decidendiand t o suggesti nt he usualv ein of
academi cwr i
tersbutv erywr onglyinmyv i
ew,t hat
the decision oft he f ul
lbench i n applying t he
pri
ncipletothecasei shar dtojusti
fy.
"
Asaf
ovCat
hol
i
cHospi
tal
ofApam [
197311GLR282
Fact s:Thepl aintif
f'sdaught erofsi xweeksol dwasadmi tt
ed
tot hedef endant '
shospi talataspeci alwar df orchi l
dren.
Althought hemot herwasal l
owedt osl eepint hehospi talin
ordert obr east f
eedher ,sheonlyhadaccesst ot hedaught er
ont hei nvit
ationoft hehospi talaut hori
ti
es.Thechi l
dl ater
disappear ed and nobody coul dt el
lherwher eabout.The
plainti
ffsued.Thedef endantsof f
erednoexpl anationfort he
disappear anceoft hechi ld.
Hel d:Sincet hedef endantcoul dnotgi veev i
dencet oshow
thatt hedi sappear anceoft hechildwasconsi stentwi thdue
careanddi li
gence,t hepl ai
ntif
fwasent i
tl
edt or elyont he
doct ri
neofr esi psal oquiturandt hedef endantwasl i
ablei n
theabsenceofexpl anation.
Principle:Wher eanev entoccur r
edsuchaswoul dnoti nt he
ordinarycour seoft hingshav eoccur redwi t
houtnegl igence,
thedoct ri
neofr esi psal oquit
urappl i
es.
269.
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
ti
mewhenshewassupposedt obesl eepinginit.The
circumst ances underwhi ch t he child gotmi ssi
ng
accor di
ngt ot hepl aintif
f'scounselwer eamat ter
withint heexcl usi
veknowl edgeoft hedef endant s'
staf fondut yatt her elevantt ime.Lear nedcounsel
fort he defendant st ook issue wi tht he pl ai
ntiff'
s
reli
ance on t he principle ofr es i
psa loqui t
urand
submi tt
edt hati nt heabsenceofanyev idencet o
show t hat t he admi nist
r ati
v e set up of t he
def endants'hospi t
alwas f ound want i
ng i nt hei r
secur ity sy stem compar ed wi t
h what exi sts
elsewher ei n ot herhospi t
al st he plai
ntif
f'
s act i
on
shoul dbedi smi ssed.
"Itist ri
tel aw t hatwher eanev entoccur ssuchas
woul d noti nt he or dinar y cour se oft hings hav e
occur redwi thoutnegl igencet hen, condi tionsexi stfor
the appl i
cat ion ofr es i psa / oqui tur.Among t he
i
nst ancesofsuchoccur rencei st het heftofgoods
from abai l
ee'swar ehouse:seeBr ooksWhar fand
Bui/Whar fLt d.vGoodmanBr other s[1937]1K. B.534
atpp.539- 540,C. A.Thef actsoft hiscasecanbe
l
ikenedt oacaseofbai lment .Theonl ydi ff
er encei s
thatachi l
dcannotst rictl
ybedescr i
bedasachat tel
whichcanbebai l
ed,butt hepr inci pleIam t ryingt o
draw i st hesame.I nmat tersofcar e,at tent i
onand
cont rolofmov ement sachi l
dofsi xweeksol di sno
diff
er entf rom ani nani mat eobj ectwhi chi si ncapabl e
ofi ndependentmov ementbutdepends f orsuch
suppor t on whoev er hav e i ts cust ody . Wher e
theref ore t he chi ld get s mi ssing whi l
st under
someone' scust odycondi tionsexi stwhi chr equi rean
explanat ionf rom whoev erhadi tscust ody ,andon
this scor e Iam oft he v iew t hatt he pl ai
nt i
ff'
s
cont ent iont hatt hef act soft hepr esentcasecal lfor
anexpl anat ionf r
om t hedef endanti st her ightv i
ew
andt hatt her eliancehepl acesonr esi psal oqni t
urto
establ ishhi scl aimi sjust ifi
able.I nmyj udgmentIf ind
resipsal oqni turappl icablet othef actsoft hepr esent
case,andi nt heabsenceofanyev idencef rom t he
270.
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Br
ownvSal
tpondCer
ami
cs[
1979]GLR409
Facts:Thepl ainti
ff'
sf iv
e-year -
oldsonwasknockeddownand
kil
l
edbyt hedef endant '
sdr iveronamaj orroadwhi chcrossed
amar ketpl aceandwhi chwasal way scr owded.Thepl aint
if
f
all
egedt hatt heaccidentoccur r
edduet oexcessivespeedat
whicht hedef endant'sdr i
v erwasgoi ng.Hewashowev ernot
aney e-witnesst otheacci dentandatt hetri
alfail
edt oprove
thespeedatwhi cht hecarwast ravel
li
ngort hedistancethe
chil
dwast hrownaf tertheacci dent.Thet ri
aljudgeheldforthe
defendantandonappeal ,hear guedt hatthej udgef ai
ledto
applythedoct ri
neofr esipsa
l
oqui
tur
.
Held:Sincethefact
spleadedandt heev i
denceleddi
dnotshow
anyev i
denceofnegli
gence,thedoct r
inewasnotappli
cabl
e.
Pri
nciple:Forthedoctri
net o apply,thefact
smustpoi ntt
oa
Pri
maf acienegl
i
genceont hepar tofthedef
endant.
"Hardcases,i
tissaid,makebadl aw.It
hinkt hi
sis
ahardcasebutf atherthanextendtheapplicat
ion
ofthemaxi mr esi
psal oquit
urtosuchacaseas
thi
s,Iwoul d,Ithink,be justi
fi
ed i
nleaving the
damageint hi
scasewher ei
tfell
.
271.
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
272.
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
BarkwayvSouthWalesTranspor
t[195011AllER392
Facts:Theplai
nti
ff
'shusband wasa passengeron the
defendant
'somni
buswhent heoffsi
defrontt
yreoft
hebus
273.
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
274.
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
yourLor dships'House,butitdoesnotconcludet he
matterordet er
mine the speed att he moment
when t he acci dent took pl ace.There was a
considerablebodyofev i
denceatt hetri
altot he
eff
ectt hattheomni buswasdr i
venatav er
yf ast
speedi nt heconditi
onsobt aining,andeventhatit
i
ncreased
275.
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
.
270
foraf indingofl iabili
tyagainsthi m.I tcanr arelyhappenwhen
ar oadacci dentoccur st hattherei snoot herev idence,and,i f
thecauseoft heacci denti spr ov ed,t hemaxi m r esi psa
l
oqui turisofl it
tlemoment .Thequest iont hencomest obe
whet hert heownerhasper f
or medt hedut yofcar ei ncumbent
on hi m,orwhet herhe i s by r eason ofhi s negl igence
responsi blef ort
hei njury.Themaxi mi snomor et hanar uleof
evidenceaf fecti
ngonus.I ti
sbasedoncommonsense, andits
purposei stoenabl ejusti
cet obedonewhent hef act sbearing
oncausat ionandont hecar eexer cisedbyt hedef endantar e
att heout setunknownt othepl aintiffandar eoroughtt obe
withint heknowl edgeoft hedef endant .Itisnotnecessar yin
thepr esentcaset oconsi dert heint ermedi ateposi tion,when
therei s some ev idence bear ing on t he causat i
on oft he
accidentandont hecar eexer cisedbyt hedef endant ,butthe
causeoft heacci denthasnotbeenpr ov ed,ort odi scusswhat
evidencei nsuchacasemaysuf fi
cet odi schar get heonus. "
271"
anadequatest
andardofcar
e,anditi
sfort
hatreasont
hatI
thi
nkt
hattheappel
lanti
sent
it
ledt
oherdamages.
"
PerPol l
ockBatp.1529:" Supposeamant obewal king
underawar ehouse,aswast hecaseher e,andabar rel
wast or olloutandf alluponhi m, thebar relcomi ngf rom a
heightabov e,how coul d he possi bl yt ellby whose
negligencei twasdone?I twaspr ovedi nev idence,i nt his
case,t hattheent i
rewar ehouseandpr emi seswer ei nt he
defendant '
soccupat i
on,usedbyhi mf ort hecar r
y i
ngon
histrade,andt hatt hebar relwhi chf ellout ,orwasbei ng
l
ower ed,camef rom t hewar ehouseoft hedef endantand
causedt hei njur ytot hepl aintiff.Thatwoul dbeofi tsel f
Pimaf acieev i
denceofnegl igencebyt hedef endant ,or
thosef orwhoseact shewasr esponsi ble.Thepl aintiffis
nott obeobl igedt ogoaboutandi nqui r
et hecauseof
suchanacci dent —whower ei nt hewar ehouseabov ehi m,
andt heirbusi nesst her e;howi twasdone, andsuchl i
ke: it
i
ssi mi l
artot hatofamanwhohast ogot hr oughapubl i
c
passagewher eabui l
dingisbei nger ect ed, andani nj
ur yis
causedt ohi m bysomeoft hemat erialsf all
i
ngonhi m
whilstpassi ng.Thi swoul dbePr i
maf aci eev i
denceof
negligenceagai nstt hebui lder;her et heev idencebef ore
thecour twas, t hatthepl aintiffandhi swi f
ewer epassi ng
alongt heScot landRoad, inLi verpool ,andwhent heywer e
doseagai nstt hedef endant 'swar ehouse,t hewhol eof
whichwasi nhi soccupat i
on, usedbyhi m asaf l
ourdeal er,
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
therecamedownsuddenl yupont hemanabar relofflour
,
andt hust heaccidentoccurredtothepl
aint
if
fofwhi chhe
compl ained.Thisisoneoft hosecasesinwhich,Ithink,a
presumpt ionofnegl i
gencebydef endantisrai
sed,andi t
wasf orhi m,whohadal lt hemeansofev i
denceand
knowl edgewi thi
nhi sreach,t omeeti t
.Ithav i
ngbeen
shownt hatthedefendant
•
272
had the enti
re possessi
on and excl
usive use oft hi
s
warehouse,i
twoul dbepresumedthattheaccidentarose
from hi
swantofcar e,unlesshegavesomeex planat
ion
ofthecausebywhi chitwasproduced,whichexplanat
ion
theplai
nti
ffcoul
dnotbeexpect edtogive,nothavingthe
samemeansofknowl edge."
PerMegawLJatp.224:" I
tisfort
heplai
ntif
ftoshowt hat
therehasoccur redanev entwhichi
sunusualandwhi ch,in
the absenceofexpl anati
on,i
smor econsist
entwi thfault
ont hepartofthedef endantst
hantheabsenceoff ault
;and
tomymi ndthel ear
nedjudgewaswhollyfi
ghtint aki
ngt hat
view ofthepr esenceoft hi
ssli
pperyl
iqui
dont hefloorof
thesupermar ket
273•
•
i
nt he ci r
cumst ances oft his case:t hati st hatt he
def endant skneworshoul dhav eknownt hati twasanot
uncommonoccur rence;andt hati fitshoul dhappen,and
shoul dnotbepr ompt l
yat t
endedt o,itcr eat edaser ious
ri
skt hatcust omer swoul df al land i nj ur et hemsel v es.
Whent hepl ai ntiffhasest ablishedt hat ,t hedef endant s
canst il
lescapef rom liabi
li
ty .Theycoul descapef rom
l
iabi l
ityi ft heycoul dshow t hatt heacci dentmusthav e
happened,orev enonbal anceofpr obabi lit
ywoul dhav e
been l ikel
yt o hav e happened,i rrespect i
v e of t he
exist enceofapr operandadequat esy stem,i nr elationt o
theci r
cumst ances, toprov i
def ort hesaf etyofcust omer s.
But ,ift hedef endant swi shtoputf orwar dsuchacase,i t
i
sf ort hem t oshowt hat,onbal anceofpr obabi lit
y ,either
byev idenceorbyi nferencef rom t heev i
dencet hati s
givenori snotgi v en,thisacci dentwoul dhav ebeenat
l
eastequal lyl ikelyt ohav ehappeneddespi teapr oper
syst em desi gned t o give r easonabl e pr ot ect i
on t o
cust omer s.That ,int hiscase,t heywhol lyf ail
edt odo.
Real lyt he essence of counself or t he def endant s'
argument —and hedi d notshr inkf rom i t
—was:' Nev er
mi nd whet herwe had no sy stem atal l:st i
ll,as t he
plaint i
ffhasf ai l
edt oshow t hatt hey oghour twasspi l
t
withi naf ewsecondsbef oret heacci dent ,shemustf ail.
'
AsIhav esai d, i
nt heci r
cumst ancesoft hiscase, Idonot
thinkt hatt hepl aintiff
,tosucceed,hadt opr ov ehowl ong
i
twassi ncet hedef endants'floorhadbecomesl i
pper y."
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Par
kervMi
l
ler(
1926)42TLR408
Facts:Thedef endantl
ethisf r
ienddr iv
ehi scart ot hel at
ter
's
houseandpar keditonav eryst eepgr adi
ent.Afterabout30
minutes,thecarrandownt hehillandcr ashedintothepl ai
nti
ff
's
house.
Held:Thef actsoft hecarrunningdownt hehi l
lwheni twas
unattended to and it
s crashi
ng t he plai
nti
ff'
s house wer e,
themselves,evi
denceofnegli
genceandt husthedef endantwas
l
iableintheabsenceofexpl
anati
on.
ThomasvCur ley(2013)131BMLR111
Facts:The def endantperformed a surgeryon t he pl
aint
if
ft o
remov east oneinhi sgal
lbladder
.Afterthesur gery
,theplai
ntif
f
suff
eredinjurytohisbil
eductresul
ti
nginabi leleak.
Held:Thedoct ri
neofr esipsaloqui
turwoul dnotappl ybutsince
theplaint
if
fhadbeenabl etoestabli
shthatinj
ur yhadbeencaused
toapar tofhisbodyot herthanwherethesur gerywasperformed,
hewasent itl
edt ojudgment.
"
274
Pr
inci
ple:Wher
ethecauseoft
heacci
denti
sknownt
hedoct
ri
ne
doesnotappl
y.
[11]"Theappel l
antsubmi tsthattherespondent '
scaseat
tri
alwasf oundedent i
relyonr esi psal oquit
ur,thatthe
j
udgewasi ner rori
nf ail
ingtor ecogniset hatandt hat
,
becauset her espondent'
scasemani festl
yf ai
ledtomeet
therequir
ement sofresipsaloquit
ur,thejudgewaswr ong
toconcludet hattheinj
urysufferedbyt herespondentwas
causedbyt heappel l
ant'
snegligence."
Atpp.115and116,par
s.17and18:[
17]"
Tomymi nditdoes
appeart
hatt
hemoreextremebasi
sonwhichPr
ofessorParks
rest
ed
275"
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
t nGh
si ana
his opi
nion did seek to draw a necessar yinfer
ence of
negli
gencef r
om themer ef actofinjuryandmi ghttheref
ore
beconsi der
edanappl icat
ionofr esi psaloquit
nr.Howev er
,
thatwasnott heonlywayinwhi chthecasewasputonbehal f
ofther espondent
.Iconsidert hatthej udgewascor r
ectto
decli
net oapplyresi psa/ oquit
urandt oaddresswhet her
negli
gencehadbeenpr ovedi nthepar ti
cularci
rcumstances
ofthi
scase.
per
sont
oshowmer
elyt
hatt
hecauseofl
ossofcont
rolwas
a
skid,becauseaski disi tsel
fa'neutralevent',consistent
equall
ywi th negligence ordue dil
igence.Accor dinglyt he
burdenremai nsont hedri
v eninsuchcircumstancest opr ove
thatheexer cisedduedi li
gence.Fort hosepr oposi
tionsMr
Brightrel
iedonBar kwayvSout hWal esTransportCoLt d
[1949]1KB54,[ 1948]2Al lER460,[1948]LJR1921( upheld
byt heHouseofLor dsat[1950]1Al lER392)andRi chie,v
Faull[
196513Al lER109,129JP498, [
1965]1WLR1454.
64] "
[ Iti
sundoubt
edl
ythecaset
hatski
dsmayOCCUfi
n
dif
ferentcircumstancesandfordiffer
entr easons.However
,
thejudgef oundthatinthepresentcaset heskidhappened
becauseoft hepresenceofblackicewhi chwasi nvi
sibl
eto
themot or
ist.Thatisnota' neutr
alev ent',butanunusual
andhi ddenhazard.
65] "
[ Thedoctrineexpressedinthemaxi mr esipsaloqui t
ur
i
sar uleofevidencebasedonf ai
rnessandcommonsense.
Itshouldnotbeappl i
edmechani stical
lybuti nawaywhi ch
refl
ectsit
sunder lyi
ngpur pose.Themaxi m encapsul ates
theprinci
plethatinor derforaCl aimantt oshow t hatan
eventwascausedbyt henegl i
genceoft heDef endant ,he
need notnecessar il
ybe abl et o show pr eci
selyhow i t
happened.Hemaybeabl etopoi nttoacombi nationof
factswhichar esuffi
cient,wit
houtmor e,togiv eriset oa
properinf
erencet hattheDef endantwasnegl igent.Acar
goingoffther oadisanobv i
ousexampl e.Adr iv
erowesa
dutytokeephi sv ehi
cleunderpr opercont rol
.Unexpl ained
fai
luretodosowi l
ljusti
fytheinferencet hatthei ncident
wast hedr i
ver'
sf aul
t.Int hewor dsoft heLat i
nt ag,t he
mat t
erspeaksf orit
self.I
nsuchci rcumst ancesthebur den
CaseBr
ief
s: LawofTor
t nGh
si ana
rest
sont heDef endanttoest abli
shfact sfrom whichi tis
nolongerpr operforthecour ttodr awt heinit
iali
nference.
To show mer elythatt he carskidded i s notsuf f
ici
ent,
becauseacarshoul dnotgoi ntoaski dwi t
houtagood
explanation.InBar kwayvSout hWalesTr ansportCoLt d
thecour ttookt hesamev i
ewaboutat y
r eburst.Aproperly
maintainedv ehicl
eoughtnott osuf ferat yr
ebur st
.I tis
ther
eforenotsur pri
singthatt hecour theldt hatinsuch
cir
cumst ances:
'
.
..
theDef
endantsmustgof
urt
herandprov
e( Ofi
tmustemer
ge
f
rom t
heevi
denceasawhol
e)ei
ther(
a)t
hatthe
277.
.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
burstit
sel
fwasduet ospeci fi
ccausewhi chdoes
notconnotenegl
igenceont hei
rpartbutpoint
stoits
absenceasmor eprobable,or(b)i
ftheycanpointto
nosuchspecifi
ccause,thattheyusedallr
easonable
careinandaboutthemanagementoft hei
rtyr
es.'
66] "
[ Int
hepr
esentcaset
hei
nsur
erssat
isf
iedt
hej
udge
thatMrFordycewasnott rav
elli
ngatanexcessi
v espeed;
thathehadnor easontoantici
pat
eicyr oadconditi
ons;
andthatheski ddedonapat chofblackicewhi chwas
notvisi
bleandcouldnotreasonabl
yhav ebeenforeseen.
•
286
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
doesnotfoll
owasamat terofl
ogicorhumanexper ience.
Ifther
eisinvisi
bleiceonapav ement,t
hef actthatonly
onepedestri
anamonganumberhadt hemi sfort
unet o
sli
p on i
twoul d notmean thatt he pedestri
an who
sli
ppedwast heref
oretoblame.
"
DawkinsvCar niv
alPlc(t/aP&OCr ui
ses)[20111EWCACi v
1237Facts:Theplai
nti
ff,
apassengeronacruiseshi
poper
ated
bythedef endant
s,sl
ippedandfellwhi
lewalkingthr
oughthe
conserv
atoryrest
aur
antofthe
•
287
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
ship.Hesust ainedi nj
uries.Thecauseoft heslippingwast hepr esence
ofsomel iquidont heflooroft herestaurant .Therewasnoev idenceas
tohowl ongthel iquidhadbeenont hefloor.
Held:Thepr esenceoft hel iqui
dont hef loorwasmor econsi stentwith
faultonthepar toft hedef endantsandt heonusl ayont hem todi sprove
thi
swhi chtheyf ail
ed.Theywer ethusliable.
Princi
ple:Wher et he cause oft he acci denti s consist
entwi tht he
presenceoff aultratherthant heabsenceoff ault
,thedoct r
ineappl ies.
PerPil
lLJatpars.26—29:[26]"Ont hefaceofi t
,thepresence
oftheli
quidwasmor econsist
entwi t
hfaultont hepartoft he
Respondent
sthanwi t
habsenceoff aul
tont heirpart
.Thear ea
wasunderthei
rclosecont
rol
andliquidwaspr esentonthef l
oor
.
[30]"Iacceptt hatiftheprobabil
ityisofsuchcont emporaneit
y
bet weent hespill
ageandt heaccidentt
hatremedialact
ioncould
notr easonablybet akenduringthegapbetweent hem,theclai
m
woul dfail.TheRecor derdi
dnotmakeaf i
ndingast oti
mebut ,i
f
theDef endantscoulddemonst ratesuchcont emporanei
ty,the
claim woul dfail
.
31]"
[ Theabsenceofev
idencef
rom oneormor eoft hemany
member sofst affclaimedt obepr esentint heConser vator
yat
themat eri
altimeisr emarkable.Theex pl
anat ionforthelackof
evidencef rom amemberormember sofst affwas, t
heRecor der
found,t hattheDef endants' coul
dnotest ablishwhoi twas'.In
myj udgment ,i
ntheabsenceofev idencef r
om member sofstaff
claimed t o bei mplementing thesy stem,t hej udgewasnot
entitledtoinferfr
om t heexistenceofasy stem thatthespi l
l
age
whi chledtot hefal
loccurredonl yaf ewseconds, orav eryshort
ti
me, befor
et heaccident.
32]"
[ Thecl
aim succeedsont heev i
denceinthiscase.Ther eis
nothi
ngt osuggestsuchcl osenessi ntimebetweent hespil
lage
andt heaccidentaswoul d,atapl acewher ecloseobser v
ation
wasr equi
red,excludeli
abil
it
y.Intheabsenceofev i
dencetot he
contr
ary,Icanconcl udeonlythatonabal anceofpr obabil
iti
es
thewat erhadbeent her
ef orlongert hanthev er
ybr i
efperiod
which,i nt his part
icul
ar place,woul d have excused t he
Defendantsfrom taki
ngremedial acti
onbeforetheaccident.
"
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
279•
•
ChandvDut
t[200714LRC1
Facts:Thepl ai
ntif
fwasempl oyedbyt hedefendanttobepar tofat eam
repairingpot holesonr oads.Theplai
ntif
fwast otendthef i
reforbur ning
thecoalt arindr ums.Duringonesucht endi
ng,thefi
ref l
aredupbur ning
hiscl othesandbody .Hesuedandr el
iedont heprincipl
eofr esi psa
l
oqui tur.Hel d:Sincetheflari
ngupoft hefir
ewasnotat hi
ngt hatcoul d
notr easonabl yhavehappenedwi ththeheat i
ngofcoal ,thedoct rinei s
notappl icable.
Principle:Thedoct r
ineappliesonlywher eint heor di
narycour seof
humanaf fairs,t
heaccidentwouldhav ebeenunl i
kel
ytooccurwi thouta
wantofcar eont hepartofthedefendant.
[36]"Thedoct r
ineoper at
esnotasadi sti
nctsubst ant i
ver ul
eof
l
aw.Rat heri
ti nvolvesanapplicat
ionofani nf
erentialr easoni
ng
processincircumst anceswheretheplainti
ffretainst heonusof
provi
ngnegligence:Sche/ /
enbergvTunnelHol dings( 2000)200
CLR 121.I t
s ef fecti sto pass an evidenti
albur den t othe
defendanttopr ovideanexplanati
onf ortheacci dentt hatdoes
notinvol
veawantofcar eonitspart.
[37]"InBar
kwayvSout hWal esTransportCoLt d[1950]1AllER
392wher et
hedoctri
newassi mil
arlysai
dt obear ul
eofev i
dence,
i
twashel dthat,i
fthef act
sar esuf f
ici
entl
yknownast owhyor
howt heoccur
rencetookpl ace,t
hent hedoctrinedoesnotapply,
andthesoluti
onist obef ound,bydet erminingwhet her
,onthe
fact
sasestabli
shed,negli
genceist obeinfer
redornot .
38]"
[ InNgChunPui
vLeeChuenTat[
1988]132SJ124t
hePr
ivy
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Councilconf
ir
medt hatt
herul
eisoneofevi
denceal
one,anddoes
notcausethelegal
burdenofprooft
oshi
ftt
othedefendant
.
[39]"Wheret her e ar
e equall
y plausi
ble expl
anati
ons forthe
accident
,t hati s,explanat
ions which have some colourof
probabil
i
ty,thent heplai
nti
ffisbackt owherehest art
ed,andis
requir
edtoest abli
shhiscasebypositi
veevidence.
[40]"Inmostinst ances,i
twillbenecessaryforthedefendantto
callsome ev idence ofan expl anat
ion t
hathas a colourof
probabil
i
ty:see,forexampl e,Moor evRFox&Sons[ 1956]1All
ER 182 and Devine[ 1969]2 AllER 53.Itwillnot
normallysuffi
cef orthedef endanttoputupmer et heor
eti
cal
possibi
li
ti
es.
41]"
[ Howev
er,t
hatdependsf
ir
stupont
hecour
tbei
ngsat
isf
ied
that,intheor dinarycour seofhumanaf fai
rs,theaccidentwas
unli
kelyt o occurwi thouta wantofcar e on the partoft he
defendant.Unlesst hatpointismadegood,t hemerefactoft he
accidentisnotenought oraiseapresumpt i
vecaseofnegl i
gence:
Frankli
nvVi ctori
anRai lwaysComr s(1959)101CLR 197and
PieningvWan/ ess( 1968)117CLR498at508wher eBarwickCJ
said:'I
ftheoccur rencei stopr ov
ideevidence,itcanonlybethat,
withinthecommonknowl edgeandexper ienceofmanki nd,[
the]
occur r
enceisunl ikelytooccurwi thoutnegligenceonthepar tof
thepar t
ysued.'
[43]"Althoughnoev i
dencewascal l
edi nt hi
scaset oidenti
fythe
causef orit
sflar
ingup,noneoft hepossibili
ti
esment i
onedbyt he
plai
ntif
fsuchast hegustofwi ndorspil
lageofcoalt ar(assuming
i
tt ohav ebeencombust i
ble)hadanyev identi
arysupportforthei
r
occurrence.Therewer eotherpossibi
li
ti
esav ai
l
ablesuchast he
actionoftheplai
ntif
finpushingthelar
ge281•
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
pi
eceoft
imberi
ntot
hef
ir
e,orev
enst
andi
ngt
oocl
oset
oit
sfl
ames.
[44]"Whatthet ri
alj
udgehadl ef
twasthemerecir
cumst
ance
thatthefi
refl
ared,anevent
,whi
chaswehaveobser
vedwasnot
onewhi chcouldbef ai
rlysai
dt ohav
ebeenunli
kel
ytooccur
withoutnegl
i
gence.
KumarvCommi ssionerofPoli
ce[2007]3LRC214
Facts:Fol l
owi ng an armed i nsur gence whi ch result
ed i n a gener al
breakdown ofl aw and or der ,the deceased,a pol i
ce of f
icer,whi l
e
exercisi
nghi sdut i
es,waskill
edbyanescapedpr isoner.Thepl aintif
f,t
he
spouseoft hedeceasedsuedandr el i
edont hepr i
ncipleofr esipsa
l
oqui t
ur.Shear guedt hattheescapeofapr i
sonerf r
om pr i
soni si nit
self
evidenceofnegl igenceont hepar toft hedef endant .
Held:Althought heescapeofapr isonerf rom prisonwasi tselfev i
dence
ofnegl i
gence,t hegener albreakdownofl aw andor derwasnoti nthe
normal causeoft hi
ngsandt hust hepr inciplewoul dnotappl y.
Princi
ple:Thepr i
ncipl
eappl i
eswher ei nthenor malcauseoft hingsthe
accidentwi l
lnothappenwi t
houtt henegl i
genceoft hedef endant .Where
thecircumst ancesoft heacci denti st hereforenoti nthenor malcause
ofthings,thedoct ri
nedoesnotappl y.
[
18] "
Wecannotacceptt
hesear
gument
s.Pr
oofoft
he
means
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
ofescapef rom pri
soni nnormalt imesmi ghtestabli
shapr i
me
faciecaseofnegl igenceont hepar tofthepr i
sonser vice.In
Scot t
vLondonandStKat heri
neDocksCo( 1865)3H&C596
at601 Er l
e CJ del iv
eri
ng t he judgmentoft he Cour tof
ExchequerChambersai dthatt hemaxi m applied'wher et he
accidenti ssuchasi ntheor di narycourseoft hingsdoesnot
happeni fthosewhohav et hemanagementusepr opercar e'
.
Howev er,t
hesi t
uati
onwhi chpr evai
ledfoll
owingthebreakdown
ofl aw andor derafterGeor geSpei ghtandhi sconf ederates
seizedt hePar li
amentwer enot' theordinarycourseoft hings'
.
Int hatsi tuat
ion proofofan escape wi thoutmor e cannot
possiblyest abli
shapr imaf aciecaseofnegl i
gencebyt he
pri
sonser vi
ce.
[
19] "Thebreakdownofl awandor dermayhav eext
ended
tothepri
sonsandpr i
sonofficer
smayhav erefusedtodothei
r
duty.I
fso,theymay ,asar esult
,hav eactedout si
dethescope
ofthei
rempl oymentsoast oexcl udethev i
cari
ousli
abi
li
tyof
thepri
sonser v
iceforthei
ractsandomi ssions.Theremayhave
beenabsolutel
ynot hi
ngthatt heCommi ssionerandhisseni
or
off
icer
scouldhav edonetopr eventtheescape.
[
20] "
Thest
ateisnotgeneral
lyl
i
ableindamagestothose
whosuffer
edpersonali
njur
iesorpropertydamagefoll
owing
t
hebreakdownoflaw andor deri
nFijii
nMay2000.Thel aw
woul
dlackcoher
enceifthecourtscr
eatedalimi
tedexcept
ion
f
orinj
uri
esanddamagei nfl
i
ctedbyprisoner
swhoescapedat
t
hatti
me.
[21] "I
nourj udgment ,therefore,t
heappel l
antfai
ledt o
est abl
ish a prima facie case ofnegl i
gence,and i nt hese
circumst ances the factt hatt he Commi ssionercal l
ed no
evidence, wherethefactswer epeculiarl
ywithinhisknowledge,
cannotassi sttheappellant.Wet herefor
eagr eewi t
htheCour t
ofAppealt hattheclaim againsttheCommi ssionerofPrisons
failsont hisgroundwhi ch,inanyev ent,rai
sednoquest i
onof
gener alpri
ncipl
e."
Ratcl
if
fevPl ymout
hTorbayHealthAut
hori
ty(1998)42BMLR64Fact s:
Theplaint
if
funderwentasurger
yonhi sfi
ghtankleatt hedefendants'
hospit
alandwasgivenananaesthet
ict
orel
ievepost-oper
ati
vepain.The
operat
ionitsel
fwassuccessfulbuthesuf f
eredneur ol
ogi
caldef ect
s
whichcausedhi mt obeparal
ysedont herightsidedownwar dsand
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
pr
oducedej
acul
ator
ypr
obl
ems.Thedef
endant
sledexper
tev
idence
283•
to show thattheanaest heti
sthad notbeennegl i
gent
.Thepl aint
iff
soughttorelyonthedoctri
neofr esipsal
oqui
tur
.
Held:Thefactthatamedicaloper at
ionpr
oducedanunfavour
ableresult
was notev idence ofnegligence and t
hatin mostcases involvi
ng
medicalnegli
gence,exper
topinionwouldbenecessar
y.
Andatp.81:" Int hi
scase,howev er ,thej udgemadet heposi tive
fi
ndi ngt hatt heanaest hetisthadper for medt hespi nali nject ioni n
theappr opriatepl acewi thal lpropercar e.I nt hoseci rcumst ances,
anypossi blei nf erenceofnegl i
gencef all
sawayand,unl esst his
fi
ndi ngwer esetasi de,t hepl aint i
ff'
scasewasboundt of ail.Mr
Bur net tgal lantlysetoutt oper suadeust hatt hej udgehadnot
eval uatedt heev idencei nt hispar toft hecasecar ef ull
yenough,
andt hati fhehad,hewoul dnothav emadet hef i
ndi nghedi d.He
said,f ori nst ance,t hatatt he t ri
ali n Jul y 1996,DrBoaden
accept edt hathehadnodi rectr ecol l
ect i
onofMrRat cliffeorhi s
oper ation, andt hatthi swassur prising, gi v
ent hathehadbeenf i
rst
toldaboutMrRat cl
if
fe'spai nfulsy mpt omsonl y12day saf tert he
oper ation.I twascommongr oundt hat ,atanear lyst ageoft he
l
iti
gat ion,DrBoadenhadmi stakenl yt houghtt hatananaest het i
c
regist r
arcal l
edDrBy attehadbeenpr esentt hroughout , andt hathe
hadf orgot tent hatDrCl ement swaspr esent .Hehadal somadeno
posi ti
v eav er mentpr iort ot het ri
alt hati twashehi msel fwhohad
admi nisteredt hespi nali njection.Thi swassai dt ocastdoubton
hisev i
denceundercr oss- exami nat i
ont hati twascl eari nhi smi nd
att het imet hathehadper formedt hei njection,andt hatt hat
memor yhad beenwi thhi m ev ersi nce.MrBur net tal so dr ew
attent i
on t o mi nori nconsi stenci es oroddi ti
es in DrBoaden' s
earlierconductori nhi sear l
ierexpl anat ionsofwhathadt aken
place,andhemadeanumberofot herpoi nt sinanat temptt o
satisf y us t hatt he j udge shoul d hav er ejected DrBoaden' s
evidenceandconcl udedei thert hatt hepl aintiffhadpr ov edt hat
thei njectionwasadmi nisteredatt hewr ongl evel,ort hatt he
defendant shadf ail
edt opr ovet hati twasi ndeedadmi ni ster edat
295"
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
t
heL3/
L4l
evel
.
"
The bur
den ofprovi
ng t
he negli
gence oft
he def
endant
r
emai
nst hr
oughoutupont
heplaint
if
f.Thebur
denisont he
296"
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
plai
nti
ffatthestartoft het r
ialand,absentanadmi ssionby
thedefendant,i
sst i
llupont hepl ai
nti
ffatt heconcl
usionof
thetri
al.Attheconclusionoft hetri
althejudgehastodeci de
whether,uponal ltheev idenceadducedatt hetri
al,hei s
sati
sfi
edupont hebal anceofpr obabil
i
t i
esthatthedefendant
wasnegl i
gent
"
286
andthathisnegli
gencecausedthepl
aint
iff
'sinj
ury
.Ifheisso
sat
isf
ied,he gi
ves judgmentf
orthe pl
aint
if
f:ifnot,he gi
ves
j
udgmentforthedefendant
.
297"
CaseBr
ief
s:7heLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
def
endantmustbel iableforanyaccidentforwhi chhecannotgi ve
acompleteexplanation.Ev enift
hereisani nferencethat,absent
someexplanati
on,ther epr obabl
ywasnegl i
gence,thedef endant
canal
way s,byshowi ngt hathenev ert
helesst ookallreasonable
car
e,persuadethecour tthatont heevidenceadducedi tshould
notbesat i
sfi
edt hatt hedef endantwasi nf actnegligent
:see
WoodsvDuncan[ 1946]1Al lER420,[1946]AC401.
"Medi
calnegl
igence cases havethe pot
ent
ialto giv
eri
se t
o
consi
der
ati
onswhethertheplai
nti
ffhasmadeoutaprima
298"
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
Kyr
iakouvBarnetandChaseFar
msHospi
tal
NHS
Tr
ust[2006]Al
l
ER(D)285
Facts:Aftergivi
ng birt
h,t he plainti
ffunderwenta sur gical
operati
on att he defendant'
s hospi taltor emover etained
products ofconcepti
on.Af tert he operat
ion,she coul
d not
menst r
uate and itwas f ound t hatshe no longerhad an
endomet r
ium lay
eron t hesur faceofherut erus.Shesued
rel
yingonr esi
psaloquit
ur.Thedef endant
sledexpertevi
dence
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
Chapel
vHar
t[199912LRC341
Fact
s:Thedef
endant
,anENTspeci
ali
stper
for
medasur
gical
oper
ati
on
•
288
ont heplai nt
if
ft oremov eapouchf rom heroesophagus.I nthe
causeoft heoper ation,heroesophaguswasper f
oratedandan
i
nfectionseti nwhi chaf fectedherv oi ce.Thecour tf oundthat
alt
houghshehadbeent oldaboutt her iskoft heperforati
on,she
wasnott oldaboutt heef fectonherv oiceandt hathadshe
known she woul d nothav e undergone t he surgery att he
defendant '
s place butwoul d have soughtan exper i
enced
surgeon.The def endantar gued thatt here was no causal
connectionbet weent hewar ningandt hei njurysuffered.
Held:Thepr i
ncipleofr esi psawoul dappl yandshi f
tthebur den
ofpr ooft ot hedef endantt oshow t hatt herewasnocausal
connectionbet weent hewar ningandt hei njuryandhav ingfail
ed
todischar gethisonus, hewasl i
able.
Princi
ple:Wher et hepr incipleappli
es,i tshi ft
st hebur denof
prooftot hedef endant .
PerKi r
byJatpp.377and378,par .93( 8):" Onemeans
ofal l
evi
ati
ngt hebur dencastbyl aw onapl aint
ifft o
establ i
shacausalr el ati
onshipbet weent hebr eachand
thedamageconcer nst heev i
dent iar yonus.Aust rali
an
lawhasnotembr acedt het heor ythatt hel egalonusof
proofshi ftsdur ingat ri
al( seeAnchorPr oduct sLtdv
Hedges( 1966)115CLR493at500, Nomi nalDef endant
vHas/ bauer(1967)117CLR448at456and
Gov ernmentI nsur anceOf ficeofNew Sout h Wal esv
Fredr i
chberg( 1968)118CLR 403at413- 414;cfLt dv
Dev ine[1969]2Al lER53at58.Seegener al
lyAt iyah:
ResI psaLoqui turi nEngl and andAust rali
a( 1972)35
MLR337at345) .Nev er
theless, ther ealisticappr eciati
on
oft heimpr ecisionanduncer t
aint yofcausat ioni nmany
cases—i ncluding t hose i nvolv i
ng al l
eged medi cal
negl i
gence—has dr iven cour tsi nt his count ry ,as i n
Engl and,toacceptt hattheev ident iaryonusmayshi f
t
duringt hehear ing.Onceapl aintiffdemonst ratest hata
breachofdut yhasoccur r
edwhi chi scl osel yf ollowedby
damage,apr i
maf aciecausalconnect ionwi l
lhav ebeen
establ i
shed( seeBet tsvWhi ttings/ owe( 1945)71CLR
637at649) .I tist henf ort hedef endantt oshow,by
evidence and ar gument ,thatt he pat ientshoul d not
recov erdamages.I n McGhee vNat i
onalCoalBoar d
[1972]3Al lER1008at1012,[ 1973]1WLR1at6,a
Scot ti
sh appeal ,Lor d Wi l
ber f
or ce expl ained whyt his
was so.Al though Lor d Wi l
ber for ce's st atement i n
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
McGhee has proved contr
oversi
alin Engl
and (
see
Wil
shervEssexAr
eaHealthAuthori
ly[
1988]1Al
lER871
at879,
881—882),i
thasrecei
vedsupporti
nthi
s
Jenny(AMinor
)vNor
thLi
ncol
nshi
reCount
yCounci
l
[20001LGR269
Facts:Thepl
ainti
ff8-
year-
oldpupi
linaschoolmanagedbythe
defendantl
efttheschooldur i
nganafter
noonbreakandwas
knockeddownbyacaront hemainroadabout1000metres
from t
heschool.Theschoolhadapoli
cyofcl
osi
ngallgat
esbut
therewasnoonei nchar
geofclosi
ngthem.
"
290
Theteacherscl
osedthem whenev ertheysawt hem opened.
Held:Themaxim ofr esipsal oquit
urwouldappl yandputt he
onusont hedef
endanttoexplainhowt heplainti
ffcamet obeby
theroadsi
dewhenshewasnotsupposedt obet here,andhavi
ng
fai
ledtodothat
,theywereli
able.
Pri
ncipl
e:The onus i s on t he def endant to explainthe
cir
cumstancesofthecauseofinjurytotheplaint
iff
.
22."Thisist he appli
cat
ion ofthe maxim res ipsa
/oquit
ur,whi ch merel
y descri
bes t
he stat
e of t he
evi
dencef rom whi
chitwaspropertodrawaninference
ofnegl i
gence.Iti
s:'nomor ethanar ul
eofev idence
aff
ectingonus.Itisbasedoncommonsense,andi ts
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
purposeistoenabl ejusti
cetobedonewhent hef acts
beari
ngoncausat ionandont hecareexercisedbyt he
defendantareattheout setunknowntothepl ai
nti
ffand
areoroughttobewi thintheknowledgeofthedefendant
(Charl
esworthandPer cyonNegl i
gence9thed( 1997)5-
88,citi
ng Lord Normand i n BarkwayvSout h Wal es
Transport[
1950]AC185) .
'
291n
Mel
O'Rei
l
lyvSeamusLav
ell
e[19901I
R372
Fact
s:Thepl
aint
if
fwasdr i
vi
ngonahighwaywhenhi svehi
cle
col
li
dedwi
thf
resi
ancalfbel
ongi
ngt
othedefendant
.Hesuedfor
damagesi
nrespectofhi
scar.Att
hetr
ial
,hesoughttorel
yon
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
thepr incipleofr esipsal oquit
ural t
houghhedi dnotspecifi
call
y
pleadi t.
Hel d:Thepl ainti
ffcoul dr
elyont heprinci
plealt
houghhedi dnot
speci f
icallypleadi t;t hepri
nciplewoul dapplywhereanani mal
straysont ot hehi ghway .Thedef endantwastherefor
eliabl
e.
Principle:Tor elyont hepri
ncipleofresipsaloquit
ur,t
heplaint
if
f
need notspeci ficall
ypl ead itpr ovi
ded factsthatshow t he
appl i
cationoft hepr incipl
ehav ebeenadequat el
ypleaded.
.
.292
havet he managementuse pr opercar
e,i taffor
ds
reasonabl
eevidence,i
ntheabsenceofexplanat
ionby
thedefendant
s,thattheacci
dentarosefr
om wantof
care.
'
"
In the inst
ant case the fl
oor was under the
managementoft hedefendant
,oritsservant
s,and
t
heaccidentwassuchas,i ntheordi
narycourseof
t
hings,wouldnothappenifthefl
oorsarekeptf r
ee
f
rom spil
l
ageofthisnat
ure.Theonusistheref
oreon
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
thedefendanttoshowthatt heaccidentwasnotdue
toanywantofcar eonitspar t
.Ont heheari
ngoft he
appeal,t
hedefendantobjectedtot heplaint
if
frelyi
ng
ont hi
smaxi m becausei twasnotpl eaded.I nmy
opini
on,thisdoctr
inedoesnothav etobepl eaded
beforeaplaint
if
fmayr el
yoni t.I
ft hefactspleaded
and the facts pr
oved show t hatt he doctri
ne is
appli
cabletot he case,t hati s suff
ici
ent— see
BennettvChemical (6B)Lt d[1971]1WLR
1572."
Pat
ri
ckMer
ri
manvGr
eenhi
l
lsFoodsLt
d[199613I
R73
Facts:Theplainti
ffwasempl oy edasadr iveroft hedef endant '
s
car.Whiledri
vingitr oundacor ner,thevehicleturnedst r
aightoff
theroadandcr ashedi ntoafield,causinghi mi njuries.Hesued
thedefendanti nnegl igencerel yi
ngont hepr i
ncipleofr esipsa.
Hear guedt hatt heacci dentwoul dnothav ehappenedi fthe
defendanthad mai ntained t
he carpr oper l
y.Hel d:Since t he
plai
nti
ffdidnotknow t hecauseoft heacci dent ,thepr inci
ple
mustappl ytoputt hebur denofpr oofont hedef endant .Princi
ple:
The principl
e appl ies wher et he cause oft he acci denti s
unknownt othepl ainti
ff.
"Onbehal foft
hedefendant,MrHedi gansubmi t
tedthat
the princi
ple di
d notappl y because there was an
explanati
onast ohow t heacci dentoccurred:ithad
beenshownbyt heevi
denceoft hepl ai
nti
ff
'switnesses
thatthecauseoftheaccidentwas
293•
•
t
hebreaki
ngoft
het
opl
eafoft
heof
fsi
def
rontspr
ing.He
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
f
urt
hersubmitt
edthat,astherewasnoexplanati
onofwhy
t
heleaffr
act
ured,
itwouldbeunf ai
rtoputonthedef
endant
t
heburdenofexpl
aini
ngtheinexpli
cabl
e.
•
294
havejustrefer
red,sai
dinhisopinionatp394: '
Thedoctrine
i
sdependentont heabsenceofexpl anation,and,alt
hough
i
ti sthedut yoft hedefendants,iftheydesi r
et oprotect
themselves,togiveanadequat eexplanationoft hecause
oftheaccident,yet,i
fthefactsaresuf f
icientl
yknown,t he
questi
on ceases t o be one when t he facts speak for
themselves,andthesoluti
onist obef oundbydet ermining
whether,ont hefactsasest abli
shed,negl i
genceist obe
i
nferr
edornot .'
"Intheinstantcasethefactsbearingoncausati
onandon
thecar eexerci
sedbyt hedef endantareunknownt othe
plai
ntif
fandar eoroughttobeknownt othedefendant
.All
thattheplaint
if
fknowsist hattheleafofthespri
ngbroke.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Hedoesnotknowwhyi tbrokeandhedoesnotknowwhat
caret he defendantexer cised inthe mai nt
enance and
serv
ici
ngoft hetruck.Iam sat i
sfi
edthattoenablej
usticeto
bedonet hedoct ri
neshoul dbeappl i
edsoast othrow the
onus on t he defendantt o pr ovet hatthey wer e not
negl
igent.
"
295"
OCCUPI
ERS'
LIABI
LITY
DUTYOFCAREOWEDBYOCCUPI
ERS
A.CONTRACTUALVI
SITORS
Fr
anci
svCocker
rel
l(1870)LR5QB184
Facts:The def endantempl oyed a compet entindependent
contractorCoconst ructast andf orthepur poseofv i
ewingar ace.
Thest andwas negl igent lyconst ructedandt heplainti
ffwho
paidt ov i
ewt her acegoti njuredwhent hest andcollapsedwhi l
e
hewasoni t.
Held:Al thought hedefendantwasnothi mselfnegli
gent ,hewas
l
iableasanoccupi erfort henegl i
genceoft hecont r
actors;f
or
therewasani mpl i
edwar rantyofhi scont ractthatt
hepr emi
ses
wassaf e.
Principl
e:Aper sonwhoadmi tspeopl et ohispr emi
sesf orafee
war r
ant sthatt hepr emi sesi ssaf eandt husowesadut yofcare
tot he peopl et o ensur et heirsaf etyand t hatdut yofcar e
extendst othei ndependentcont ractorsempl oyedbyt heperson
toer ectt hebui ldi
ng.I ft heconst r
uctioni sdonewi thoutdue
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
car
e,t
heoccupi
eri
sli
abl
efort
henegl
i
genceoft
hecont
ract
or.
PerHennenJatpp.192and193: "
Int hepresentcasei t
i
snotf oundt hatthedef endantwashi mselfwantingi n
duecar e,andnopowert odr aw inferencesoff acti s
giventot heCour t;andi fitwere,weshoul dnotbeabl e
to dr aw t he i nference t hat the def endant was
personal l
ygui l
tyofanywantofcar e.He empl oy ed
compet entand pr operper sons who had ef fi
cient l
y
executed si mi l
arwor k on pr ev
ious occasi ons.The
ci
rcumst ancet hatthedef endantdidnothi mselfsur vey
orempl oyanyonet o sur veythest andafteritwas
erected,does noti ni tselfestabli
sh t he charge of
negli
gence;f oritdoesnotappeart hatt hedefectwas
suchascoul dhav ebeendi scover
edoni nspecti
on; and
•
296
The
"We hav e al
ready st
ated thatwe considert he same
reasoni
ngwhi chisapplicabl
etothecaseofacar rierof
passengersisappli
cabl
et othecaseofaper sonwho,l i
ke
theplaint
if
f,provi
despl acesforspect
atorsatr acesor
otherexhi
bit
ions.
"Butnotonl
ydowethi
nkthatwhenther
easonsofj
usti
ceand
conveni
enceont
heonesi
deandontheot
herarewei
ghed,t
he
297•
bal
anceincl
inesinfav
ouroft heplai
nti
ff
,butwearealso
ofopi
nionthattheweightofauthori
tyi
sont hepl
aint
if
f'
s
si
de."
(
Onf ur
therappealtot
heExchequerChamberi
nFr
anci
s
vCockr
ell(1870)LR5QB501)
PerKell
yCBatpp.5( )
8and509:" Theonlyremai
ning
pointwhi
chwasmadei sthatt hi
sdefecti
nt hi
sstand
was occasioned bythe wantofski l
land care of
Messrs.Eassie,bywhom thest andwaser ect
ed.But
i
nconf ormitywiththeprinciplelai
d downi nthese
casestowhi chIhaveadverted,and,aboveall
,tothe
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
disti
nct i
ont akeni nt hi sv erycaseoft heacci dentat
thePol ytechni cI nst itution,uponwhi chMr .Mat thews
haschi eflyr el i
ed,t hedef endanti sl i
ablef orany thing
thathemustbesupposedt ohav econt r
act edf or ;and
hecont ract edf ort hesuf ficiencyoft hi
sst and,whi ch
wasi nhi sownpossessi onandcont rol
,andwhi ch,as
i
nt hecaseoft her ailwaybr idgei nGr otevChest erand
Holy head Pg. Co. ( 1) ,t hough not er ect ed and
const ructedbyhi msel f,waser ectedandconst ruct ed
underhi sdi rect ionandf orhi sbenef itbyacont ractor
hehadempl oy ed.Thel iabi li
tyext ends,notonl yt oa
stander ect edbyt hedef endanthi msel f,t heper son
whoent ersi nt oacont r actoft hisnat ure,butt oa
stander ect edbyanot herwhohadcont ract edf ort he
erectionofi twi tht hedef endant .Iam,t her ef ore,of
opiniont hatt her ewasacont r
actbet weent hepl aintif
f
andt hedef endant-ani mpl iedcont r
actindeed, buty et
abi ndingcont ract-andt hatt hatcont ractdi d, inef fect,
extend t ot his,t hat t he st and,upon whi ch t he
defendanthadengagedt hatt hepl ainti
ffshoul denj oy
aseati nconsi der ationof5s.dur ingt hest eepl echase,
wasr easonabl yf itf ort hepur posef orwhi chi twast o
beused,andf orwhi cht heseatwascont ract edt obe
suppl i
ed t ot hepl ai nt i
ff.I twasnotso f it,and t he
defect was no unseen and unknown and
undiscov er abl edef ect ,buti twasadef ectoccasi oned
byt henegl igenceandwantofcar eandski lloft hose
with whom t he def endanthad cont racted f ort he
erectionoft hest and. "
PerMarti
nBatpp.510and511:" Butthedefendant
rel
iesupont hef actthatMessr
s.Eassi
e,thecontractors,
buil
tthestand.Thef act
swere,t
hatashortti
mebeforet he
race,Messrs.Eassie wereempl
oyedbythedefendantand
othersfort
hepurposeof
"
298
'
l
he
er
ect
ingt
hisst
and,andt
hecasef
indst
hatMessr
s.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Eassiewer ev er ycompet entandpr operper sonst obe
empl oyedf ort hepur poseofer ect i
ngasuf fi
cientand
properst and;andi twascont endedbyMr .Mat thews
thatt he pl aintiffwoul d hav e had a r ightofact ion
againstMessr s.Eassi e.Inmyopi nionhewoul dnot .
SupposeMessr s.Eassi ehadbui ltthisst andaccor ding
toanor dergi venbyt hedef endant, t
oer ectthisst andi n
amannerpoi nt edout , andt heyhadst rictlyfulfi
ll
edt heir
under t
aking, ander ect edi taccordi ngt ot heor der, could
anyper soncont endt hatt herewoul dbeanyl i
abilit
yt o
theplaintiffont hepar tofMessr s.Eassi ef oranydef ect
i
nt hest and?Howcani tbeasser tedt hatat hirdper son,
who af terwar ds ent er ed i nto a cont ract wi tht he
defendantwhohadadmi t
tedhi m, woul dhav eanyact ion
against Messr s. Eassi e i n respect of what t hey
contractedt odo?Iconsi dert hatMessr s.Eassi est ood
i
nt oor emot eaposi tionf rom t hepl aintifftobel i
ablet o
anact i
onbyhi m.Thel awofEngl andl ooksatpr oximat e
l
iabili
ti
es as f aras i s possi bl
e,and endeav our st o
confinel i
abi l
i
tiest otheper sonsimmedi at el
yconcer ned;
andIappr ehendi twoul dbei mpossi blet ocont endt hat
aper son, whohader ect edabui l
dingoft hiskindst r
ictl
y
accordingt ohi scont ract ,woul dber esponsi blet oa
strangerwhohappenedt ogouponi t,ifitisfoundnott o
bef i
tfori tspur pose.
299"
"Theonl yquest i
onr emai ningis,ist hedefendant ,under
thepecul i
arci r
cumst ances,r esponsi bl
e?Thedef endant
wasnotst ewardoft heser aces;buthehadt akenpar tin
themanagement ;hehadr eceivedt hemoney ,Ofi thad
been paidt o his creditatt he bank.Idar e say t he
defendantwoul d hav ef ound i tv ery di
ff
icultto hav e
pleadedapl eai nabat ement .Hewasacont racti
ngpar ty,
orapar t
yuponwhom t hisdutywascastwi thregardt o
theplaint
iff,
and, t
heref or
e, It
hinkthatt hi
spointalsofails,
andt hatthej udgmentoft heCour tofQueen' sBenchi s
ri
ghtandoughtt obeaf fi
rmed."
Macl
enanvsegar[
1917]2KB325
Facts:Thepl ainti
ffwasaguesti nahot elowned byt he
defendantwhenf i
rebr okeoutinthehot elcausi
ngi nj
uriesto
theplainti
ff.Thepl ainti
ffall
egedthatthef irewasduet othe
negli
genceoft hedef endantandt hatther ewasani mplied
warrantyt hatthepr emi seswassaf efort hepur pose.Hel d:
The def endantwas l iabletot he pl
aintif
ff orthe injuri
es
sustai
ned.Pr i
nci pl
e:Anoccupi erofapremi sesowesadut yof
caretot akereasonabl ecar ethatt
hepr emi sesi
ssaf ebuthe
owesno dut yt o defectsthatcouldnotbedi scoveredby
reasonablecar e.
"
300
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
allrespectt osodi st i
nguishedaj udgeandt ot heemi nent
j
ur i
st,Si rFr ederickPol lock,whosev i
ewsheadopt ed,I
am unabl etoagr eewi tht hedictum ofBi ghamJ.I nmy
opiniont heexi stenceofacont r
actbet weent hepl aintif
f
andt hedef endanti nsuchacaseast hatnowbef or eme
i
sofgr eati mpor tance,fori tmayl eadt othei mplicat ion
ofa war r
antywhi ch car ri
est he dut yofa def endant
subst ant i
all
y bey ond t he obl igati
on i ndicat
ed i n
Indermaur v Dames.It hink thatt he obser vat
ion of
Hami ltonL. J.inLat ham vJohnsoni swell foundedwher e
hesay s:' Contractualobl i
gat i
onsofcour sest andapar t
.'
Wher et hepl ai
ntiffi saguestatt hedef endant 'sinnt he
dutyoft hedef endantcannotbel essthant hedut yl aid
downi nI nder maurvDames;buti tmaybesubst ant iall
y
greater .Towhatext entdoesi texceedt heI ndermaur v
Damesobl i
gation?Thepl ainti
ffassertsthatt hereisher e
awar rant yimpl i
edbyl awagai nstt hedefendantt hathi s
hotelwasassaf easr easonabl ecar eandski l
lcoul d
makei t.Isthiscont enti
onsound? "
"I
nmyopi ni
onthisrul
eappl
iestot hepr
esentcase.The
princi
pleisbasi
candappl i
esaliketopremi sesandto
vehicl
es.Itmatter
snotwhet herthesubjectbear ace-
stand,atheat
re,
oran
301
i
nn;whet heritbeat axi
cab,anomni bus,orar ail
way
carri
age.Thewar rant
yineachcasei sthesame, andf ora
breacht hereofanact i
onwi lll
ie.Inmyv iew thel aw is
i
ndicatedwi thclearnessandpr ecisi
onbyMr .Sal mondi n
hisv i
gorousandacut et r
eati
seont heLaw ofTor ts,4th
ed.,p.399.Her et hejur
yhav efound, andright
lyf ound, i
n
theplainti
ff'
sfav ourthatthepr emiseswer enotassaf e
asreasonabl ecareandski ll
couldmaket hem."
Gi
l
lmor
evLondonCount
yCounci
l[1938]4Al
lER331
Fact s:Thepl ainti
ffpai
dt ojoi
naphy si
calexerci
seor ganisedby
thedef endant.Inthecourseoft heexerci
se,theplainti
ffslipped
andf el
lowi ngt oahighl
ypol i
shedfl
oor.Hesuf fer
edi nj
uri
esand
sued.
Hel d:Thedef endantswereli
ableforfail
i
ngtopr ovi
deaf it
tingf l
oor
fort heexercise.
Principle:Aper sonwhoadmi tspeoplet ohispremisesf oraf ee
owes t hem adut yofcaretoensurethatthepr emiseisf i
tfort he
purpose.
•
302
ahar d-woodfl
oor.I
tisachoi ce,Iwi l
lnotsayofev i
ls,
butbet weentwonotperf
ectsur faces.Howev er,where
yougethar dwoodpluspoli
shoft hiskind,Idonott hi
nk
thatitispossi
bletosaythatitwasr easonablysafe.It
certai
nlywasnotsaf eont hef act sasIhav ef ound
them, andIdonotthi
nkthatitisrighttosayt hati
twas
reasonablysaf
e."
Bel
lvTr
avcoHot
elsLt
d[1953]1QB473
Facts:Thepl ai
nti
ffwasapay i
ngguestatt hedef endant'
shotel
whof el
landsuf f
eredi njuri
eswhileonaf ootpat
hi nthehot el
.
Thef all
wasasar esultofsli
pperystonesont hefootpath.
Held:Si ncethepat hwasr easonablysafef orpeoplet owal kon,the
defendantwasnotl iable.
Pri
nciple:Thedutyofcar eanoccupierowestoacont r
actual
invit
eeis
toensur ethatt
hepr emi sesissaf
eforinvi
tees.
Andatp.479:"
Formysel
f,Icannotsayt
hatbecausei
t
mightbepossi
blet
of i
ndt hatonepartofadr i
ve,a
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
303•
werenotreasonabl
ysafe;andf orthesereasonsIthi
nk
t
hatthejudgecamet oawr ongconclusi
on,andthathi
s
j
udgmentoughttoberev
er sed."
HisLordshi
pthendealtwi
ththeauthor
iti
esandconti
nued
atpars.45—47:[45]"
Inmyv iew,
thereisnodif
fer
encein
pri
nci
ple between Tomli
nson and t he pr
esent case.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Similarl
y, I al so concl ude t hat t hi
s case i s
i
ndistinguishablefrom Poppleton.BothMrPoppl et
onand
theCl ai
mantdel i
berat
elyt
ookt heriskthattheymi ghtf
all
.
Neither intended t o fal
lbut ,due t o a moment ary
misjudgement ,t hey both did.And i n both cases the
Defendanthadt akensomest epstodealwi t
ht heprobl
em
(i
nPoppl etont heyhadpr ovidedsaf etymat s,herethey
hadwar nedwoul d-besli
dersawayf rom thebani st
ers)
,
andcoul dnotr easonablybeexpectedt odomor e.
[46]" I
nthel i
ghtoft heClaimant '
scandi devidenceabout
theobv i
ousr iskthatsher an,itseemst omet hatthe
principl
eofv olunt
aryassumpt i
onofr isk,setouti nthe
casesnot edabov e,isfatalt ohercl aim.TheCl ai
mant
freelychose t o do somet hing which she knew t o be
danger ous.Becauseoft heconv er
sationsabout' Mar y
Poppi ns'
,therewasev enadegr eeofpr e-
planning.She
knew t hatsli
dingdownt hebani ster
swasnotper mit
ted,
butshechoset odoi tany way.Shewast her ef
orethe
aut horofherownmi sfortune.TheDef endantowedno
dut ytoprotectherfrom suchanobv i
ousandi nherentri
sk.
Shemadeagenui neandi nfor
medchoi ceandt heri
sk
thatshechoset orun
•
•304
mat
eri
ali
sedwi
tht
ragi
cconsequences.
[47]"
Inthoseci
rcumstances,Iconsidert
hat,onthe
l
aw,Iam boundt ofi
ndthatthisclaim mustfai
l.I
t
would be contraryto binding authori
tyt o do
other
wise.
"
Andatpar .58:"I
nv iew oft heCl aimant'sunqual i
fied
accept anceoft her iskt hatsher an,theabsenceof
anythingonwhi chr esponsi bil
i
tyorr el
i
ancecoul dbe
based,andt hetrendoft heaut horit
iesnotedabov e,I
am unabl et oconcludet hattherewasanyr elevant
assumpt ion ofr esponsi bil
it
y on t he partoft he
Defendant .I
nparticular
,t herewer enospeci f
icf acts
which suggest ed a v ol
untary assumpt ion of
responsi bil
it
yont hepar toft heDef endant,andt here
wasnoev i
denceofr eli
anceatal l.Inshor t
,therewas
nothingwhi chcoul dallow t heCl ai
mantt odr aw an
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
analogy wit
h t hose (few) cases i
n which an
assumptionofresponsibi
li
tyhadbeenfoundonthe
partoftheDefendant,despi
tetheobv
iousri
skbei
ng
runbytheClai
mant .
"
A. I
NVI
TEES
I
ndemaurvDames(
1866)LR1cp274
Fact s:Thedef endantwasasugarr ef
inerand had ahol e
throughwhi chsugarwascar r
iedtoandf rom theupperf loors
oft hebui ldi
ng.Thepl aint
if
fwhohadf i
xedagasr egulatoron
thepr emi seswentt her eforthepurposesofi nspect i
onand
whi leont hepr emises,t hr
oughnof aultofhisf el
lthr ought he
holeandgoti njured.
Hel d:Si ncethepl ai
nt i
ffwason t hepr emisesf oral awf ul
purposeandt hehol ewasi nthecir
cumst ancesunr easonabl y
danger ousf orvisit
ors,thedefendantwasl i
able.
Principle:Theoccupi erofpr emisesowesadut yofcar et o
persons who come on t he premises fort he pur poses of
businesst opr eventdamagef rom unusualdangerofwhi chhe
i
sawar e.
PerWi l
lesJatp.285:" Thecapacityi nwhi cht he
plai
ntiffwast herewast hatofaper sononl awful
business,int
hecour seoff ul
fi
ll
i
ngacont ractinwhi ch
botht heplai
ntif
fandt hedef endanthadani nt er
est,
andnotuponbar epermission.Nosounddi stincti
on
wassuggest edbet weenthecaseoft heser vantand
thecaseoft heempl oyer,ifthelatt
erhadt hought
proper
305.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
servantwoul dbeent i
tl
edt othesameconsi derat
ionas
themast er .Thecl asst owhi cht hecust omerbel ongs
i
ncludes per sons who go notas mer ev olunteers,or
l
icensees,Ofguest s,orser vants,orper sons whose
empl oymenti ssucht hatdangermaybeconsi deredas
bargainedf or,butwhogouponbusi nesswhi chconcer ns
theoccupi er,anduponhi sinvi
tati
on,expr essori mplied.
And, withr espectt osuchav i
sit
oratleast, weconsi derit
settl
edl aw,t hathe,usi ngr easonablecareonhi spar tfor
hisownsaf ety,isent i
tledt oexpectt hatt heoccupi er
shallonhi spar tuser easonabl ecaretopr eventdamage
from unusualdanger ,whi chheknowsoroughtt oknow;
andt hat ,
wher ethereisev i
denceofneglect ,t
hequest i
on
whet hersuchr easonabl ecar ehasbeent aken,bynot i
ce,
l
ighting,guar di
ng,orot herwise,andwhet hert herewas
contributory negl igence i n t he sufferer, must be
determi nedbyaj uryasmat teroffact
Onappeal
tot
heExchequerChamberi
nIndemaurvDames
(
1867)LR2CP311
Hel
d:Si
ncet heplaint
if
fwasnotamer evolunt
eerbutwasther
e
onl
awfulbusinessuponacont
ract
,thedef
endantwasli
abl
e.
PerKel
l
yCBatpp.312and313:"Thequest
ionhasbeen
rai
sedwhet
hert
heplai
nti
ffatt
het i
meoft heacci
dent
,
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
andundert hespeci
alcir
cumstancesoft
hecase,was
moret hanamer evolunt
eer
:letusseewhatthecase
real
lywas.TheworkhadbeendoneonSat ur
day,
andat
theconclusi
onofitanappointmentwasmadef ort
he
plai
nti
ff'
semploy
erorsome
307"
otherworkmantocomeont hef ol
lowi
ngTuesdayt oseeif
theworkwasi nproperor
der,andallthepartsofitact
ing
ri
ghtl
y.Thepl ai
nti
ffbyhismast er'
sdirect
ionswentf or
thatpurpose,and Iown Ido notsee anydi sti
nct
ion
betweenthecaseofa
Grif
fit
hsvSmi th[1941]AC170
Facts:Theheadmast erofanel ement aryschoolwi t
ht heauthor
it
y
oftheschoolmanager s, t
hedef endants, i
ssuedinvit
ati
onst osome
peopleincludi
ngt heplaintift
oat tendanex hi
bit
ionofwor kdoneby
thepupils.Thepl ai
ntif
f?ssonwasoneofsuchpupi ls.Whil
ei nt
he
room wher etheexhibiti
onwast akingpl ace,t
hef l
oorcoll
apsedand
theplai
ntiffwasinjured.
Held:Thepl ainti
ffwasani nvi
teeandwasowedadut yofcareby
thedefendant stoensur ethatthef l
oorwasr easonablysafefort
he
purposebutt heact i
onfailedonl i
mi t
ationoftime.
PerVi
scountSi
monLCatpp.172and173:
"Ther
eisno
disputet hatthef l
oorwasi nadanger ouscondi ti
on.The
schoolbui l
ding was near l
y a hundr ed y ears ol
d;t he
met hodofsuppor toft hef l
oorwasqui teobsolete;the
defectsint hest r
ucturewer eobv i
oust oi nspecti
on;there
hadbeennosur veyoft hebui l
dingfort hir
tyyearspr i
orto
theacci dent.TuckerJ.f oundasaf actt hatthosewho
wer echar gedwi tht hedut yofkeepi ngt hepremisesi n
repairhadnott akenr easonabl ecaretodi schargethatduty.
Thisv i
ewoft hemat terhasnot ,It
hink,beenchal l
engedi n
anyst ageoft helit
igation, andont heundi sputedevidence
noot herv i
ewi spossible."
"Ientirel
yconcurandent ertainnodoubtt hatifMr .andMr s.
Grif
fit
hshadi ssuedtheirwr itmor epr ompt ly,theywoul dhave
hadanef fecti
vecauseofact ionagai nstthemanager s(she,on
accountoft heinjuri
esshesust ainedowi ngt ot heirbreachof
duty,andhe,becauseoft her esul
t i
ngl ossofhi swi f
e'siervi
ces
whileshewasi ncapacit
ated) .Butt hewr itwasi ssuedonOct ober
12,1936,t wenty-t
wo mont hs af ter the acci dent ,and t he
manager st hushav etheoppor t
unityofpl eadingt hattheywer e
protectedbyt hePublicAut hor i
ti
esPr otecti
onAct ,1893.Thesol e
questionint heappealiswhet herthispleashoul dpr ev ai
l.
"
309u
PerVi scountMaugham atp.182:" Theappel l
anthadt o
showt hatthemanager swer einoccupat ionandcont rolof
thepr emises,andwer et hereforeunderacommonl aw
dutyt ot heinviteetotaker easonabl ecaret oprev
enti nj
ury
tot hel att
erf rom ahi ddendangerofwhi chasoccupi ers
theyshoul dhav ebeenawar e, ortowar nt heinvi
teeoft he
existenceoft hedanger .Thust heclaimi ssimplyont he
wellknownpr incipl
eofI ndermaur vDames.MyLor ds,for
thepr esentpur posewemustassumet hattheappel l
antis
ri
ght lyasser t
ingt hatthemanager swer einoccupat i
onof
theschoolpr emi sessot hatthepr incipl
eappl i
es;andIwi l
l
addt hatf ormypar tasatpr esentadv i
sedIt hinkt he
cont entionwasj usti
fi
ed."
PerLordWr ightatp.189:"OnthesefactsbothTuckerJ.
andtheCour tofAppealri
ghtl
yheldthattheappell
antwas
notmer el
yaguestorl i
censeebutan' invi
tee'towhom
wasowedt heduty,defi
nedinInder
maur vDames,andi n
Fair
man'scase( 2)
.Thatdutywascl earl
ybroken.Indeed,
that i
t was br oken was not contested beforey our
Lordshi
ps.
"
Pear
sonvCol
emanBr
other
s[1948]2KB359
Facts:Thepl aint
if
fwentwi thhersi
stertoaci r
cusownedand
managed by t he def
endants wher
et hey pai
dt o wat ch the
performance.Inthecourseoftheper
formanceshefeltl
ikeeasing
herselfandwentoutoft hetenti
nsearchofasecludedplaceand
fi
nallycamet oaspotnearaf encedl
ion'
scage.Thelionwasabl e
toreachoutf rom thecageandmaulher .I
twasf oundthatthere
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
orcompel
ledhi mt of indt hatt hepl aintiffwasat respasser
atthatpar ti
cul arst age ofhersear ch.Tur ni ng t ot he
l
anguagethatheused,hesay s:"Ther ewasnoi nv itat i
on
311•
expr essori mpl iedt ot hepl ai ntifft oappr oachor
passundert her unway .Ihol dt hatt hepl ai ntiffwas
notatt hepoi ntwher et hei njur yoccur redpr esent
t herewi tht hel eav eandl i
cenceoft hedef endant s.I
f urtherhol dt hatatt het i
mesheappr oachedand
endeav ouredt opassundert her unwayt hepl aintiff
becameat r espasseranddi sent itledf rom r ecov ering
damages. "Ir eadt hatasmeani ngt hatdownt ot he
poi ntwhenshewascl ose t ot her unwayshewas
act ing i n accor dance wi tht he or iginali nvitation.
whet herornott hati swhatt hel ear nedj udgemeant ,
t hat appear st o me t o be t he onl y possi ble
concl usionf rom t hef acts:Shewasi nv itedt oapl ace
wher et herewasnol av atory,seeki ngf oroneand
mov i
ngwi thi nt hepar tcont rolledbyt hedef endant s,
and notf inding any pl ace,she ar rived neart he
r unway .Itseemst omei mpossi bl et hent osayt hat
shewasat respassert hemomentshegotoutoft he
ci r
cust ent.Whatwasshet odo?Mr .Rees- Dav ies
coul donl ysuggestt hatshemi ghthav ef oundan
at tendant .Wedonotknow whatat tendant swer e
t here,wher et heywer elocat ed,andwhet heri twas
possi blef oral ittlechi ldt ogethol dofonei nwhatI
dar esaywasacr owdedci rcust ent .Shecoul dnot
r emai nwher eshewas,and,t her ef or e,i tseemst o
met heonl ypr operi nfer encewas( andIt hinkt he
judgei sdr awi ngi t)that,atanyr at eupt ot hecr uci al
poi ntwhenshedeci dedt ocr awlundert her unway ,
shewast her epur suantt ot heor igi nal i
nv itat i
on.
"Iaskmy sel
f,havingr egardtot hefactt hatamongt he
i
nv i
tees ofthe def endantsthere wer elikelyto be
chil
dren needing tor eli
evet hemselv es,whet herin
rel
ationtothatclassofper son,thest epst akenatthe
pointinquestiont odel i
mi tt
hepr ohibitedar eaofthe
zoower eadequat e.Inmyopi nion,thef actsspeakfor
themselves.So farf rom indicat
ing suf fi
cientl
ytoa
chil
dbentonsuchaner r
andt hatshemustnotgoi n,
there is displayed bef ore her what ,f rom the
photograph, i
s cl earl
y not a pr ohi bi
ti
on, but a
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
tempt at
ion.I tis quite obvi
ous thatt oal itt
le gi r
l
seeki ngf oraquietplacehereistheideal qui
etpl ace.It
seems t o me qui tei mpossiblet o say t hat t he
prohi bit
ed ar ea had,as r egards a chi l
di nt hose
circumst ances,been adequat elymar ked offbyt he
def endant sf r
om thear eai nt
o whicht hechi l
dwas
ent i
tl
edt ogo.Howev erthemat termi ghthavest ood
wi t
hr egar dtosomebodywhocameont othefieldasa
trespasserandchoset ogoi ntothatpl ace,thef act
thatt hel i
ttl
egirlst
artedasani nvit
eecanonl yleadt o
theconcl usionthattheinvit
ati
onext ends,impliedlyat
l
east ,t oapl acetowhi chshewoul dr easonablygot o
meetherneed. "
PerWr ot t
esl
eyLJatpp.377and378:" Onthef acts
narr
ated by my Lor d,Ihav e al
so come t ot he
conclusion t
hatthe learned county cour
tj udge in
fi
nding,inhisver
ycarefuljudgment,t
hattherewasno
i
nvit
at i
onexpressori
mpl i
ed, di
dnotapplyhi
s
313•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Butt
her
ewasi
nthi
scasemani
fest
lynosuchdel
i
mit
ati
on
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
ofapr ohibi
tedar
ea,andi
tseemst ome,t
heref
ore,
thatthi
schil
d,
whohadbegunasani nvi
tee,di
dnotbecomeat respasserby
reasonofhergoi ngtothisplacefort
hepurposeshedi dand
getti
ngt herebyameansofaccesswhichwasper fect
lynatur
al
forachild."
WalkervMidl
andRail
wayCompanyLt
d.[
1886— 90]Al
lER
Rep202;(
1866)55LT489
Facts:Thedeceasedwasaguesti nani nnandwant edt ousethe
waterclosetint hemi ddleofthenight.Alt
hought herewer eeasil
y
accessiblecloset sinthesamecor ri
dorinpr operl
ylightedplaces,
thedeceasedl eftther
eandwentt oadar kser vi
ceroom andf elli
n
anunguar dedwel lofali
fti
ntheroom anddi ed.
Held: The def endant had not been negl igent under t he
cir
cumst ances.
Pri
nci pl
e:Thedut yoftheoccupierofpremisest otakecar eofthe
safetyofhi sinviteesdoesnotextendt oallpartsoft hepremises
atallhour sbutonl yt
hosepartsandatsucht i
mest hataper son
mayr easonabl ygo undera r easonable beli
efthathe wasso
enti
tledtogo.
315"
therespondents'omission to pr
ovideagainstdanger
s
wit
hinthatservi
ceroom wr ongf
ultowardstheappel
lant
'
s
husbandorgener al
l
ytowar dsthei
rguests;fort
herewas
noothergroundonwhi chthepresenceofanyguestther
e
coul
dr easonabl
ybeexplainedorexcused
PerViscountCav
eLCatp.260and261: "I
tisimportantto
bearinmindtheexactnat
ureoftheappell
ants'dut
yt othe
deceased.Itwasnott ogiv
ehi m absol
uteprotecti
oni n
whateverpartoftheappellant
s'premiseshemi ghtbe
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
found, butonl ytouser easonabl ecar ef orhissaf etywhi l
e
hewasupont hei rl andandact ingi ncompl i
ancewi th
theirinv itation;andt hisdut ymustbel imited,asLor d
Selbor nepoi ntedouti nWal kerv Mi dland19' .Co. ,to
thosepl acest owhi chhemi ghtr easonabl ybeex pect edt o
go i nt he bel ief,r easonabl yent ertained,t hathe was
entitl
ed ori nv it
ed t o do so.I ft hist esti s appl ied,it
appear st omet hatt herewasnobr eachofdut yont he
partoft heappel lant s.Thedeceasedwasnoti nvitedor
entitl
edt ogot o t hequay sideoft heWestFl oat ;hehad
nobusi nesst her e, andi twasnear lyf i
ftyy ardsawayf rom
hispr operr out et oandf r
om hi sshi p.Norcoul dt hedock
companybeexpect edt of oreseet hathewoul dwanderso
farf r
om hi sway ,ev eni naf og,andt o pr ov i
def orhi s
safetyi nsodoi ng.I fitbet hef actt hathel ostal lsenseof
dir
ect i
oni nt hef ogand, missi ngt her ailsandl ampswhi ch
woul dhav egui dedhi mt ot hebr i
dge,andnotseei ngany
oft heobst aclesl yingaboutt hear eaofgr oundorev en
thest anchi onsoneachsi deoft hespacef r
om whi cht he
chainhad beenr emov ed,wal ked st r aightt hr ought his
narrow openi ngi ntot hedock,t hiswasanext raor dinary
mischancewhi chno onecoul dbeexpect edt of oretellOf
prov i
def or;andIdonot t hinkt hatt hef ailureoft he
companyt odosoar guesanywantofr easonabl ecar eon
theirpar t.
317"
PerLor dSumneratp.272and273:" It hi
nkt hev er yidea
ofan i nv itat ion t o come upon t he Boar d's pr emi ses,
consi der ing t heirchar acterand ex t
ent ,connot essome
l
ocall i
mi twi thint hem.Af reer angeov ert hewhol eest ate
i
s notgi v en t o ev eryi nvited wor kman.The l eadi ng
disti
nct ionbet weenani nviteeandal icenseei st hat ,int he
caseoft hef ormer ,inv i
torandi nv i
teehav eacommon
i
nt erest ,whi le,int hel atter,l icensorandl icenseehav e
none.Thecommoni nter esther ei sthatshi psi nt hedocks
shoul d,whennecessar y ,beabl et oempl oyboi ler maker s
onboar doft hem.I nt heot hercase,t hel icenseehasan
i
ndi viduali nt eresti n bei ng al lowed t o pass,whi let he
l
icensor ,t hel eav ebei nggr atuitous,hasnoi nt eresti nt he
mat teratal l,sol ongast hel icenseedoesnotgeti nto
troubl e ori nt o mi schi ef.Icannotsee whatcommon
i
nt erestbet weent heBoar dandt hedeceasedi si nv olv ed
i
nhi sexpat iat i
ngatwi llov ert heopengr oundbet weent he
EastandWestFl oat s.Hewasi ndeedatl ibertyt ocr ossi t
toGee' sDi ni ngRoom, butweknowt hathewasnotgoi ng
there and nev erdi d go t her e.The common i nterest ,
i
nv olved i n hi sbei ng abl et o do hi swor ki n comf ort,
ex t
endedt ohi sv isiti
ngt hel atrine, buthewasnotact ual l
y
visit
ing t he l atr
ine on t hi s occasi on,t hough he was
probabl yt ry ingt odoso.Hewasact uallygoi ngwher ehe
hadnobusi nesst ogoatt het i
meoft heacci dent ,though
hismi stakewasal ikei nnocentandacci dent al.Howcana
wor kmanext endt heBoar d'sl iabili
ti
es,i ndicat edbyt his
term ' inv i
t ation' ,bymaki ng a mi stakeofhi sown and
get t
ingl osti naf og?Whatl egalr easoncant her ebef or
theBoar d's' inv it
ing' himt ogosomewher ei naf og,wher e
hedoesnotwantt ogoatal landwoul dcer tainlynotbe
i
nv it
edt ogoi ncl earweat her ,andwher e,mor eov er,t he
Boar dhasnoi nterestordesi ret oi nvitehi m atanyt i
me?
Ther ei s none:t he suggest ion i s a mer ei mpul se of
compassi on. "
Ri
skvRoseBr
ufor
dcol
l
ege[
20131EWHC3869
Fact
s:Thepl ai
nti
ffatt
endedanev ent'
sdayatthedramaschoolof
thedefendantasanat tendee.Theacti
vi
ti
esincl
udedaninf
lat
able
poolandtheplaint
if
fwhi l
edivingi
ntothepoolwentwit
hheadfir
st
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
andfacedownsucht hathisheadi mpactedthesideoft hepool
andhesustai
nedinjur
ies.Held:Theplai
nti
ffexer
cisedaninfor
med
choi
cewhichresult
edint heinj
uri
esandhav ingbroughtt
hatinj
ury
tohi
mself
,thedefendantwasnotl i
able.
Pri
nci
ple:I
nconsideri
ngthel i
abi
li
tyofanoccupiertoaper
sonon
hi
sland,thequesti
ont hecourtmustconsiderisnotwhet
hert
he
def
endantowedadut yofcar etotheplaint
if
fbutwhethert
he
def
endantowedapar ti
culardut
yofcaret
ot heplai
nti
ff
.
[
109]"
Iconcl
udet
hatt
hef
act
orsenumer
atedi
npar
a27of
319•
MrSool e'scl osingwr i
tt
enar gumentf allal ongwayshor t
of est ablishing t he necessar y i ngredi ents of an
assumpt i
onofr esponsi bili
ty.Whatwoul dber equiredi s
evidenceoft hev er ymat tersofwhicht heCl aimantdeni es
thepr esence:namel y,af fi
rmati
vest epsbyt heCol l
ege
throughMrWi gleyandot herstoensur et hatpr operr isk
assessment s wer e t aken and al lr el
ev ant cont rol
measur es enf or ced;Of ,att he veryl east ,affir
mat ive
statementsandr epresent ati
onsbyt heCol l
eget hatthese
specifi
cst epswoul dbet aken.Mor eover,Ial sohol dthat
i
nacasel iket hepr esentanel ementofr eli
ancebyt he
Claimantisapr e-requisit
eofadut yofcar ear isi
ngont his
suggestedbasi s, andher er eli
anceissingular l
ylacking."
B. PERSONENTERI
NGASOFRI
GHT
McGeownvNor thernIrel
andHousi ngExecut i
ve[1995]1AC233
Fact s:Thepl aint
iff'
shusbandwasat enantinanest ateownedby
thedef endant s.Theplaint
iffwhi
leusi ngaf oot
pathintheest at
eto
whi chthepubl i
chadacqui redar ightofwayt ri
ppedi nahol eand
brokeherl eg.Hel d:Si
ncet hepubl i
chadacqui redaf ightofway ,
thenanyuseroft hepathusedi tint hatcapaci
tyandt husthe
defendantowednodut ytotheplainti
ffasamemberoft hepublic.
Principle:Aper sonwhousesar ightofwayusesi tbyr i
ghtandis
notowedanydut ybytheoccupieroft heland.
PerLordKei thofKinkelatp.240:" I
nGaut retvEgert
oni t
was alleged thatt he deceased i ndiv
idualwhom t he
plai
nti
ffrepresented fel
lf r
om a br i
dge overa cutti
ng
which led to docksand wasdr owned,t hebri
dge,the
cutti
ngandt hedocksal lbeinginthepossessionoft he
defendants.Theacci dentwasal legedt obeduet ot he
faul
toft hedef endantsinf ail
i
ngt omai ntai
nthebridge
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
proper
ly,
whichhadcausedi
ttobedangerous.I
twashel d
bytheCourtofCommonPl easthatnoacti
onablebreach
ofdutyonthepartoft
hedef
endantshadbeendiscl
osed."
Campbel
lvNor
ther
nIr
elandHousi
ngExecut
ive[
19951NI
167
Fact
s:Thedef
endant
swer
etheowner
sofanest
atewhi
cht
heyl
et
321"
outbutr et
ainedcontroloftheforecourtpremisesandt hest ai
rs.
Butt hepublicwasal l
owedtouset heforecourtandthestairssuch
thatt hepubl icacquir
edar i
ghtofwayt osuchpr emises.The
plainti
ffwhol iv
edwi t
hhisparentsinoneoft hehousesf ellfr
om a
stairduet ot hedefecti
venatureofthest airandwasi njured.He
sued.
Held:Si ncethepublichadacquiredar i
ghtofwayt ot hest ai
r,t
he
defendant sowednodut ytotheplaint
iff
.
Principl
e:Anoccupi eroflandofwhi cht hepublichasacqui reda
ri
ghtofwayowesnodut ytothepublictoensuretheirsafetywhil
e
ont heland.
Andatp.176:"
LordKeit
hrefer
stoaper
sonusi
ngar i
ghtofway,
wher
easLordBrowne-
Wi l
ki
nsoncont
emplat
esapersonwalki
ng
onapathoverwhichther
eisapubli
cri
ghtofwaybutbeingon
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
thepath,notbecausehei susingandtakingadvantageoft he
publi
cr i
ghtofway ,butbecausehehasaccept edani nvi
tation
from t
heoccupi ertowal kalongthepath.Howev erIconsi der
thati
nt hepassageswhichIhav ecit
edLordKeit
hmakesi tclear
thatwhereaper son i
sonar i
ghtofwayhemustbet akent obe
usingtherightofwayandt hatther
eisnoroom forthev i
ewt hat
suchaper soncanber egardedasaninvi
tee."
c.
LICENSEES
MerseyDocksandHabourBoar
dvPr
oct
er[
19231AC253
Fact
sandHol di
ng:
(supr
a)
Pri
ncipl
e:Ali
censeet
akespr
emisesheent
ersashefindsi
tbut
theoccupi
ermustnotsetatr
apforhi
m orexposehi
mt omore
danger.
Fai
rmanvPer
pet
ual
Inv
est
mentBui
l
ding[
1923]AC74
Fact s:Thedef endantsletthei
rflat
si nt hei
rhouset
ot enantsbut
retainedpossessi onandcont r
oloft hecommonst ai
rcase.The
plainti
ff'
ssister'
shusband wasat enanti nthehouseand t he
plainti
fflodgedwi ththem.Whi l
edescendi ngthestair
s,herheel
wascaughti nadepr essionthathadf ormedinthest
aircaseowing
tot hewear ingoft hecementandt heexposur eofthei r
onr ods.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Shef ell
andwasi njur
ed.
Held:Theonl ydutyowedbythedefendant
stot heplaint
if
fwasnot
toexposehert oconceal
eddangerandsincet hi
sdangerwasnot
concealed,thedefendant
sarenotl
iabl
e.
Principl
e:Theonlydutyowedbyanoccupiertol i
censeesist
otake
reasonablecarenottoexposethem t
oconcealeddanger .
PerLor
dBuckmast
eratpp.82and83:
"Twocasesi
nthe
Scot
ti
shCour
ts(
KennedyvShot
tsI
ronCo.andGr
antvJohn
323•
Flemi ng&Co. )appeart oacceptt hewi derv i
ew andt ohol d
thati nci r
cumst anceswher et hel andl ordr etainscont roland
possessi onofacommonst aircasehi sdut yt ot hepubl i
ci sto
keepi treasonabl ysaf e.Whet hersuchadut yi sonet hatit
mi ghtber easonabl etoi mposeuponl andl ordsi snotamat t
er
whi cht hi
sHousehast oconsi der .Thequest ioni s-doessuch
a dut yexi st?I tmaywel lar i
se byt he i mpl i
ed obl i
gation
bet weent hel andl ordandt enantgi v i
ngt het enantr ightsi fthe
obligat i
onbebr oken,butasbet weent hel andl ordandt he
per sons who use t he st ai rcase f orbusi ness pur poses or
becauseofamat erialint er estnosuchcont r
actualobl i
gation
canbeest ablished.Thedut yt obesought ,therefor e,mustbe
foundout sidecont ract.Thi sdut ydoesnoti nvolveaguar antee
ast ot hesaf etyofpr emi sesnorobl igat i
ont okeept hem i n
repai r.Obv i
ousdef ects,whi chont hef aceoft hem show t o
anyr easonabl eper sont hatt her ei sdanger , donotgi ver i
set o
l
iabi l
ity on t he l andlor d's par t,buti ft he def ect,t hough
appar ent,gi vesr iset oadangerwhi chi snotobv i
oust oa
per son l awf ull
yusi ng t he pr emi ses,ei theron busi ness or
hav ingamat eri
ali nteresti nt heiruse,andexer cisingor dinary
car eandpossessi ngor dinar ypower sofobser vat i
on,t hent he
l
andl or disr esponsi bl
ef oranyacci dentt hatmayoccur .The
degr eeofdanger ,andt heext entt owhi chi ti sconceal ed, may
varyf rom caset ocase,andi t
sul t
imat edet ermi nationi sa
quest ionoff actf orwhi chaj ur yisanappr opr i
atet ri
bunal .
"
(
NB:LordBuckmast erdi
ssent
ingt
hatonthef
acts,t
hedef
ect
wasnotobviousbutconceal
edandthust
hedefendant
swere
t
obeliabl
e.)
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
PerLor dAt ki
nsonatp.86:" Thepl aintiff
, bei
ngonl yal i
censee,
wast hereforeboundt ot aket hest airsasshef oundt hem, but
thelandlordwasonhi ssideboundnott oexposeher ,wi t
hout
warning,toahi ddenper il
,oft heexi stenceofwhi chheknew,
oroughtt ohav eknown.Heowedadut yt ohernott olayat rap
forher.Butev eni ft
hepl ai
ntiffwasi nt heposi t
ionofani nvitee
oft he defendant s,herr ightsand dut iesint hatchar acter
woul dbet hosedescr i
bedandmeasur edbyt hewel l
-known
passagef rom Wi ll
esJ.'sjudgmenti nI ndermaurvDames.The
fi
ndings off actoft he l earned judge who t r i
ed t he case,
ShearmanJ. ,disenti
tl
edher ,i
nmyv iew,t oanyr eli
efeitheri n
thecharacterofl i
censeeori nthatofi nviteeofthe
def
endant
s."
325.
danger .An i nstance ofsuch a case i s af
forded by
Indermaurv Dames ( 1) :the gasf i
tt
erwas ent itl
ed to
assumet hatthef l
oorwast hroughoutcov eredbyf l
oori
ng
boards.Ther e was an unf loored openi ng lef
tatt he
entrancet oashaf t,andi twasnotf enced.A wor kman
habituallyempl oyedont hepremi seswoul dprobablyhave
fail
edt or ecover
.Thegasf i
tterr ecover ed,thejuryhav i
ng
found t hathe was notnegl igent .In such a case t he
quest i
onwhet hert heplaint
iffwasnegl igentornoti sone
offact."
gi
vinganywarningwhatever,eit
hertothepl
aint
if
fort
othe
publi
c,oft
hedanger
ouscharacteroft
heani
mal.
"
Mor
ganvGi
rl
s'Fr
iendl
ySoci
ety[
1936]1Al
lER404
Facts:Thedef endantwast heoccupierofabuildi
ngwhichhelet
outasof f
ices.Theplaint
if
fwhilev i
sit
ingoneofthetenant
sinthe
offi
cessaw anopendoorandt hi
nkingthatthel i
ftwasthere,
steppedtherebutshefelli
ntoashaf tandwasinj
ured.
Hel
d:Thenegl
igencewasthatofani
ndependentcont
ract
orandsi
ncet
he
def
endant
sdidnotknow,t
heywerenotli
abl
e.
Pr
inci
ple:Thedut
yowedbyanoccupi
ert
oli
censeesi
sli
mit
edt
o
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
danger
swhi
chheknowsoroughtt
oknowabout
.
PerHor ri
dgeJatp.405:" Thiscasei sanor dinarycaseof
ani ndependentcont ractor.Thenegl i
gencewast hatoft he
i
ndependent cont ractor. Not wit
hstanding t hat, t he
def endant smaybel iableonot hergrounds.Firstitissaid
thatt heyoughtt ohav ef oundt hedefectout.Idonotagr ee.
Theyempl oyed peopl ewhoknew bet terthant heyabout
l
ifts.Ido nott hinkt he def endants wer e guil
tyofany
def ault.Hav i
ngfoundt hatt hepl ai
nti
ffwasabar eli
censee,
the def endants'whol e dut ywas as descr ibed byLor d
Hai lsham i nAddi e,R,&Sons( Col
li
eri
es)vDumbr eck,at
page365.I nthiscaset hedef endantscr eat
ednot r
ap.The
trapwasnotdi scov eredbyt hepeoplewhoought
327•
•
tohavediscov
eredit.Noconceal
eddangerexist
edof
whi
chtheyknew oroughttohaveknown,becausethey
empl
oyedcompetentpeopl
etoadvi
set
hem."
Cockbi
l
lvRi
l
ey[
2013]EWHC656
Fact s:Thepl ainti
ff,a16- y
ear-ol
d boy ,attended apar tyatt he
defendant '
shousewher elit
tleamountofal coholi
cdr inkswas
serv ed.Al argepaddl i
ngpoolwaspr ovidedf ortheguest sandt he
plaint i
ffinanat temptt oper f
orm abel l
y-fl
op,jumpedi ntothepool
butmi sjudgedandl andedf irstwiththehead,sust aininginjur
ies.
Thepl ainti
ffclaimedt hatthedef endantast heoccupi eroft he
premi seshadcr eatedaf oreseeableriskandhadal lowedpeopl et o
j
umpi ntoi t
.
Held:Thedef endanthadnotcr eatedanunr easonabler iskandi t
hadnotbeenf oreseeabl ethatsomeonewoul dperform abel l
y-f
lop.
Thedef endantwast husnotl i
able.
Princi ple:Anoccupi er'
sdut yofcar eonl yarisesinci rcumstances
wher et herei ssuf fi
cientproximityandf oreseeabili
tyofdamage
andi tisf ai
r,j
ustandr easonabl ethatadut yshoul dbei mposed.
oftheoccupier'
schildrenofit
selfcreatesaf oreseeabl
eriskof
si
gnif
icanti
njuryorj usti
fi
esaf ormalr i
skassessmenti sinmy
vi
ewqui teunreal
isti
c.NordoIconsi derthatthefactthatthe
guestswereallowedt oconsumemodestquant i
ti
esofalcohol
madet heri
skofsi gnifi
canti
njuryforeseeable.
[
56] "The hear tofMrTat tersall
's case was r eall
yt he
submi ssiont hatbynoti nterveningear l
ierandmor ef or
cefully
whent hesi xorsev enboy swer erunningandj umpi ngi ntothe
pooltheDef endant' createdasi tuati
onwi thanobv i
ousr iskof
seri
ousi njury'.Idonotacceptt hathedi d.Itwasr easonabl y
for
eseeabl et hatsomeonewoul dlosehi sf ootingandsuf f
er
minori njury.Ev enaf teranumberofboy shadj umpedi ntothe
poolfeetf irst,itwasnotr easonabl yforeseeablet hatsomeone
wouldat temptt ocar r
youtadi veorabel ly-
flop( whi chcan
ver
yeasi lyt urnintoadi v e)andt hussuf fergr avei njury.The
dangerofdi v i
ngi nt
oev enaswi mmi ngpool ofunknowndept h,
l
etaloneapaddl ingpool ,wasdescr ibedbySt uar t-
Smi t
hLJi n
Ratcli
ffvMcConnel /[ 1999]1WLR670,as' obv i
oust oany
adultandi ndeedt omostchi ldrenol denought ohav elearned
todive'.
[
57] "
Ev enifIam wr
ongaboutthi
s,Iacceptt
hesubmissi
on
ofMrHor lockthatbycal
l
ingint
heguest stohavesomefood
the Defendant had a cal
ming eff
ect on the boi
ster
ous
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
atmospherewhi chhadbuiltup.MrTat
tersal
lisofcour seri
ght
tosayt hatSarah'sfri
endsregardedMrRi l
eyasanaut horit
y
fi
gureandwoul dnodoubthav eobeyedanyi nstructi
onhe
gavethem, f
orexampl enottorunornottojumpi ntothepool .
ButIdonotacceptt hathewasunderadut yinl aw togive
suchani nstr
uction,eit
hertotheguestsingener alort othe
Clai
manti npart
icular
.
[
58] "
Int
heresul
tIam notsatisf
iedthatt
heDefendantwas
i
nbr eachofhisdutyofcaretotheClaimant.Imusttheref
ore
gi
vej udgmentf
ortheDefendantanddismissthecl
aim.IfI
hadfoundagai
nstt
heDef endant
,Iwoul
dhav eassessedt
he
Clai
mant'
scont
ri
but
orynegli
genceatt
wo-t
hir
ds."
TheCour tofAppealr
eject
edanapplicat
ionforl
eav
eto
appealinCockbil
lvRil
ey[ 2013]EWCACi v1492wher
e
TomlinsonLJstat
edatpars.14—18asf oll
ows:"
The
329.
HisLordshi
pthenconcludedatpars.33and34:" Inmyj udgment
thereissimply
,ont hebasi
softheev i
dencet hatwasadducedat
tri
alandthecross-
examinati
onofMrRi l
ey,nobasisuponwhi chto
assertthathewasi nbreachoft helimited dutywhichitwas
acceptedheowed, r
easonabl
ytokeepaney eonwhatwasgoi ngon
andt okeepabreastofwhatpeopleweredoi ng.Thati
seffecti
vel
y
whatthejudgefound.
Theexplicitconcl
usionofthej udgeisthatonthebasisof
whatthedef endanthadseenwhi ch,asIhav ei ndi
cated,wasa
si
tuat
ionwhi chwasbecomi ngratherboister
ousbutwasnotout
ofcontrol
,itwasnotr easonabl
yf oreseeabl
et hatanyonewould
dosomet hi
ngwi t
hsuchanobv i
ousr i
skofgr aveinjuryaswas
done by the cl aimant int he circumstances whi ch Ihave
descr
ibed.
"
331"
(NB:A fur
therappeali
nPheevJamesGordonandNiddry
Castl
eGolf
Club [
20141 CSIH 50 f
ori
nter
eston t
he damages was
dismi
ssed.
)
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Pi
nchbeckvCr
aggyI
slandLt
d[2012]EWHC2745
Facts:Thepl aint
if
fattendedani ndoorcl i
mbi ngcent r
eownedby
the defendant.Af t
erdoi ng the high wal lclimbi
ng which was
supervi
sed byt wo instructor
s,t heydescended t o do the l
ow
cli
mbingwi thonlyonesuper v i
sor.Whilejumpi ngdownf rom oneof
hercli
mbs,t heplaint
ifflandedbadl yandi njuredhersel
f.Shesued,
clai
mingt hattheyhadnotbeengi vensuffi
cientinstr
ucti
onsont he
l
owcl imbing.
Held:The def endant by pr oviding instructors had assumed
responsibi
lit
yoft hepl ainti
ffandt hefailuret owarnherwasa
breachoft hei
rduty.
PerCarnwathLJatpar.16—18:[161"Thepri
nci
pali
ssue
i
nt hiscaseiswhet hertheClaimantwasan 'impli
ed
l
icensee'(
ther
e bei
ng no suggesti
on thathe was an
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
'
invit
ee'orhadexpr essl icencet obet here).MfFaul ks
seekst oarguet hat, eveni fhewasal i
censee, t
heCouncil
wasnoti nbr eachofi tsdut ytohi m,ori nanyev entits
breach did notcause t he accident.Al though as wi l
l
becomeappar enti twi llbeunnecessar ytor uleonthose
points,Ifi
ndt hesubmi ssionsurprisi
ng.Ont hefactsof
thi
scase, i
tseemshar dt oav oi
dt heviewt hattheCouncil
owedsomedut yt opr otectitsli
censeesagai nsttherisk
ofa5met ref all;thatt heexi st
enceof' at rippi
nghazar d
fortheunwar y',r athert hanapr operl
ymai ntai
nedfence
abovet heTesco' sr etainingwal l,wasabr eachoft hat
duty;andthatt hebr eachwasatl eastpartlycausati
veof
theaccident.
[
17]"Turningtot hepr incipalissue,itisnoti ndi sputethatan
ownerofl andmayconf erani mpli
edl i
cencebyconduct .
Immedi atelybef oret heenact mentoft he1957Act ,the
l
eadi ng case on t hi
si ssue was Edwar ds v Rai lway
Execut i
ve[ 1952]AC737,[ 195212Al lER430,[ 1952]2
TLR237.Thatconcer nedaboyi njuredonar ail
wayl ine.
Hehadbeenwar nednott ogoont ot hel and.I twashel d
thathe was nota l i
censee.As Lor d Goddar d said:
repeatedt respassofi tselfconfersnol i
cence...howi s
i
tt obesai dt hat( anoccupi er)hasl icensedwhathe
cannotpr ev ent.
..
.Now,t of indal icencet heremustbe
evidence ei ther of expr ess permi ssion Of t hat the
l
andownerhassoconduct edhi mselft hathecannotbe
heardt osayt hathedi dnotgi vei t
...
..Whatt henhav e
theydonei nthiscaset ol eadany onet osupposet hat
theymaygoont ot heirproper t
ytopl ay
333eu
Andatpars.27and28:[
27]"
Ihavesomedif
fi
cul
ty,
wit
hrespect
,in
underst
andi
ngwhatpr
ecisel
yhemeantby'
such
[
28]" Fort hese r easons,Icannotacceptt he judge's
conclusi
ont hatatt hetimeoft heaccidenttheCl aimant
wasa' vi
sitor'fort hepur posesofthe1957Act .Ont hi
s
shortpoint,t heappealmusti nmyv i
ew succeed.Ir each
this conclusi on wi th consider
abl
e sy mpathy f or the
Claimant,whosel i
fehasbeenbl i
ght
edbyat ragicaccident.
Since,howev er
,t he Counci l
'simpli
ed li
cence di d not
extendtowhathewasdoi ng,it
sfai
luretoappr eciat
ei t
s
responsibi
li
tiesf orthislandisnotenought ofoundl i
abil
it
y
underthe1957Act ."
TRESPASSERS(
THEPOSI
TIONOFTHELAW BEFORE
1972)
335•
•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawof
Tor
tsi
nGhana
"
Ihe
t
respasser
'spr
esence.
accor
dingl
y"
Bi
rdvHol
dbr
ook(
1828)130ER911
Fact s:Thedef endantsetaspr i
ngguni nhi
sf armf orthepur poseof
prot ect
ingt hefarm afterexperienci
ngsomet heftsint hefarm.The
farm waswal l
ed.Thepl ai
ntif
fwhowaschasi ngast rayfowlclimbed
ov erthewal landthespr i
nggunwentof fandi
nj ur
edhi m.
Hel d:Sincet hedefendantsett hespr i
nggunf orthesol epur poseof
causi nginjuri
ngtoanother,hewasl i
abl
e.
Pr i
nciple:Anoccupi erofl andmustnotacti nr ecklessdisregardof
trespasser swhosepr esenceheknowsoroughtt oknowof ,andmust
givenot iceofanydanger stosuchper sons.
heshoul
dfai
ltoent
raphi
svi
cti
m."
PerPar kJatp.917:" I
thasbeencont ended,t hatt hough
noticemaydepr iveapar tywhohasr ecei v
edi tofanyr ight
tor ecov er,yett hati thasnowher ebeendeci dedt hati tis
i
mper ativeont hepar tyusingt heengi
net ogivenot ice.But
i
n1/ 10/vWi lks,t heCour t,oneand al l,decideont he
groundofnot i
ce,andAbbot tCJcl oseshi sjudgmentt hus:
'
Consi deringt hepr esentact ionmer el
yont hegr oundof
notice, andl eavingunt ouchedt hegener alquest i
onst ot he
l
iabilityincurredbypl aci
ngsuchengi nesast hese, wher eno
noticei sbr oughthomet ot hepar t
yi njured,Iam oft he
opiniont hatthisact ioncannotbemai nt ai
ned.'Ithasbeen
asked,wher ehasi tbeenl ai
ddownt hatnot icemustbe
given?Ianswer ,byAbbot tCJi nthepassageIhav ej ust
read, andbyBay leyJi nthesamecase:' Althoughi tmaybe
l
awf ult oputt hosei nstrument sonman' sowngr ound,y et
,
ast heyar ecal culatedt opr oducegr eatbodi l
yi njuryt o
i
nnocentper sons( f
ormanyt respassersar ecompar at
ively
i
nnocent ),iti snecessar ytogi veasmuchnot i
cet ot he
publ i
casy ou can,so ast o putpeopl eon t heirguar d
againstt hedanger ."'
Vi
deanvBr
it
ishTr
anspor
tCor
por
ati
on[
196312QB650
Facts:Thedeceasedwasast ati
onmasterint heemployoft he
defendant.Thesecondpl ai
nti
ffinfantwasthesonoft hestation
mast er
.Thesecondpl ainti
ffwentont other ai
lwayt
rackwhi lea
power -
dri
ventr
oll
eywasappr oachingattopspeed.Thedr i
verbeing
unabletounderstandallsignal
snott oinjur
et hechi
ld,thefather
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
wentont otherail
waytosav ethechi
ldandwaski l
ledwhil
ethechi l
d
wassev erel
yinj
ured.
Held:Si
ncet hesecondplainti
ffwasat r
espasserandthedefendant
couldnothav ereasonabl
yforeseenhispresenceonthetr
ackatt he
ti
me, t
he
339•
defendantswerenotl
iabletohim.Butt hedefendantswer eliabl
eto
the deceased si
nce his pr
esence on t he t
rack was wi thinthe
contemplati
onofthedefendant
s.
Princi
ple:Anoccupi
erowesnodut yofcar et otrespasserswhose
presenceonhispremisesisnotreasonablyfor
eseeable.
thei
rpr
esence,heowest hem thecommondut yofcare,nomore
andnoless.Iwoul dnotrestr
ictitt
oadut y't
otreatthem wi
th
commonhumani t
y'
,forIdonotknow qui t
ewhatt hatmeans.I
pref
ert
osayt hatheistotakereasonabl
ecare.
"
Thi
ssi
mpl
etest(
whi
chi
sbasedonf
oreseeabi
l
ity
)issuf
fi
cient
•
340
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
bythenegl
i
gence'
:seeRoevMini
sterofHeal
th,
quot
edbyLor
d
Pearcei
nHughesvLordAdv
ocat
e."
Mouf
lonvPoul
ter[
1930]2KB183
Facts:Thedef endantownedal andwhi chwasusedbychi l
drenasa
playgroundwi thoutlicence.Thedef endantdecidedt of el
latreeonthe
landandper iodical
lydr ov et hechil
drenont helandaway .Butatthe
parti
culart i
met hatthet reewasaboutt ofall,
thedefendantdidnotlook
outf orthechi ldr
enandt het reefel
lont heplai
nti
ffinj
uringhim.
Held: Althought heplainti
f fwasat respasserthedefendantowedhi ma
dutynott oalterthecondi tionofthelandwi t
houtwar ningandt hust
he
defendantwasl i
able.
Principle:Anoccupi erofl andshoul dnotcr eatenew danger sonthe
premi seswi thoutwar ning.
•
342
i
t,andt
heowneri
snotboundt
owar
nhi
m.That
,howev
er,i
sa
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
diff
erentcasefrom thecaseinwhi chamandoessomet hing
whichmakesachangei nthecondi
tionoftheland,aswher
ehe
start
sawheel ,fell
sat r
ee,Ofsetsoffabl astwhenheknows
thatpeoplearestandi
ngnear.I
neachofthesecasesheowesa
dutytot hesepeopleeventhoughtheyaret r
espasser
stotake
caretogivethem warni
ng."
THEPOSI
TIONOFTHE AFTER1972
Her
ri
ngt
onvBr
it
ishRai
l
wayBoar
d[19721AC877
Facts:Thedef endantownedanel ectrif
iedr aillinefencedof ffrom a
placewher echi l
drenf requentlyplayed.Par toft hef encewasbr oken
andpeopl ebeganusi ngt hatsideasashor tcut.Thedef endantwas
notifi
edaboutt hepr esenceoft hechildrenbutt ooknoact i
ont orepairit
.
Thesi x-year
-oldpl ai
nti
ff ,whil
et r
espassi ngov ert hebr okenf ence,was
i
njuredwhenhecameont heliverai
l.
Held:Thedef endantsowedadut yt ot hepl ai
nt i
ffwhi cht heybreached
andt huswer eliable.
Principl
e:Thedut yowedbyanoccupi ert oat respasseri ssubj ecti
ve
and depends on whet hera consci entious,humane man wi th his
knowl edge,skil
landr esour cescoul dr easonabl yhav eowedadut yto
ensuret hesaf etyoft het respasser.Thedut yi st husasdi ctatedby
commonsenseorcommonhumani ty.
343"
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
manwi thadequateskill
,knowl edgeandr esour
ceswoul ddo.
Hewi l
lnotbehear dt
osayt hati nf acthecouldnotattainthat
standard.I fhecannotat taint hatst andardheoughtnott o
assumet heresponsi
bili
tywhi cht hatrelat
ionshi
pinvol
v es.But
anoccupi erdoesnotv oluntar i
lyassumear el
ati
onshipwi th
trespassers. By t r
espassi ng t hey f orce a 'neighbour'
relat
ionshiponhim.Whent heydosohemustacti nahumane
manner— t hatisnotaskingt oomuchofhi m — butIdonot
seewhyheshoul dber equiredt odomor e.
"IfIapplythattesttothe pr esentcase It hi
nk t hatthe
appell
antsmustbeheldr esponsiblefort
hisacci dent.They
broughtont
othei
rlandinthel i
ver ai
lalet
halandt oay oung
chil
daconcealeddanger.Itwoul dhav ebeenv eryeasyf or
them tohav
eandenfor
cear easonablesystem ofinspecti
on
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
344
"Thedutythatl
ayupont her ai
lwaysboardwasal imited
one.Therewasnodut ytoensurethatnotrespassercould
enterupontheland.Andcer tai
nlyanoccupi erowesno
dutytomakehislandfi
tfortr
espasserstotrespassin.Nor
need he make survey
s ofhi sland in orderto decide
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
whet
herdangersexi
stofwhi
chhei
sunawar
e.Thegener
al
l
awremainsthat
345"
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
gi
ves eff
ecttot he gener
alpubl
i
c sent
imentofwhati
s' r
eckless'
conductasithasexpandedoverthefor
tyyear
swhi
chhaveelapsed
si
ncethedeci
sionint
hatcase.
'
First :The dut y does notar i
se unt ilt he occupi erhas act ual
knowl edgeei theroft hepr esenceoft het respasseruponhi sl andor
off act swhi chmakei tli
kelythatt het respasserwi llcomeont ohi s
l
and;andhasal soact ualknowl edgeoff act sast ot hecondi t
ionof
hisl andorofact iviti
escar r
iedoutuponi twhi char el ikelyt ocause
per sonali nj
ur yt oat respasserwhoi sunawar eoft hedanger .Hei s
undernodut ytot het respassert omakeanyi nquiryori nspect i
ont o
ascer tainwhet herornotsuchf act sdoexi st.Hi sl iabi l
itydoesnot
ariseunt i
lheact ual l
yknowsoft hem.Secondl y :Oncet heoccupi er
hasact ualknowl edgeofsuchf acts,hi sownf ai
lur et oappr eciate
the l ikel ihood oft he t respasser 's pr esence ort he r isk t o him
i
nv ol ved,does notabsol v
et he occupi erf rom hi s dut yt ot he
trespasseri far easonabl emanpossessedoft heact ualknowl edge
oft he occupi erwoul dr ecogni se t hatl ikeli
hood and t hatr isk.
Thi rdly :Thedut ywheni tarisesi sl i
mi tedt ot aki ngr easonabl e
stepst oenabl et het respassert oav oidt hedanger .Wher et hel i
kely
trespasseri sachi ldtooy oungt ounder standorheedawr ittenora
prev ious or alwar ning,t his may i nv olve pr oviding r easonabl e
phy si cal obst acl est okeept hechi ldawayf rom t hedanger .Four thly:
Ther el ev antl ikel i
hood t o beconsi dered i soft het respasser '
s
presenceatt heact ualt i
meandpl aceofdangert ohi m.Thedegr ee
ofl i
kel i
hoodneededt ogi v
er i
set ot hedut ycannot , Ithi nk,bemor e
closel ydef ined t han asbei ng such aswoul di mpela man of
ordi nar yhumanef eelingst otakesomest epst omi ti
gat et her i
skof
i
nj uryt ot het respassert owhi cht hepar ti
cul ardangerexposeshi m.
Itwi llt hus depend on al lt he ci rcumst ances oft he case:t he
per manentori nt er mit t
entchar acteroft hedanger ;t hesev eri
tyof
thei njur ieswhi chi tisl ikelytocause;i nt hecaseofchi l
dr en,t he
attract i
v enesst ot hem
347.
ofthatwhi chconsti
tutesthedanger
ousobj ectorcondit
ionof
theland;theexpensei nvol
vedingiv
ingeffecti
vewarningofit
tothekindoft respasserli
kel
ytobei nj
ured,inrel
ati
ont othe
occupier
'sresourcesinmoneyorinlabour.
"
Kuof
ievAhmoah[ 197512GLR99
Fact
s:Thepl
aint
if
f,aschoolchi
l
dwaspl
ayi
ngont
heschoolcompound
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
duringr ecreationt i
me.Thedef endantswer eengagedi ndemol i
shinga
buildi
ngneart heschoolcompound.Thepl aint
iffandot herchildren
wer eat tr
act edt ot hesceneandwhent hef i
rstdefendantdr ovet he
bulldozerint ot hebui l
dingapi eceofbl ockf el
lont hepl ai
nti
ffinj
ur i
ng
him.
Held:Ev eni fthepl ainti
ffwasat respasser,thedefendantoughtt ohav e
knownt hatsomeoft heschoolchi l
drenwoul dbet hereatthet i
meand
thusowedt hem adut ynott ocausei njurytothem.
Principl
e:Thedut yofcar eanoccupi erowesgener all
ydoesnotext end
toat respasserbutwher etheci r
cumst ancesar esucht hattheoccupier
oughtr easonabl ytoexpectt hepr esenceoft hetrespasseront heland,
thent hedut yofcar ewi llextendt othet r
espasser.
THETESTOFCOMMONHUMANI
TY
Her
ri
ngt
onvBr
it
ishRai
l
wayBoar
d(supr
a)
Pannet
tvMcGui
ness&Co.Lt
d[1972]2QB599
wereunderadut ytotakecaretopreventt
hem f
rom i
njuryandthus
wereli
able,
havingr
egardt
ot heageoft
hechil
d.
Pri
nci
ple:In consi
deri
ng whetheran occupi
erowes a dut ytoa
t
respasser,
all
thecir
cumstancesoft
hecasemustbeconsider
ed.
349•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawof
Tor
tsi
nGhana
rail
wayl i
neorawar ehousebeingdemol i
shedmayr equi
re
mor epr ecaut
ionstobet akent hanapr iv
atehouse.(4)
Youmustal sotakeint
oaccountt heknowledgewhichthe
defendanthas,oroughtt o have,oft he l
ikel
i
hood of
trespassersbeingpresent
.Themor elikel
ytheyare,the
mor eprecauti
onsmayhav etobet aken.
"
Sout
her
nPor
tl
andCementvCooper[
19741AC623
Fact s:Thedef endant soper atedaquar r
yandf requentlywar ned
children t hatt he quar r
ywas danger ous.Whi le carryi
ng on an
expansi onwor k, t
hedef endantsfi
ll
edt hegr oundwi thcoarsesand
sucht hatt heel ectri
ccabl esupplyingel ectr
ici
tyt ot hequarrywas
buriedi nt hesand.Thedef endant s,seeingthedangeri tposed
request edt hecabl est ober emovedasamat terofur gency .But
thedaybef oret heschedul eddayf orther emov aloft hecable,the
thi
rteen- y
ear -
oldpl ainti
ffwentt heret opl ayint hesandandwas
i
njur edwhenhecamei ntocontactwi t
ht hecable.
Held:Si ncet hedef endantsknew chi l
drenwer el ikelytofrequent
thereandt hesi tuationposedadangert ohumanl ifeandsaf ety
,
thedef endant swer el i
able.
Principle:Wher et r
espasser sar el
ikelytobechi l
dr en,morewei ght
mustbe at tached t ot he degree ofhi dden danger sand mer e
war ningswi llnotsuf fi
ce.
cannotbesaidinthiscasethatamanoughtnott oenter
i
ntoar elat
ionshi
pwi thother
sunl esshehast heabi
l
ity
andresourcesnecessaryforthepr operper
for
manceof
theduti
eswhichthatrel
ati
onshipentai
ls.
"Thei
rLor dshipsar ebr eakingnonew gr oundinholdingt hat
thenat ureandext entofanoccupi er'
sdut ytoat r
espasser
mustbebasedonconsi derat i
onsofhumani t
y.Asl
ongagoas
1820i nI /
ottvWi l
kes( 1820)3B.&Al d.304,acasedeal ing
withinjurytoat respasserbyaspr i
nggun,BestJ.said,atp.
319:'t
hel awofEngl andwi l
lnotsanct i
onwhati si
nconsistent
with humani t
y '
.I n Grand Tr unk Rail
way Co.ofCanada v
Barnett[1911]A.C.361, t
hej udgmentoftheBoardrefers,atp.
370,to'wilf
ulorr ecklessdi sregardofordinar
yhumanityrather
thanmer eabsenceofr easonabl ecare'
.
"I
nt hei rLor dshi
ps'j udgmentt heAddi eformulati
on oft he
occupi er'
sdut yissonar r
owt hati
twillnotcovermanycases
wher ehumaneconsi derati
onswouldclearl
yimpelanoccupi er
todosomet hingtoav oidorlessendangertotrespassers.I
tis
notenough t o say thathe mustnotactr ecklessl
y or
maliciously.Hisdut ymustbef ormulat
edinbroadert erms.
wayand
351•
wil
lnotseeorrealiset hedangerhemayhav etodomor e.Theremay
dif
fi
cul
tcaseswher etheoccupi erwil
lbehamper edintheconductof
ownaffai
rsifhehast ot akeelaborat
epr ecauti
ons.Buti nthepres
case i
twoul d hav e been easy t o pr
eventt he developmentof
danger
ous sit
uation whi ch caused the plaint
if
f'sinj
uries.The m
seri
ousthedangert hegr eateristheobligati
ont oavoidi t
.Andi f
danger
ous thi
ngorsomet hi
ngneari ti
sanal l
urementt ochil
drent
maygreatl
yincr
easet hechancet hatchi
ldr
enwi l
lcomet here.
"
Nextcomest hequest iont owhom doest heoccupi eroweadut y.
Thei rLordshi pshav eal r
eadyr ej
ectedt hev iewt hatnodut yisowed
unlesst headv entofat respasseri sext remel ypr obabl e.Itwas
arguedt hatt hedut ycoul dbel imitedt ocaseswher et hecomi ngof
tr
espasser si smor epr obabl et hannot .Thei rLor dshi pscanf i
nd
neitherpr i
nci plenoraut hor i
tynoranypr acticalr easont ojust ify
suchal i
mi tation.Theonl yr ationalorpr act i
calanswerwoul dseem
tobet hattheoccupi erisent itl
edt onegl ectabar epossi bil
i
tyt hat
tr
espasser smaycomet oapar t
icularplaceonhi sl andbuti sbound
atleastt ogi veconsi der ationt ot hemat t erwhenheknowsf acts
whi chshowasubst anti
alchancet hatt heymaycomet here.Such
consi der
ation shoul d be al l-embr acing.On t he one hand t he
occupi erisent i
tledtoputi nt hescal esev erykindofdi sadvant age
to hi m ifhe t akes orr ef r
ains f rom act ion f ort he benef itof
tr
espasser s.Ont heot herhandhemustconsi dert hedegr eeof
l
ikelihood oft respassers comi ng and t he degr ee ofhi dden or
unexpect eddangert owhi cht heymaybeexposedi ftheycome.He
mayhav et o gi vemor ewei ghtt ot hesef actorsi ft hepot ent ial
tr
espasser sar echi l
drenbecausegener all
ymer ewar ni ngisofl ittl
e
valuet oprot ectchi l
dren.
"I
tiseasyt obewi seaf teranaccidenthasoccur r
ed.I nconsi dering
whethert heoccupi erdidal lthatheoughtt ohav edonebef oret he
acci
dentt hecourtorj urymustendeav ourtoputi tsel
fbacki nt he
si
tuati
onwhi chconf r
ont edt heoccupi erbef oret het r
espasser s
arr
ived.I tisnotenought oconsidert hepoi ntwher etheacci dent
occurredi fther
ear eot herdangerpoi ntswhi cht heoccupi erwoul d
al
sohav ehadt opr ot
ect ."Theproblem t heni stodet erminewhat
wouldhav ebeent hedeci si
onofahumanemanwi ththef inanci al
and ot herl imit
ations oft he occupi er.Woul d he hav e done
somet hingwhi chwoul dormi ghthavepr eventedt heacci dent ,or
wouldhe,r egretf
ullyitmaybe,hav edeci dedt hathecoul dnot
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
353"
standont hepr oper ty'
sedgeandspeakf oranot hert enmi nut es
aboutschool .Ifther eal-estateagentwasi njuredwhi l
etheywer e
wal kingof fthepr oper t
y ,whati shisclassi f
icati
on?Sur ely
,hei sno
l
ongerat respasser ,butdi d hisst atuschangef rom invit
eet o
l
icenseeoncet hebusi nessconv ersati
onended?Whati fhewas
hur twhi let het womenwer et al
kingatt hepr operty'sedge?Doesi t
mat t
erhowl ongt heywer etalking?'
"Thei nv i
tee-licensee- tr
espassert r
ichotomyi st husopen t ot he
sameobj ectionsenumer atedabov e:first(from t hev iewpointof
l
ogi c),i ti spot entiall
yambi guouswhet heran ent rantist o be
classi f
iedasani nv i
tee,al icenseeorat r
espasser ;andsecond
(from t he v i
ewpoi ntofpr act i
ce),the di sti
nctions bet ween t he
cat egoriescoul dt urnoni nconsequent i
aldet ail
st hatpot entiall
y
l
eadt oi njustice."
53] "
[ I
nSi ngapor e,itiswel lset t
ledt hatt hel andmarkdeci sion
ofSpandeck Engi neering ( S)Pt e Lt d v Def ence Science &
Technol ogy Agency [ 2007]SGCA 37,[ 2008]4 LRC 61 has
authorit
ativelylai
doutt hef r
amewor kf orthei mposi ti
onofadut y
ofcar eincl ai
msar i
singoutofnegl i
gence.Undert hetestsetout
i
nSpandeck( r
eferredt oher einafterasei t
her' theSpandeckt est'
or'theSpandeckappr oach' )
, threeel ement smustbeest ablished
beforeadut yofcar ecanbei mposedonadef endant:(a)fact ual
foreseeabi l
i
t y
,whi cht hiscour tdescr ibedas' notanecessar y
elementi n anycl aim i n negl i
gence,[ but]j ust.a t hreshol d
quest i
onwhi cht hecour tmustbesat i
sfiedi sf ul
fil
l
ed,f ai l
ing
whi chthecl aim doesnotev ent akeof f'( myemphasi s)( see
Spandeck[ 2008]4LRC61at[ 76]);( b)sufficientlegalproximi t
y
betweent hepl ai
nti
f fandt hedef endantsoast ojusti
fyimposi ng
apr imaf aciedut yofcar eont hel atter(referredt obyt hi
scour t
i
nSpandeck[ 2008]4LRC61at[ 77]as' [t]hef ir
ststageoft he
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
[Spandeck]test'
;and( c)t heabsenceofpol icyconsiderati
ons
thatoughttonegat eadut yofcare( whichisthesecondl i
mbof
theSpandeckt est)
.Wi t
hr egar
dtot heel ementofpr oximit
y,thi
s
courtstated(Spandeck[ 2008]4LRC61at[ 79]perChanSek
KeongCJ)t hatit'[
imports]thewhol econceptoft henecessary
rel
ati
onship between t he claimant and t he def endant as
descri
bedbyLor dAt ki
n[inDonoghue] '
.
[
54] "Unli
kethepositionin1957,i tisnowundeni ablet hatthe
commonl aw t
ortofnegl i
gencei s,atitscor e,supportedbya
substratum ofgener alpr i
nciplesofl aw.I tisalsoindisput abl
e
that,i
nt hecontextoft hel aw ofnegl i
gencei nSingapor e,the
Spandeck t esti sthe gr undnor m—t he sol e,ult
imat e setof
princi
plesuponwhi chadut yt otaker easonablecareundert he
l
aw ofnegl i
gencerests.Per tinently,ChanCJhel dinSpandeck
[200814LRC 61at[ 71]t hat:'[Il
nourv iew,asi nglet estis
prefer
abl einordertodet erminet hei mpositionofadut yofcar e
i
nal lclaimsarisi
ngoutofnegl i
gence,irrespecti
veoft he( ypeof
thedamagescl ai
med. "
'
355u•
a'trespasser'
?Toill
ustr
atethi ssomet i
mesawkwar ddi
fficult
y,
Irev er
tonceagai ntotheexampl egiveni nNelsonofar eal
estate agentwho i ni
ti
allyt respasses onto anot her
'sl and,
seemi nglybecomesani nv
iteebecausehest art
sabusi ness
conv ersat
ion wi
tht he occupi erand f i
nall
ymor phs intoa
l
icenseebecauseheengagesi nsocialpleasant
rieswi t
ht he
occupier(seepara[481,abov e).
357•
.
[102]"Ashasal readybeenment i
oned,therei
snobl anket
ruleoflawt hatoccupier
sdonotoweapr imafaciedut yof
caret oresidualentr
ants,i
ncl
udingtr
espassers( seepar a
[82],above):al
lthecir
cumstancesoftheparti
cularcaseat
handmustbet akenint
oaccounttodet erminebot ht he
existence and the ambitofanydut yofcar ev i
s-ä-vi
s
residualent r
ants.It ur
n now to considerthe relevant
cir
cumst ancesint hi
scase.
"
Bur
keSouther
nEducat
ionandLibr
aryBoard[
20041NIQB13Facts:
Thepl
aint
if
fenter
edapremisesofthedef
endantusedasaschool
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
thr
ough one ent rance butcoul
d notgo outt hr
ough anot
her
entr
ancewhi chwasl ockedwit
hanirongatewit
hspikesonthetop
attheot herend.Thepl ai
nti
fft
ri
edcl i
mbingoverthegateand
sustai
nedi nj
uri
es.Hesued.I twasf oundthatthegatewasnot
dangerousinit
selfandwast he
ty
peusual l
yusedt opr eventintrudersandconf ormedt oBrit
ish
standards.Thepl ai
ntif
farguedt hatthedefendantwasnegl i
gentin
al
lowi ngentr
ybutbl ockingexitandal sofornotprovi
dingadequate
notices.
Held:Si ncethepl ai
ntif
fwasat respasserandt heinjur
ycaused
wasnotaf oreseeableconsequence, thedefendantswerenotli
able.
Principl
e:Anoccupi erisnotl iabletot r
espassersfordangershe
doesnotknowofandcoul dnothav ereasonablyknown.
[24]"
Thusanoccupi erofpremisesowest hecommondut y
ofcaret oal
lhi
sv i
sit
ors.Thedutyistot akesuchcareasi n
allt
heci r
cumstancesofthecasei sreasonable,
t oseethat
thevisi
torwil
lbereasonablysafeinusi ngthepremisesfor
thepur poseforwhi chhei sinvit
edorper mit
tedbyt he
occupiertobet here.Anoccupi ermustbepr epar edfor
chil
dren,whoarevisi
tors,
tobelesscar efult
hanadults.
"
359.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
[
32] "
Myconcl usionisthatinthecircumst ances
oft hi
scasei thasnotbeenpr ovedthatt heschool
authorit
iesfail
edtot akesuchcar easwasr easonable
i
nal lthecircumstancestoseet hatthepl
aintiffdidnot
sufferinjur
yont heschoolpr emisesbyr easonoft he
presenceoft hesplay edtops.Thedangerf rom the
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
splay
edt opswassoobv i
ous,eventothisfour
teenyear
old,t
hatitwasnotnecessaryfortheschoolauthori
ti
es
toprovideanywar ni
ngoft hedangeroft hesplayed
tops,i
fthegatewasclimbed,eit
heratthegateitsel
for
attheschoolent
rance.
"
Toml insonvCongletonBoroughCouncil
[2004]1AC46
Facts:Thedef endantswer
et heownersandoccupi
ersofapark
thathadf or
medal akefrom anol dquarry.Thedefendant
s
regularl
ywarnedpeopl e
361
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
thatt hel akewasnotsaf eforswi mmi ngal t
hought henot i
ceswer e
most lyignoredandpeopl eswam i nthelake.Thepl ai
nti
ffwentthereone
hotaf ternoonanddi vedintoashal l
ow partoft hel
akeandst ruckhis
headont hesandybot tom,breaki
nghi sneck.
Held:Thei nj
uri
essuf f
eredbyt heplainti
ffdi
dnotar i
sefrom anybreach
ofdut yon t he par
toft he defendantsbutf rom the pl
ainti
ff
'sown
negligencei ndi
v i
ngintoashallowpar tofthelake.
Principle:Thedutyofcar eanoccupi erowest oaper sonont heland,be
he a l awfulv i
sit
orora t r
espasser,doesnotdepend sol el
yon t he
cir
cumst ancesleadi
ngt otheperson'sentryont helandbutalsowhathe
engagesi nwhil
eont heland.
PerLor dHof f
mannatp.76,par s.13—15:[ 131" Asamat terof
l
ogi c,Isee t he f orce of t hese obser v
ations.ButIhav e
nev erthelesscomet ot heconcl usiont hattheconcessi onwas
ri
ght lymade.Thedut yundert he1984Actwasi ntendedt obea
l
esserdut y,ast obot hi ncidenceandscope,t hant hedut ytoa
l
awf ulv i
sitorundert he1957Act .ThatwasbecausePar li
ament
recogni sedt hati twoul dof t enbeundul yburdensomet orequire
l
andowner st ot akest epst opr ot ectt hesaf etyofpeopl ewho
cameupon t heirland wi thouti nv i
tation orper mission.They
shoul dnotor dinari
lybeabl et of orcedut iesuponunwi ll
inghost s.
Int he appl i
cat i
on oft hatpr i
ncipl e,Ican see no di f
ference
betweenaper sonwhocomesuponl andwi t
houtper mi ssionand
onewho,hav ingcomewi t
hper mi ssi on,doessomet hi
ngwhi ch
hehasnotbeengi v enper missiont odo.I nbot hcases,t he
entrantwoul dbei mposi ngupont hel andowneradut yofcar e
whi chhehasnotexpr essl yori mpl i
edl yaccept ed.The1984Act
prov idest hatev eninsuchcasesadut ymayexi st,basedsi mply
upon occupat i
on ofl and and knowl edge orf oresightt hat
unaut hor
isedper sonsmaycomeupont helandoraut hor i
sed
personsmayusei tf orunaut horisedpur poses.Butt hatdut yis
rareranddi fferentinqual ityf rom t hedut ywhi char i
sesf r
om
expr essori mpl iedi nvitati
onorper missiont ocomeupont he
l
andandusei t .
14"I
naddi ti
on,Ithinkthatt heconcessi
onissupportedbythe
highauthori
tyofLordAt ki
ni nHill
envICI(Al
kal
i)Lt
d[1936]AC65.
Theretoo,itcouldbesaidt hatthestev
edores'
complai
ntwasthat
theyshouldhav ebeenwar nednott ogouponthehatchcoverand
thatl
ogical
lythisdutywasowedt o
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
t
hem,
ifatal
l
,whent
heywer
elawf
ull
yont
hebar
ge.
15"Iwoul dcer t
ainlyagreewi t
hLongmor eLJt hatthei nci
dence
andcont entoft hedut yshouldnotdependont heprecisemoment
atwhi chMrToml insoncr ossedt hel i
nebet weent he statusof
l
awf ulv i
sitorandt hatoft r
espasser .Butthereisnodi sput
ethat
theacti nr espectofwhi chMrToml i
nsonsay sthathewasoweda
duty,namel y,diving intot he wat er,was t o his knowledge
prohibit
edbyt hetermsuponwhi chhehadbeenadmi t
tedtothe
park.Itis,It hi
nk,forthisreasonthatt hecouncilowedhi m noduty
undert he1957Actandt hattheincidenceandcont entofanydut y
theymayhav eowedwasgov ernedbyt he1984Act .ButIshall
l
aterr eturnt othequest ionofwhet heritwoul dhav emadeany
diff
erencei fswimmi nghadnotbeenpr ohi
bit
edandt he1957Act
hadappl ied."
DonoghuevFol kestoneProperti
esLt d[ 200313Al l ER1101
Facts:Thedef endant swereowner sandoccupi er sofahar bour.The
pl
aintif
fwentf orani ghtswim aft
ermi dnightanddi vedf r
om thesl ipway
i
ntot heharbourandst r
uckhisheadagai nstasubmer gedpile,breaking
hi
sneck.Ther ewer enoti
ceswar ning peoplet hatswi mmi ng int he
harbourwasdanger ous.
Held:Sinceatt het imeoftheacci dentt hedef endanthadnor easont o
bel
ievet hatany bodywouldbeswi mmi ngi nthesl ipway,theyowedno
dutytot heplai
ntiff.
Pri
nciple:Thetestwhet heradefendantowedadut yofcaretoapl ainti
ff
mustbedet ermi nedbasedont hepr ev ail
ingcircumst ancesatt het ime
oftheal l
egedbr eachofduty.
Tacagni
vCor
nwal
lCount
yCounci
l[2013]EWCACi
v702
Fact s:Thepl ainti
ffwasr eturni
ngf rom t hepubwi thherpar t
nerafter
takingsomedr i
nks— al thoughshedeni edshewasdr unk.Itwasabout
midni ght .Thef ootpaththeyusedwasr aisedandwasf encedtoapoi nt
.
Thepl ainti
ffusedt hefenceasagui deunt ilshegott otheendwhenshe
fel
l owi ngt otheabsenceoft hef enceatt hatsi de.
Held:I twasnotr easonabl yforeseeablet hatanacci dentofthatnature
woul doccur ,andt her
ewasnosuggest i
ont hataf ur
therfenci
ngwas
necessar y.Thedef endantwast husnotliabl e.
Principle:Thecommondut yofcar eowedbyoccupi ersisli
mitedt o
i
njur i
est hatar ereasonabl yforeseeableundert hecir
cumstances.
363
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
PerMaccombeJatpar s.19— 22:[ 191" Thej udgecl earl
yhadi nmi nd
thepassaget obef oundi nt hej udgmentofLor dOakseywhi chIhav e
alreadyquot ed,stati
ng t hatan or dinarycar efulman doesnott ake
precauti
onsagai nstev eryf oreseeabl eriskbutagai nstr i
skswhi chare
l
ikelytohappen.Thej udgef oundt hati twasav eryrealpossibi
lityt
hat
somebodyusi ng thef enceasagui decoul di nadvertentl
ywal kinto
danger.Heconsi deredt hatt hiswasnotar emot epossi bil
it
ybutar eal
one,andher el
iedupont heev idenceofMrBasset t,whoseconcer n,asI
hav ement i
oned,hadbeenexpr esslyf orcy cl
ist
sand,asheputi t,young
kidsonbi kes,andalsochi ldrenwho' mightrunar oundatt hatpointand
comet ohar m'.
[20]"Therehad,howev er
,beennosuchacci dentasenv isagedbyMr
Bassett,andhewasnotenv i
sagingaper sonl iketheClaimantundert he
i
nf l
uenceofal coholusi
ngt hefenceasahandr ailatnightwithoutat or
ch
andst r
ay i
ngfrom themet all
edf ootpat
hov ergr assforoverf ourmet r
es
asf arast hedr op.Therewasnot hingtoi ndicatethatthev i
ew ofMr
Bassett'
smanagerhadbeenunr easonabl
ei nallthecircumst ancesin
thi
nkingaf ence,tomeetMrBasset t'
sactual concerns,wasunnecessar y.
Rev
il
lvNewbur
y[199611Al
lER291
Fact s:Thepl ai
ntif
fat tempt edt obreaki ntot hedefendant'
s
houseandt hedef endantf iredaguni njuri
nghi m.Botht he
plainti
ffandt hedef endantwer eprosecut edbutt heplaint
if
f
wasconv i
ctedwhi l
et hedef endantwasacqui t
ted.Theplaint
if
f
thereforesuedt hedef endantf orbreachofanoccupi er
'sduty
tohi m.
Held:Thef actthatt heplaintiffwasat respasserandengaged
i
nacr i
minalactdidnotj ust ifythedef endant'
sact i
onandt he
defendantwasl iabl
ef orbreachoft hedut y.
Principl
e:Thef actthatapl ai ntif
fisat respasserandengages
i
nacr i
minalactdoesnotpr ev enthimf r
om succeedinginan
actionforanoccupi er'
sbreachofdut y.
PerNeilLJatp.298:" Ont heotherhand, thepr ovisions
ofs1oft he1984Actar ev eryhelpfulindef iningt he
scopeoft hedutyowedatcommonl awt oani ntruder
whocomesonpr emi sesi nthemi ddleoft heni ght
.
Indeed,though Ihav er eached myconcl usi
on bya
l
ongerr outethanthej udge,Iagreewi t
hhi mt hatont he
factsoft hiscasethequest i
onofl i
abi
li
tyatcommon
l
aw i stobedet er
mi nedont hesamel inesasi fone
were consi deri
ng a br each of dut y under s 1.
Accordingly,i
nconsideringwhet heradutywasowedt o
MrRev il
l,onecanf ollow thegui dancegiv enins1( 3)
ofthe1984Act ;
andi n
365eu
hesuf
fer
sandwhi
chot
her
wisehei
sent
it
ledt
orecov
erat
l
aw.
"Iti
sabundant lycl ear,i
nmyj udgment ,
t hatthet respasser/
crimi nalisnotanout law, andi tisnot ewor t
hyt hatev enthe
oldcommonl aw aut horiti
esr ecogni sedt heexi stenceof
somedut ytowar dst respasser s,ev ent hought hedut ywas
l
imi tedandst rictlydef i
nedandwasmuchl essoner ous
thant hecommonl aw dut yofcar e( seeegt hepassages
from Rober tAddi e& Sons( Collieri
es)Lt dt ,Dumbr eck
[1929]AC 358,[ 1929]Al lER Rep1whi chNei llLJhas
quot ed) .Inoteal sot hattheLawCommi ssi
on'sRepor ton
Liabilit
yforDamageorI njuryt oTr espasser sandRel ated
Quest i
onsofOccupi ers'Liabili
ty( Law Com No75)( 1976)
discussed t he ext entoft he occupi er 's dutyt owar ds
trespasser si nt hecont extof' Otherpossi blel imitat
ions
upon t he duty ofcar e'( see par as 31—35) .Iti s not
suggest ed thatno dut y ofany sor ti s owed t ot he
trespasser ,andi tf ol
lowst hatthel awr ecogni sest hatthe
plaintiffhassomer i
ghts,howev erl i
mi ted,whi cht hel aw
does r ecognise and protect.Thi si s suffi
cient,in my
j
udgment ,toanswert hedefendant '
scont enti
ont hatthere
i
sar uleorpr incipl
eoflawwhi chr el
ieveshi m ofalll
i
abilit
y
orwhi ch,conv ersel
y,depri
vest hepl ai
nti
ffofanyr i
ghtt o
recoverdamagesi nthepresentcase.Suchar ulewoul d
makei tunnecessar ytoconsi derthepr ecisescopeoft he
defendant '
sdut ytowardsthepl ai
nti
ffort oappl ytherules
ofcont ribut
orynegl i
gence.Thecl aim woul df aili
nany
event.Thatclear l
yisnotthelaw.
•
368
NEGLI
GENCEI
NRELATI
ONTOCHATTELS
DI
STI
NGUI
SHI
NG BET\XEEN DANGEROUS CHATTELS
ANDNON-
DANGEROUSCHATFELS
DixonvBel l(1816)105ER1023
Fact s:Thedefendantsentagi rltofet
chal oadedgun.The
girl
,af t
ertakingthegun,poi ntedthel oadedgunatt he
plainti
ff'
ssonandpul l
edt hetrigger
,causinghiminjuri
es.I
t
wasf oundt hatthedef endanthadt akenpr ecauti
onby
givinginstr
ucti
onstot hegirlaboutthegun.
Held: Thedefendantwasl iabl
e.
Principle:Apersonwhokeepsadanger ousinstrumentis
underadut ytokeepi twel landi sli
ableforanydamage
causedduet ohisbreachoft hatduty.
Langri
dgevLev y[1832-421Al lERRep586;( 1837)150
ER863Fact s:Theplainti
ff
'sfatherwantedtobuyagun
fr
om t he defendant for hi
msel f and hi
s sons.The
defendantf
alsel
yrepr
esentedthatthegunwas
369•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
•
370
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
i
tbeaf al
sehoodt oldwi t
hani ntenti
ont hatitshouldbe
act eduponbyt hepar t
yi njured,andt hatactmust
producedamaget ohi m,if,insteadofbei ngdelivered
tot hepl aintif
fi mmedi atel
y ,thei nstrumenthadbeen
placedi nt hehandsofat hirdper son,fort hepurpose
ofbei ngdel i
v eredt oandt henusedbyt hepl ai
nti
ff, t
he
l
ikef alser epresent at
ionbei ngknowi nglymadet ot he
i
nt ermedi at e per son t o be communi cated tot he
plaintiff,andt hepl ai
nti
ffhadact eduponi t
,therecan
benodoubtbutt hatthepr inciplewoul dequal l
yappl y,
andt hepl aintif
fwoul dhav ehadhi sremedyf ort he
decei t;norcoul di tmakeanydi fferencethatt het hir
d
per son al so was i ntended byt he defendantt o be
decei v ed;nordoest hereseem t obeanysubst antial
distinct i
on
•
371
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
i
ft heinstrumentbedel i
ver ed,i
nordertobesousedby
theplaint
iff,thoughi tdoesnotappeart hatthedefendant
i
ntended t he f alse r epresent
ati
on i t
self to be
communi catedt ohi m.Ther ei saf al
serepresentati
on
madebyt hedef endant ,wi thav i
ew thatthepl aint
iff
should use t he inst r
umenti n a danger
ous way ,and,
unlessther epresent ati
onhadbeenmade, t
hedanger ous
actwoul dnev erhav ebeendone
Onaf urt
herappealt otheCour tofExchequerChamber ,
thecourtperLor dDenmanCJaf f
irmedthedecisionatp.
592asf oll
ows:" Weagr eewi ththeCour tofExchequer ,
andaf fi
rmt hejudgmentont hegr oundstat
edbyPar keB
that'ast hereisf raud,anddamage,t her esultoft hat
fraudnotf r
om anactr emot eandconsequent i
al,butone
contempl at
edbyt hedef endantatt het
imeasoneofi ts
result
s,thepartygui l
tyoft hefraudi sr
esponsibletot he
partyinj
ured."
'
oneoft
heropesbrokeandhefel
landi
njur
edhimsel
f.
Hel
d:Thedefendantwasunderadut
ytotakecar
ethatt
her
opes
heused
371.
werefi
tforthei
rpur poseandthusliabl
etotheplai
nti
ffalt
hough
t
herewasnocont ractbetweenthem
Pr
inci
ple:A per son may owe a dut y of careto another
i
ndependentofacont r
actprov
ideditwasreasonabl
et hati
njur
y
mayresul
tfrom wantofcare.
Domi
nionNat
ural
GasvCol
l
ins
Facts:Thedef endantinstall
edagasmachi neont hepremi sesof
arail
waycompanyandf i
xedt heregulatorint heblacksmithshop
i
nt herai l
waycompanyi nsteadoffixingi toutsi
det hebuilding.A
l
argequant i
tyofgasescapedandt hepl ainti
ffinanat temptt o
putoffther egul at
orgotinjuredwhenanexpl osi
onoccur r
ed.
Held:Sincet hedef endanthadbeennegl igentinthei nst
all
ationof
themachi ne, hewasl iabl
e.
Pri
nciple:Aper soninpossessionofadanger ousar t
icl
eisundera
dutytot akepr ecauti
ont oav oi
dinj
uryr esult
ingfrom it.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
THEMANUFACTURER
DonoghuevSt evenson[ 19321AC562
Facts:Af ri
endoft hepl ai
ntiffpurchasedabeermanuf act uredby
thedefendantf orher .Thebeerwasi nanopaquebot t l
esucht hat
i
twasi mpossi blet oseet hecontent s.Af t
erdr inkingsomeoft he
beerthepl aintifffoundadecomposedsnai lint her emai nderof
thebeer .Thepl aintif
fsuf f
eredshockandgast r
o-enterit
tis.
Held:Si ncet hebeerwasmanuf acturedt o beconsumedand
bottl
ed wi thout any r easonable means of i nspect i
ons,t he
defendantwasl iablef ortheinjuri
essuf f
eredbyt hepl ai
nt i
ff.
Princi
ple:Amanuf acturerofpr oduct s,whi chhesel l
si nsucha
form ast o show t hathei ntendst hem t or eacht heul t
imat e
consumeri nthef ormi nwhi chtheyl ef
thim wi thnor easonabl e
possibi
lityofi ntermedi ateexami nat i
on,andwi t
ht heknowl edge
thattheabsenceofr easonabl ecar eint hepr epar at
ionorput ting
upoft hepr oduct swi llresultinani njurytot heconsumer '
sl if
eor
propert
y ,owesadut yt ot heconsumert ot aket hatr easonabl e
care.
t
hatnotonl
ythedegreeofcarebutt
her angeofpersons
t
owhom adut yisowedmaybeext ended.Buttheyall
i
l
lust
rat
ethegener
alpri
nci
ple.
"
375.
.
Andatp.599:" MyLor ds,ify ourLor dshipsacceptt he
view t hatt hispl eading disclosesar el
evantcauseof
act i
ony ouwi llbeaf f
irmingt hepr oposi t
ionthatbyScot
andEngl ishlawal i
keamanuf acturerofpr oducts,which
hesel lsinsuchaf orm ast oshowt hathei ntendsthem
tor eacht heul ti
mat econsumeri nthefor minwhi chthey
l
ef thim wi thnor easonabl epossi bil
i
tyofi ntermedi
ate
ex aminat i
on, andwi ththeknowl edgethatt heabsenceof
reasonabl ecar eint heprepar ati
onorput t
ingupoft he
product swi llresultinani njuryt otheconsumer 'sli
feor
proper ty,owes a dut ytot he consumert ot ake t
hat
reasonabl ecar e."
Br
ownvCot
ter
il
l(1934)54TLR21
Facts:Thepl
ainti
ff,
aninf
ant
,wasinjuredbythefal
lofatombstone
whenhewasl awful
lyi
nthepremi
sesofachur chyar
d.I
twasf ound
thatthetombstonewasnegl
igent
lyerected.
Held:Since the pl
ainti
ffwas lawfull
yinthe chur
chyard,the
defendantswhoer ectedthetombst onewer
emanuf act
urersin
thatnarr
owsenseandaccor di
nglyowedadutytohim andwer e
thusli
ableforthei
njur
iessuf
fered.
PRODUCT
Gr
antvAust
ral
i
anKni
tt
ingMi
l
lsLt
d[1936]AC85
Facts:Thepl ai
nt i
ffboughtwool l
enunder wearmanuf acturedby
thef i
rstdefendantandsol dbyt heseconddef endant.Excess
sulphi
tehad been negl igentl
ylefti nt hegar mentbyt hef i
rst
defendant.Duet ot heexcesssul phit
e,t heplainti
ffcontracted
dermat i
ti
swhenhewor ethegarment .Hesuedbot hdefendant s.
Itwasf oundthatt hesul
phitewasahi ddenandl atentdefectthat
couldnotbedet ectedbyreasonableexami nat
ion.Held:Thef i
rst
defendantbreachedadut yt heyowedt otheplainti
ffandwer e
thusli
ablefortheirnegli
gence.
Princi
ple:Theliabili
tyofamanuf acturertoaconsumerappl ies
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
onl
ywheret hedefectintheproductishi
ddenandcannotbe
di
scov
ered byreasonabl
e examinat
ion.A pr
oductin pr
inci
ple
i
ncl
udesthi
ngsusedinter
nall
yandthi
ngsusedext
ernal
l
y.
PerLor dWr i
ghtatpp.104— 106:" I
tisobv ioust hatt he
pri
ncipl est husl aiddowni nvolveadut ybasedont he
simplef act sdet ailedabov e,adut yqui teunaf f
ect edby
anycont ract sdeal ingwi ththet hi
ng, f
ori nstance, ofsal e
bymakert or et ail
er,andagai nbyr etail
ert oconsumeror
totheconsumer 'sf r
iend.Itmaybesai dt hatt hedut yis
dif
ficultt odef ine, becausewhent heactofnegl igencei n
manuf actur e OCCUf St here was no speci fi
c per son
towar dswhom t hedut ycouldbesai dtoexi st :thet hing
mightnev erbeused:i tmi ghtbedest royedbyacci dent ,
Ofitmi ghtbescr apped,ori nmanyway sf ai lt ocome
i
nto usei nt henor malway :i n ot herwor dst hedut y
cannotatt he t ime of manuf act ure be ot hert han
potent i
alorcont ingent ,andonl ycanbecomev estedby
thef actofact ualusebyapar ticularper son.Butt he
samet heor eticaldi ff
icult
yhasbeendi sr egardedi ncases
l
ikeHeav envPender ,Ofinthecaseoft hingsdanger ous
perseOfknownt obedanger ous,wher et hirdpar ti
es
have been hel d ent i
tled t
or ecov eron t he pr inciples
explainedi nDomi nionNat uralGasCo. ,Ld.vCol li
ns&
Perkins.I nDonoghue' scaset het hingwasdanger ousi n
fact,thought hedangerwashi dden,andt het hingwas
danger ousonl ybecauseofwar yofcar ei nmaki ngi t;as
LordAt kinpoi nt souti nDonoghue' scase,t hedi stinction
between t hi ngs i nher entl
ydanger ous and t hings onl y
danger ousbecauseofnegl i
gentmanuf act urecannotbe
regardedassi gnifi
cantf orthepur poseoft hequest i
ons
hereinv olv ed.
"Onefur t
herpoi ntmaybenot ed.Thepr i
ncipleofDonoghue' s
casecanonl ybeappl i
edwher et hedefecti shi ddenand
unknownt ot heconsumer ,
otherwisethedirectnessofcause
andef f
ecti sabsent:t hemanwhoconsumesOfusesat hing
whichheknowst obenoxi ouscannotcompl ai
ni nrespectof
whatevermi schieffollows,becauseitfoll
owsf rom hisown
consciousv ol i
ti
oninchoosi ngtoincurtheriskorcer tai
ntyof
mischance.I ft hefor egoi
ng aret heessent i
alf eatur
esof
Donoghue' s case,t hey are also to be f ound,i nt hei
r
Lordships'j
udgment ,inthepresentcase.Thepr esenceoft he
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
del
eteri
ous chemi cali nthe pant s,due t o negligence in
manufacture,wasahi ddenandl atentdefect,
justasmuchas
werether emai nsoft hesnailintheopaquebot tl
e:itcould
notbedet ect
edbyanyexami nationt hatcoul
dr easonabl ybe
made.Not hi
ng happened bet ween t he maki ng of t he
garmentsandt heirbeingwornt ochanget heirconditi
on.The
garmentswer emadebyt hemanuf actur
ersfort hepur pose
ofbeing wor n exactlyast heywer e worni nf actbyt he
appel
lant:
i
twasnotcont emplatedthattheyshoul dbefirstwashed.I ti
s
377.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
i
mmat erialt
hatt heappell
anthasacl aimincont r
actagai
nstthe
ret
ail
ers,becauset hatisaqui t
eindependentcauseofact i
on,
basedondi ff
erentconsiderati
ons,eventhoughthedamagemay
be the same.Equal l
yi r
relevantis any question ofl
iabi
lit
y
betweent heretail
ersandthemanuf act
urersont hecont
ractof
sal
e between t hem.The t or
tl i
abi
li
tyisi ndependentofany
questi
onofcont ract.
"I
twasar gued,butnotper hapsv er
ystrongly,thatDonoghue' s
casewasacaseoff oodordr inkt obeconsumedi nter
nall
y,
wher easthepant sherewer et obewor nexternally.Nodisti
ncti
on,
howev er
,can be l ogicall
ydr awn fort his purpose between a
noxious t hing taken internal
ly and a noxi ous t hi
ng appli
ed
externall
y:t hegar mentswer emadet obewor nnextt heskin;
i
ndeed Lor d Atkin specifi
call
y puts as exampl es ofwhati s
cover ed by the pr i
nciple he is enunciati
ng t hings oper
ati
ng
externall
y,such as ' an ointment,a soap,a cl eani
ng fl
uid or
cl
eani ngpowder '
."
SALE
Hasel dinevDaw&Sons[ 194112KB343
Fact s:The second def endant s carr
ied outr epairwor ks on a l i
fti n
buildingownedbyt hef irstdefendant.Aser v antoft heseconddef endan
negl i
gentlyfailedt or eplacesomegl andsi nt hel i
ft
.Thepl aintif
fv i
sit
ed
thebui ldingthef oll
owi ngdayupont heinv itationofaser vanoft hef i
rst
defendantgoti njuredwhenheusedt hel iftasar esultoff ailuret o
replacet hegl ands.Thepl ai
nti
ffsued.
Held:Theseconddef endantasar epair
eroft hel i
ftwasl iabletopl ainti
ff
fort hebr eachoft hedut yt heyowedt ohim asal awf uluseoft hear ti
cle
sincet herewasnor easonabl eoppor t
unityf orexami nat i
orbef oreuse.
Principle:Ther epair erofanar t
icl
eowesadut ytoanyper sonbywhon
thear t
icl
ei sl awf ullyusedt oseet hatithasbeencar efull
yr epairedi n
casewher ether ei snor easonabl eoppor tuni tyfortheexami nat i
onoft h
arti
cl eafterther epai riscompl etedandbef orei tisused.
PerScottLJatp.363:"Itiswort
hnotici
ngthatinDonoghuev
Stev
ensonLordBuckmast ert
reat
edtherepai
rerasinconsimi
/i
casutothemanuf
actur
er.Herecogni
zedthatt
heprinci
plewhi
ch
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
.
.378
hedeni edt ot hecommonl aw must ,ifi texistsatal l
,applyt othe
repai
reraswel last othemanuf act
ur er.Thef actthather egarded
thatsi
mi larit
yasar easonf orr ej
ecti
ngt hepr i
ncipledoesnotl essen
theforceoft her easonsf orsay i
ngthat ,ifitdoesappl ytotheone, it
mustal soappl ytot heother ..
..Thef actsoft hiscase,therefore,i
n
myopi nion, clearlyshowt hatt heengineer sdidoweadut yofcar eto
anyper sonusi ngt helif
tint heor di
nar ywayupt othet i
meoft heir
nextexami nat i
onofi t
,fort heyr eali
zed,oroughtt ohav er eal
ized,
thatnoef fectiveexami nationwasi nthel eastlikelybeforethen."
379•
•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Atpp.377and378:" Onwhatsoundpr i
nciple,then,
cant hecaseofar epairerbedi stinguishedf rom t hat
ofamakerofanar ti
cle?Ofcour se,thedoct ri
nedoes
notappl yt ot her epai rofanyar ticleanymor et hant o
i
tsmanuf act ure.I fIor dermyt ai l
ort omakemeasui t,
orawat chmakert or epairmywat ch,noonewoul d
supposet hatany onebutmy selfwasgoi ngt ouset he
suitorwat ch.I ft het ailorleftal argeneedl ei nt he
l
iningandi tinjur edaper sont ow&om atsomet imeI
l
entt hecoat ,Ishoul dt hinkt hatt hel attercoul dnot
recov eragai nstt het ail
or .Ther el
ationshi pwoul dbe
alt
oget hert oo r emot e,and manyoft hesuggest ed
diffi
cultiesofDonoghuevSt ev ensondi sappeari fitis
reali
zedt hatt hedeci si
onwas,asIv enturet obel i
ev e,
essent iall
yoneont hequest i
onofr emot eness.Butt he
caseofal i
ftr epai rerisv erydi fferent.Al i
ftinabl ock
off latsi st heret o beused byt heownerand hi s
servant s,t he t enant s and t hei rser vants,and al l
personsr esortingt heretoonl awf ulbusi ness.Bl ocks
off l
at sandof fi
cesar ef requent l
yownedbyl imited
compani eswhowoul dbecont ract i
ngpar ti
eswi tht he
l
iftengi neer s.I nsuchacase,t heempl oyerwoul dbe
theone' per son' whocoul dbynopossi bili
tyuset hel i
ft.
Ifther epai r
er sdot heirwor kcar elessly,orf ai
l t
or epor t
adangerofwhi cht heyasexper tsoughtt obeawar e, I
cannotseewhyt hepr incipleofDonoghuevSt evenson
•
382
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
shoul
dnotappl
ytot
hem.
"
Andatpp.379and380: "Itis,howev er
,arguedt hati
tis
notfightt hatar epairerwho,asi nt hepr esentcase,
hasst i
pulatedwi ththeper sonwhoempl oyshimt hat
heshal lnotbel iabl
ef oracci dent s,shouldnonet he
l
essbemadel iabletoat hirdper son.Theanswert o
thi
sar gumenti st hatt hedut ytot het hirdpar t
ydoes
notariseoutoft hecont r
act ,butindependent lyofit
.It
i
s,f ori nstance,a common t hi
ng nowaday sf ora
garagepr opriet
ort ostipul atethatcust omer s'carsare
dri
venbyhi m onlyatthe
•
383
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
soler isk oft he cust omer .Buti f,whi le dr iv ing a
cust omer '
scar ,her unsi nt oandi njur esapedest rian, the
cont racthehasmadewoul daf fordnoanswert ot he
l
at ter's cl aim. To hol d t he r epai rer l iabl ei n t he
circumst ancesoft hepr esentcase,. innowayenl arges
the l iabili
ty ofa cont ract ororr epai rerwho,bei ng
empl oy edt odocer t
ainwor k, doesi tpr oper lyandhands
i
tov ert otheper sonwhoempl oy edhi m.I fadangerbe
ther ebycr eat ed, i
tisfort heempl oy ert oguar dagai nsti t.
Fori nst ance, anownerofpr oper tyengagesacont ractor
toer ectanobst ructionacr ossadr iveorpr iv at er oad
wher enonehasbef or eexi sted.Hedoeswhathei s
empl oy edt odoexact lyi nt hewayhi sempl oy erdesi res.
Nextdayat r adesmanappr oachi ngt hehousei nt hedar k
runsi ntot heunexpect edobst ruct i
onandi si nj ur ed.He
woul dhav enocl ai
m agai nstt hecont ract or,becausei t
i
st heempl oy erwhocr eat edt hedangerandt hedut yof
guar dingorwar ningagai nsti tl iesonhi m.Tor endert he
cont ract ororr epai rerl) gbl e,t her emustbe,f irst ,awant
ofcar eonhi spar tintheper for manceoft hewor kwhi ch
hewasempl oy edt odo,and,secondl y,ci rcumst ances
whi chshowt hatt heempl oy erwi llbel ef tini gnor anceof
thedangerwhi cht hel ackofcar ehascr eat ed.Suppose
al i
ftr epai r
ert oldt heownert hatapar twaswor noutso
thatwhi l
ehecoul dpat chi tuphecoul dnotl eav ei tina
saf econdi tion.I fhewer et ol dt odot hebesthecoul d,
andanacci dentt henhappened,Icannotconcei v et hat
ther epai rerwoul dbehel dl iabl e.Hehasf ulfilledhi sdut y
bywar ningt heempl oy er ,andi ft hel at ter, i
nspi teoft hat ,
choosest oal lowt hel i
f tt obeused,t hel iabi l
itywi llrest
on hi m.The acci dentwoul d be caused,notbyt he
car elessness oft he r epai rer ,butby t he empl oyer '
s
disregar doft hewar ninggi v ent ohi m.I nt hepr esent
case, thelandl or disnotl iabl et ot hepl aintiffbecausehe
hadar ightt or el yont hewor kandr epor t
soft heexper ts
heempl oyed,andnoexami nat ionoft heirwor kaf ter
compl et i
on wascont empl at ed.I twoul d,Iv ent ur et o
think,beast rangeandunj ustr esul tift hepl aint iffwho
hasbeeni njur eddi rectlybyt hecar elessper for manceof
thewor kist obel eftwi thoutar emedy ."
EvansvTripl
exSafet
yGlassLt
d[193611AllER283
Facts:Theplai
nti
ffboughtacarthewindscr
eenofwhi
chhad
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
beenmanufacturedbythedef
endant
s.Whil
etheplaint
if
fwas
dri
ving t
he caraf t
erabouta yearaf
terits pur
chase,t
he
windscr
eenbrokeint
opi
eces
381•
wit
houtanyf orcebei
ngexertedoni t,result
ingininj
urytosome
ofthepassengersinthecar.
Held:Thedef endant
swer enotl i
ablesi ncetherehadbeenan
opport
unit
yofexami nationbyt heintermediat
esel l
erandther
e
hadbeenal apseoft i
mebet weent hepur chaseoft hevehi
cle
andtheoccurrenceoftheaccident.
PerPor terJatp.286:" I
nt hiscaseIcannotdr aw the
i
nferencet hatt hecauseoft hedisintegrat i
onwast he
fault
ymanuf acture.Iti st r
uet hatt hehumanel ement
mayf ailandt hent hemanuf acturerswoul dbel i
ablefor
negligence oft heirempl oyee,butt hen t hatwasnot
provedi nthiscase.Thedi sintegrat
ionmayhav ebeen
causedbyanyacci dent.Ther ewasev eryoppor tunit
yfor
fai
lureont hepar toft hehumanel ementi nf ast
eningthe
windscr een,andIt hinkt hatthedi sintegrationwasdue
rathert ot hef itt
ing oft hewi ndscreent hant of ault
y
manuf acturehav i
ngr egardt oitsuseont her oadandt he
damagedonet oawi ndscy eeni nthecour seofuser .
"I
nDonoghuevSt ev
ensontherewasasnai li
nt heginger
beerbot t
leandt her
ewasnooppor tunit
yofseeingi tas
you coul d not see thr
ough t he glass.In Gr ant v
Australi
anKnitt
ingMi l
l
sLtdt heart
iclepassedont othe
purchaser and i tis qui
te clear that a reasonable
exami nat
ionofthegarmentwoul dnothav ereveal
edt he
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
presenceofthesul phit
e.Thatcaseisdif
ferentfrom this.
Inthatcasetherewasf oundinsomeoft hegarment san
excessofsulphitesandt hatclear
lywasthecauseoft he
i
njury.Hereareanumberofcauseswhi chmi ghthav e
caused disi
ntegration.Ido notf ind any negligence
provedagainstthedef endantsandIgivethedef endants
j
udgmentwi thcost s."
ULTI
MATECONSUMER
DonoghuevSt
evenson[
19321AC562
Fact
sandHol
ding:
supr
a
Pr
inci
ple:Thedut
yowedbyt hemanuf
act
urerofgoodsi
sowed
t
otheultimat
econsumeroft
hegoods.
PerLor dAtki
natp.595:" Ishouldhavecomet ot he
conclusi
on that,as t he manufact
urers must hav e
contemplat
edt hebottl
ebeinghandledi mmedi atel
yby
theconsumer,theyowedadut ytohimt ot akecarethat
heshouldnotbei nj
uredext
ernal
lybyexplosion,justasI
thi
nkt heyowedadut yto hi
m tot akecar et hathe
should notbe injur
ed int
ernal
ly by poison orot her
noxi
oust hi
ng."
PerLor dMacmi ll
anatp.620:" NowIhav enohesi t
ation
i
naf firmi ngt hataper sonwhof orgainengagesi nt he
businessofmanuf acturi
ngar ti
clesoff oodanddr ink
i
ntendedf orconsumpt i
onbymember soft hepubl i
ci n
thefor mi nwhi chhei ssuest hem isunderadut ytotake
carei nt hemanuf actureoft hesear ti
cles.Thatdut y,in
myopi nion,he owes t ot hose whom he i ntends t o
consume hi s pr oducts. He manuf actures hi s
commodi tiesforhumanconsumpt i
on;hei ntendsand
contempl atesthattheyshal lbeconsumed.Byr easonof
thatv eryf actheplaceshi msel finar el
ationshi pwi thall
thepot entialconsumer sofhi scommodi ties,andt hat
rel
ationshi pwhi chheassumesanddesi resf orhisown
endsi mposesuponhi m adut yt otakecar et oav oid
i
njuringt hem.Heowest hem adut ynott oconv ertbyhi s
owncar elessnessanar ti
clewhi chhei ssuest ot hem as
wholesome and i nnocent i nto an ar ticle whi ch i s
danger oust oli
feandheal th."
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
StennetvHancock[ 193912Al lER518
Facts:Thef i
rstdef endantsenthi scart ot heseconddefendant
to carry outr epairs on t he wheel s.The second def endant
repair
ed itand f ixed thef lange,al bei
tnegl i
gentl
y.When t he
servantofthef i
rstdef endantwasdr i
v i
ngt hecaraft
erfewhour s,
theflangecameof fandr anont hepav ementt ohittheplai
ntiff
whowaswal kingont hepav ement .
Held:The f irstdef endantwas notl iable butthe second
defendantwas l iabl
et ot he plaintif
fundert he pri
ncipl
ei n
DonoghuevSt ev ensonsi nceheknewt hatt hevehi
clewouldbe
usedont heroadandcoul dcausei njuryto
383•
ar
oaduseri
fhewasnegl
i
gent
.
Princi
ple:A manuf act
ureri
sliabletot heulti
mateuserofhi
s
productand a r oad userquali
fies as such ul
ti
mat
e useri
n
respectofvehi
clesusedonther oad.
Andatpp.583and584:" .
..
Ithi
nkitri
ghtt
osayt hat
,if
,
uponthefactsoft
hecase,
ithadappear
edthatHancock
shoul
dr easonabl
y hav
e examined t
he wheelbefore
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
putt
ingitintouse,andhadf ail
edtodoso,t henthere
wouldbeanov usact
usi ntervenienswhichwoul dbreak
thecontinuit
ynecessar yt omakePet ersliablet othe
femaleplaint
iff
.Icannott hi
nk, however,thatitwouldbe
ri
ghttosay( asIhav eal readysai d)thataper sonwho
employsaski l
ledandcompet entrepair
ertor epai
rhis
vehi
cleisomi tt
inganydut ywhi chheowest ohi mselfor
toanybodyel seifhetrustst othatmanhav i
ngdonehi s
work properl
y ,and,inr eliance upon t hat
,t akes the
vehi
cleupont heroad.
"
NO REASONABLE POSSI
BILI
TY OF I
NTERMEDI
ATE
EXAMI
NATION
Dr
ansfi
eldvBr
it
ishI
nsul
atedCabl
e
Lt
d[1937]4Al
lER382
Andatp.388:" Appl yi
ngthosepr inci
plest othiscase,the
manuf acturerswer enoti nt hehabitoft esti
ngt her i
ngs
beforesuppl ying t hem t o purchasers.Theyt ook,and
thoughtt hattheywer er i
ghti nt
aking,achance,whi chis
oneofMrWi lson'sanswer sgi v
ent oMrTuckeri nthe
courseofcr oss- exami nati
on.Theysai d,andIagr ee,that,
withpr opermat eri
alandt hemat eri
alofwhi chthisr i
ng
wasmadewasper fectl
ypr oper andcar ef
ulwor kmen,
therewasr eal
lynodangeri nal
lowingwel dingtogoout
withoutfurthertesting.ButIcannotf indin
thiscaseanyev i
denceofanyst epst akenbyt hem t o
preventt hepur chaserf rom test i
ngbef orer etaili
ngt he
goods, orrequiri
ngot herper sonst ouset hem.I tisnota
casei nwhi cht heuseofi ntermedi atet ests,whet her
successf ulornot ,woul ddef eatt heobj ectoft hesuppl y
.
Testscoul dbeappl i
edwhi ch, ifsuccessf ul,woul dleave
thepr oductperf ectlyfitforuse.Ther ewer e,admi t
tedly,
tests whi ch coul d easi ly hav e been made. The
empl oyeesoft heBour nemout hCor por ati
ondi dnotuse
them,because t hey sai dt hat t hey r eli
ed on t he
manuf acturers,and t hat,ift heypur chased f rom t he
manuf acturersr ings,suchast hesewer e,ofsuf fi
cient
dimensi onst obeart hest r
ai nwhi chwoul dbeputon
them,t heywoul dbeent itl
edt oassumet hatt hegoods
wer eper f
ect.Thecor por ati
onhadanengi neeringst aff,
andt heycer t
ainl yhadsuf fici
entoppor t
uni tyt oappl y
tests of whi ch t hey knew.They had,i nf act,an
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
i
nst rumentcal ledady namo- meter
,actuall
ysuit
abl efor
testingstrainsonmet als.Itwasnott hei
rhabit,before
thisaccident ,touset hisinstrumentf ortesti
ngsuch
things as bul l-
ri
ngs,though i twas used i nf actf or
testingmor ef lexi
blepor ti
onsoft heirsyst
em,butt hey
couldeasi lyandwel l
—Iam usi ngthewor dsofoneof
theirownwi tnesses—hav eusedi tbeforeputti
nganyof
thebul l
-r
ingsi ntouse,andIunder standthattheuseof
suchat estwoul dhavedi sclosedquiteeasi
lywhet heror
nott heweldi ngswerefitforuse.
"It
hereforethi
nkthatthereislacki
ngoneoft hefact ors
whichitisessenti
alfortheplaint
ifftopr oveinor dert o
subst
ant i
atehercase,and,howev ermuchImayr egret
i
t,Imustgi vej
udgmentagainsther .Ithi
nkt hattheonus
ofprooft hatthenecessaryrelati
onexi stsliesonher ,
andIthinkthatshehasfail
edt oprov esuchar el
ation."
Paul
i
nevCol
nev
all
ey[
1938]4Al
l
ER8803
Facts:Theseconddef endantsbuiltki osksthatwer eusedbyt he
fi
rstdefendantasanel ect
ri
calstation.Theki oskswer ej oi
nedby
i
nsulati
ngwi reandoneoft hewi reswasl efthangi ngbyt he
seconddef endant.Awor kmanoft hef i
rstdefendantcamei nt o
contactwiththelivewireandwaski lled.Theexecut ri
xsued.
Held:Sincet herewasampl eoppor tunityfori nspectionbyt he
fi
rstdefendant ,t
heseconddef endantasmanuf acturerswer e
notli
able.Pri
nciple:Amanuf actureri snotliableforinjurycaused
toaconsumeri fther
ewasr easonabl epossi bil
it
yofi ntermediate
i
nspection.
"
Herethesecond def
endant
swerenotempl oyed t
o
i
nst
all
,butonl
ytomakeanddeli
ver
,theki
osk.I
thadin
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
factbeendel i
v eredsomet woy ear sbef or
et heacci dent,
andhadbeenatt hef i
rstdef endant s'premisesev er
since.Thedut yi mposedbyt heFact or yandWor kshop
Act1901wasont hef i
rstdef endant s,andi twasf or
them t osat isfyt hemselvest hatt heki oskcompl iedwi th
thatAct .Thei rengi neersf ixedi t,and, ifnoonet roubled
toseet hati twassaf ef ort hei rment ouse( andt hey
knewbet terthanany oneel secoul dknowt hemet hods
whi chwoul dbeadopt edandt het oolswhi chwoul dbe
used) ,they wer e,in my opi nion,gui lt
y ofa v ery
consi derablebr eachofdut yt ot heirwor kmen.Fort hese
reasons Imusthol dt hatt her e was no pr oximat e
relationshipbet weent heseconddef endantsandt he
deceased,and i n so hol ding Iam suppor t
ed byt he
deci sionofAt kinsonJi nOt t
ovBol ton&Nor ri
s."
AswanEngineer
ingEstabl
ishment
Co.vLupi
dineLtd[1987]1All
ER135
Facts:Thepl ai
ntif
fboughtal i
quidwat erpr
oofmat eri
alfrom the
fi
rst def endant. The mat eri
als wer e put in pl asti
c pai l
s
manuf actur
edbyt heseconddef endaht.Themat er
ialswer esent
toKuwai tandwer el efti nthesun.Thepl ast
iccoll
apsedandt he
mat erialswer elost.Itwasf oundt hatthecoll
apsewasduet o
themanneri nwhi cht hemat eri
alshadbeenpacked.
Held:Theseconddef endantmanuf acturerswerenotl i
ablesince
i
twasnotr easonablyf oreseeablethatthedamaget hatoccurred
woul dhav eoccur r
ed.
Principle:Amanuf actur er'
sdut yextendsonl yt
odamaget hatis
reasonabl yforeseeabl e.
Baxhal
lSecur
it
iesLt
dvShear
d
WalshawPart
nershi
p(af
ir
m)
[
20021
EWCACi v09
Facts:Thepl aint
if
fswer et heoccupi ersofani ndustri
alhouse.
Thedev eloperofthebui l
dingempl oy edthedef endantarchi
tects
todesignt heroofdrainagesy stem.Thesy stem designedbyt he
defendantsandi nstal
leddi dnothav eov erfl
owsandf oll
owinga
heavydownpour ,
theplaint
iff'
spr emiseswer ef l
ooded.
Held:Sincet heabsenceoft heov erfl
owswasappar entand
could hav e been det ected by t he pl ai
nt i
ff by reasonable
examination,thedefendantswer enotl i
able.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Pri
nci
ple:Amanufact
ureri
snotli
abl
eforappar
entdefect
swhi
ch
canbeident
if
iedandremediedbyr
easonabl
eexaminati
on.
PerDav i
dSt eel Jatpar s.45— 48:" Theemphasi si s
accor dingl yondef ectswhi char elatenti nt hesense
thatt heycoul d notbedet ected bysuchr easonabl e
exami nat ionast hedef endantt othecl ai m mi ght,i fhe
hadgi v enanyt houghtt oit,reasonablyant i
cipat ewoul d
be conduct ed.Thi s approach i s conf i
rmed by t he
decisionoft hePr ivyCouncil inGrantvAust raliaKni tting
Mill
s[ 1936]AC85.Atpage105,Lor dWr ightsai das
foll
ows:' Thepr incipleofDonoghue' scasecanonl ybe
appliedwher et hedef ecti
shi ddenandunknownt ot he
consumer ,ot her wiset hedirectnessofcauseandef fect
i
sabsent :themanwhoconsumesorusesat hi ngwhi ch
heknowst obenoxi ouscannotcompl aininr espectof
what ev ermi schi eff oll
ows,becausei tf oll
owsf r
om hi s
ownconsci ousv oli
tioninchoosi ngt oi ncurt her iskor
certainty of mi schance. Ift he foregoi ng ar et he
essent ialf eat uresofDonoghue' scase,t heyar ealsot o
bef ound,i nt heirLor dshi
ps'j udgment ,int hepr esent
case.Thepr esenceoft hedel eteri
ouschemi cali nt he
partsduet onegl i
gencei nmanuf acture,wasahi dden
andl atentf eat ure,justasmuchaswer et her emai nsof
thesnai lint heopaquebot tle:itcouldnotbedet ect ed
byanyexami nat i
ont hatcouldr easonabl ybemade. '
"Theconceptofal at
entdef ecti snotadi f
f i
cultone.I t
meansaconceal edf l
aw.Whati saf law?I ti st heact ual
def ecti nt he wor kmanshi p ordesi gn,nott he danger
present edbyt hedef ect.(Agoodexampl eoft hedi st inction
i
scont ainedi nNi t
riginEir eannTeor ant avI ncoAl loy sLt d
[1992]1WLR498)Towhatext entmusti tbehi dden?I nmy
j
udgment ,itmustbeadef ectthatwoul dnotbedi scov ered
followi ngt henat ureofi nspectiont hatt hedef endantmi ght
reasonabl yant i
cipatet he ar ti
cle woul d be subj ect ed t o.
Ther ei s,accor dingly,a quest ion her e ofdegr ee.The
consumerofaf i
zzydr i
nkwi l
lnot,inthenor mal cour se, bring
i
nanexper tt oi
nspectt hegoodshepur chased.I nmar ked
cont rast ,thebuy erofabui l
dingal mosti nvariablywoul d.
Cer tainlyi nt hecommer cialcont ext
,adef ectwoul dnotbe
l
at enti fithadbeenr easonabl ydi scoverablebyt hecl aimant
witht hebenef i
tofsuchski lledthirdpartyadv iceashemi ght
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
beexpect edtor et
ain.Thecl assi
cdefini
tionoflatentdefect
i
nt hef ieldofcar r
iageofgoodsbyseai st hatcontai
nedi n
RiverstoneMeatPO!Lt dvLancashi r
eShi ppingCompanyLt d
[1961]AC807,perLor dKei thofAv onholm atpage871:' He
willbepr otectedagainstlatentdefects,i
nt hestri
ctsense,in
wor kdoneonhi sship,thatist osay,def
ect snotduet oany
negligentwor kmanshi pofr epair
ersorot hersempl oyedby
ther epairersand,asIseei t
,againstdef ect
smaki ngf or
unseawor thi
ness int he shi p,howev ercaused,bef orei t
becamehi sshi p,i
fthesecoul dnotbediscov er
edbyhi m, Of
compet entexperts
393.
.
employedbyhi
m,byt heexerci
seofduedi
l
igence.
'(A si
mil
arapproachi
s
adoptedint
heinsur
ancefi
eld:seeTheCar
ibbeanSea [1981]Ll
oydsRep
338.
)"
"Therewasar easonableopport
unit
yofi
nspecti
ngt hebuil
ding
beforetheclai
mant stookalease.I
twoul
dbenor malprocedure
foranyi ncomi
ngt enanttohav ethebui
l
dinginspectedbyt he
surveyor,and thatis whattheydid.Al
though the cl
aimants
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
receiv ed war nings f rom bot ht he sur vey ors and f rom Mr
Meikl ejohnofadanger ,t heywer enott oldwhatwast hepr eci se
problem.Thesur v ey orscoul d,andi nmyv iewshoul d,hav et old
thecl ai mant st hatt her ewer enoov er flows,andt hatov er
flows
shoul dbepr ov ided.Thecostofov er flowswasv er ysmal landi f
thecl aimant shadbeenadv isedt oi nst allt hem t henIcannot
thi
nkt hatt heywoul dhav ef ail
edt odoso.I fLamber tSmi th
Hampt onhadbeenmor eassi duousi nt heper formanceoft heir
duties,t hecl aimant swoul dhav ebeenexpr essl ywar nedoft he
absenceofov erflowsandt hef loodswoul dnothav eoccur red.
Towhatext enti st hecl aimant s'cl ai m af fect edbyt heact sof
thei
rpr of essi onaladv iser s?Ar et heyent i
tledt o say ,ast hey
mighti nr esponset oadef enceofcont ribut or ynegl i
gence,t hat
theyt ookski lledadv iceandar eent itledt or elyont hatadv ice?I
donott hinkt hatt hati st her i
ghtappr oach.
"Idonott hi nkt hati ti sf airj ustOfr easonabl et hatt he
ext entoft hel iabi l
ityoft hedef endant sshoul ddepend
on t he assi dui tyoft he sur v
ey or si nst ruct ed byt he
clai mant s. The cl ai mant s had t he oppor tuni t
yt o
discov er t he absence of ov er flows by r easonabl e
inspect i
on by pr of essi onal adv iser s who mi ght
reasonabl ybeexpect edt obei nst ruct ed:whet hert hat
reasonabl eoppor t
uni tyi nf actr ev ealedt hedef ecti s
irrelev ant .Becauset her ewasar easonabl eoppor t
uni t
y
toi nspect ,t he def endant s wer e noti n a pr oximat e
relat ionshi pt ot hecl ai mant ssof arasconcer nsdef ects
whi chcoul dhav ebeendi scov er edbyt hati nspect i
on,
namel y ,t he absence ofov erflows.ButIr epeatmy
pr ev ious f i
ndi ng t hatnei thert he cl aimant s nort heir
sur v ey ors coul d r easonabl y be expect ed t o hav e
discov eredt heunder desi gnoft hedr ainagesy stem. "In
myj udgmentt he j udge' s anal ysi si s cor r
ect .Act ual
knowl edgeoft hedef ect,oral t er nat i
v elyar easonabl e
oppor tunityf ori nspect iont hatwoul dunear tht hedef ect,
wi llusual lynegat ivet hedut yofcar eoratl eastbr eak
thechai nofcausat i
onunl ess( asi snotsuggest edint he
pr esentcase)i ti sr easonabl ef ort hecl aimantnott o
remov et hedangerposedbyt hedef ectandt or unt he
riskofi njur y:seeTar get /vTomaenBC[ 1992]3Al lER
27perSi rDonal dNi chol l
sV- Cat
p.
37.
"
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
WANTOFREASONABLECARE
DonoghuevSt
evenson(
supr
a)
Fact
sandHol
ding:
supr
a
PerLor dMacmi ll
anatp.619:" Todescendf rom these
generali
ti
estot hecircumst ancesoft hepresentcase,I
do nott hi
nkt hatanyr easonabl emanoranyt welve
reasonable men woul d hesi tat
et o holdt hat,ift he
appell
antest abli
shes heral legati
ons,t he respondent
has exhibit
ed car el
essness i nt he conduct of hi s
business.Foramanuf acturerofaer at
edwat ert ostore
hisempt ybottl
esinapl acewher esnail
scangetaccess
tot hem,and t of i
l
lhi s bot tl
es withoutt aking any
adequate precauti
ons by i nspection orot herwise to
ensurethat
395•
•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
they contai
n no deleter
ious for
eign mat t
er, may
reasonabl
ybechar act
eri
zed ascarelessnesswit
hout
applyi
ngtooexact
ingastandar
d."
GrantvAust
ral
i
anKni
tt
ingMil
ls
(supr
a)Fact
sandHol
ding:
supra
PerWr ightJatp.105:" I
nDonoghue' scaset hething
wasdanger ousinf act
,thoughthedangerwashi dden,
andt het hingwasdanger ousonlybecauseofwantof
carei nmaki ngit
;asLor dAtkinpoint
soutinDonoghue' s
case, t he di sti
nct i
on bet ween t hi
ngs i nher
ent l
y
danger ous and t hings only dangerous because of
negligentmanuf acturecannotberegardedassignif
icant
forthepur poseofthequest ionsherei
nvolv
ed."
PerDj
abanorJatpp.245and246:" Iam sat
isf
iedfr
om
whatIhav e seen and hear
dint hi
s case thatthe
def
endant
s'plantist he bestpossibl
e pl
ant.Iam
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
sati
sf i
edt hatnopossi bleat tackcanbemadeont hei r
i
mpl ement s,theirmachi neryOft hegener alwayi nwhi ch
thei
rbusi nessi scar riedon;andi ndeedt hisisav er y
substantialandmoder nplaceofbusi ness.Thewhol e
system ofwor kshoul dreallybedescr ibedasf ool-
proof ,
butf orthef act,asadmi t
tedbyMr .Hor stmanhi msel f,
thatwhen t hese machi nes and pr ocesses ar e being
operatedbyhumanbei ngsonecannotbeal way scertain.
Howev er
,thedef endantsar esay ingf ollowingt hecase
ofDani el
sandDani el
sv .R.Whi te&Sons,Lt d.
,3thatby
adopt i
ngaf ool-
pr oofpr ocessandbycar ryingoutt hat
processunderpr opersuper vision,theyhad
•
•396
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Andatp.247:i nt hi
scaseIhav efoundt hatt henutwasi nthe
beerwhent hepl aintiffdr anki t
.Ihav ebeent ol dandhav eseen
theup- to- dat emachi ner yand pr ocesst hatt hedef endant s
havei nt hei rfact or yf orbr ewi ngandbot tl
ingt hei
rbeert o
preventt hi ngsl i
keanutf rom ent eri
ngorr emai ni
ngi nt he
bott
lesofbeert hatt heysel loutt ot heircust omer s.Allthat
showst hati fallthewor kmendi dt hewor kt hatwasexpect ed
ofthem t henutshoul dnev erhav er emai nedi nthebot t
le.
Somebodyi nthedef endant s'empl oy mentf ailedt odohi sdut y
onthisoccasi onandal lowedt hebeerwi tht henuti nittopass
outoft hef actory .Inmyv iew( aswast hev iewofLor dDunedi n
i
nBal lardvNor thBr it
ishRai l
wayCo.( supra) )t hedef endant s
hadt oshow how t henutcoul dhav egoti ntot hebot tl
eand
remainedt here,inspi teoft heirsy stem ofwor k,ifsomebody
hadnotbeennegl i
gent .Itismyv i
ewt hattheyf ai l
edtodot hat.
Iti
smyf urtherv i
ewt her eforet hatthepl aintiffhaspr ovedthat
thenutwasi nt hebeerwhenhedr anki t
,andt hatitcouldnot
havebeent her eift hedef endant swer enotnegl igent.
"
397•
•
i
nthemanuf
act
ureofhi
spr
oduct
.
Ov erseasBr eweri
esvAcheampong[ 1973]1GLR421
Fact sasabov e.Onanappealt ot heCour tofAppeal:Thedef endants
arguedt hatsincethetri
aljudgef oundt heirsyst
em tobeofv eryhigh
standar d,therewasnonegl i
genceont heirpart
.
Hel d:The f actthatt he def endants had a f ool
proofsy stem of
manuf acturedidnotnegati
venegl igence.
Principle:Once a pl ai
nti
ffpr oves wantofr easonable care byt he
presenceofanext ernalmat eri
alinthepr oduct,i
tisnotadef encet hat
thedef endanthad af ool
pr oofsy stem orav eryhigh standar d of
oper ati
ons.
ofl
awcanbedi
scov
ered
u398
withoutdi ffi
cultyf rom al ltheot hercases:Chapr oni
erevMason
(supr a),Gr ants'case ( supra),Lockhar tv Bar r( supra),Mason v
Will
iams( supra)(toci teaf ew)namel y,thedut yofcar eexact edby
thedoct rineinDonoghuevSt evenson( supr a)i snotf ul
fil
ledbya
manuf acturerwhosucceedsi ndemonst ratingt hathehasaf ool-proof
system ofmanuf acture.Not withst anding hi sf ool-
proofsy stem,
negligencewi llbei nferredagai nsthi m unl esst her ei sev i
dencet hat
thedef ectinthemanuf act uredar ticlewaspr obabl yduet ocausesf or
whichhecannotbehel dr esponsi ble.Seef ori nst anceEv ansv .Tr i
plex
(supr a)wher et hemanuf act
urer ssuccessf ull
ypr ovedot herpr obabl e
causesf orwhi cht heycoul dnothav ebeenr esponsi ble.Inthepr esent
appeal ,theappel l
ant scannotr elyont heirfool -pr oofsy stem al onet o
escaper esponsi bil
itybecauset herewasnoev i
dencebef oret hecour t
belowast ohowt heker osenegotormi ghthav egoti ntot hebot tl
ed
beer .Itwasnott hedut yoft her espondentt opr ov ehowi tgoti ntot he
beer .Itwasr athert her esponsi bil
ityoft heappel l
ant stoexpl aint hat
theker osenemi ghthav egoti nt ot hebeerwi thoutanynegl igenceon
theirpar t.Thist heyf ailedt odoandont hepr inciplei nGr ants'case
(supr a),negligencemustbef oundasamat t erofi nference.The
l
ear nedt r
ialjudgewast herefor er i
ghti nf indi ngnegl igenceagai nst
theappel l
ants."
Tay
lorvRov
ercarco.[
1966]2Al
lER181;
[196611WLR1491
Facts:Thef irstdefendantgott heseconddef endantt omanuf acturea
chisel for t hem. The chi sel was manuf actured accor ding t o
specif
ications pr ov i
ded by t he f irst def endant f rom al loy st eel
purchasedf r
om t het hirdparty.Thet hirdpar t
yal soheat -
treat edt he
steelfortheseconddef endant.Thepl aint
if
f ,anempl oyeeoft hef i
rst
defendantsuf feredani njurytoaney ewhenheusedt hechiselduet oa
defectinthechi sel causedbyt heheat -
treatmentbyt het hi
rdpar ty.
Held:Sincet heseconddef endantempl oyedacompet enthardenert o
hardent hest eeltheyhaddi schargedt hedut yofcar eplacedont hem
andwast husnotl iable.
Princi
ple:Amanuf acturerisnotl iablei fheexer cisesduecar ei nt he
manuf actureofhi spr oduct.
PerBakerJ atp.186:"
Itseems t
o me t hatthe l
ogi
cal
concl
usi
onmustbet
hataf
ashi
onerOffabr
icator
,suchast
he
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
seconddef
endant
s,whoi
snotpr
ovedt
ohav
ebeengui
l
tyof
399•
anybr eachofdut yornegl i
gencei nt hef ashioningofagui lty
tool,can onl ybe l i
ablei fthe maxi m r espondeatsuper i
or
applies.Whyshoul dhi sliabil
ity,howev er ,bedi f
ferentf r
om
thatoft heempl oyerwho,i fonef ollowsLor dMor ton,asI
respectfull
ydo,isclearlynotl i
ablef orhi sagent 'snegl i
gence?
Apassagehasbeenci t
edf rom Char /eswor t
honNegl i
gence
(4thEdn) ,para797:' Amanuf acturer'sdut yisnotlimi tedt o
thosepar tsofhispr oductwhi chhemakeshi mself.I
text ends
to componentpar t
s,suppl i
ed byhi ssub- manufact urersor
others,whi chheusesi nthemanuf actureofhi sownpr oduct s.
Hemustt akereasonablecar e,byi nspect ionorot herwi se,to
seet hatthosepar t
scanpr operlybeusedt oputhispr oducti n
acondi ti
oni nwhichi tcanbesaf elyusedorconsumedi nt he
contempl atedmannerbyt heul ti
mat euserorconsumer .'
HolmesvAshf ord
Fact s:Theseconddefendantwast hemanuf act
urerofahairdyewi t
ha
l
abelandabr ochurewarningt hati tmightbedanger oust ocer t
ain
skinsandr ecommendedat estbef or
ei t
suse.Thef ir
stdef endant
hairdresserusedthedyeont hepl aint
if
fwithoutanytestorwarningt o
thepl ai
nti
ffandtheplai
nti
ffcontracteddermat i
ti
s.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Held:Si
ncet
heseconddefendanthadt
akenr
easonabl
ecar
etowar
n
usersoft
hedanger
s,i
twasnotli
abl
e.
•
400
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Principl
e:Amanufactur
erwhoput sadangerousar t
icl
eont he
mar ketmusttake reasonabl
e st
eps to pr
ev entanyper son
comi ngint
ocontactwithitfr
om beinginj
uredal t
houghsuch
steps may notbe di rect
ed dir
ect
lytowar ds the ult
imate
consumer .
"Ihavenotfounditnecessar
ytorefertothebrochure,
and the label
s on the bottl
es,because the fir
st
defendantsai
dthathehadr eadthem andunderstood
them.It hi
nktheyindicat
esuffi
cient
lytoanyper son
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
401z•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
KubachvHol
l
ands[
193713Al
lER
907
Fact s:Thet eacheroft hepl ai
nt i
ffboughtf rom t heseconddef endant
chemi cal smanuf act uredbyat hir
dpar tyf ormaki ngcompoundsi n
thechemi str ylabor ator y.Thet eacherwassuppl i
edwi thami xtureof
antimonysul phi deandmanganesedi oxidewhi chwasl abel
ledas
manganesedi oxide.Thet woar eindistingui shabl et ot heey e.-The
chemi calwasheat edwi thpot assium chl oratef ort hepur poseof
maki ngoxy gen,i texpl odedduet ot hepr esenceoft heant i
mony
sulphi de.Whent heseconddef endantpur chasedt hesubst ancef rom
thet hirdpar ty, i
twassol abell
edasmanganesedi oxi dewi thanot ice
whichr eadasf ol l
ows:" Theabov egoodsar eaccur ateasdescr i
bed
onl eav ingourwor ksbutt heymustbeexami nedandt estedbyuser
befor euse.Theabov egoodsar enoti nv oicedassui tableforany
purposebutt heyar eoft henat ureandqual itydescr i
bed."Not ests
wer ecar riedoutandt heseconddef endantdi dnotwar nt heteacher
aboutt hedanger s.
Held:Si ncet het hirdpar t
yt ookst epst owar nt heuser sandt he
seconddef endanthadf ailedt oexami net hepr oductal thoughi thad
ampl et imet osodo, thet hir
dpar ti
eswer enotl iable.
Pri
nci pl e:Amanuf act ureri snotl iablei fheexer cisest heduecar e
expect edofhi mi nwar ningconsumer saboutt hedanger sint he
art
icle.
warni
ngcont
ainedont
hei
nvoi
cewi
thwhi
cht
heyhadr
ecei
ved
t
hepowder.
"
Dani
elsandDani
elsvWhi
te[
193814
Al
lER258
Facts:Ahusbandpur chasedabot tleofl emonademanuf acturedby
the f i
rstdef endantf rom t he second def endant .The lemonade
contai ned38gr ainsofcar bolicaci dandt hehusbandandhi swi fe
sustainedi nj
ur i
esaf t
erconsumi ngthecont ent
.Itwasf oundasaf act
thatt hef irstdef endantadopt edaf oolproofsy stem ofmanuf acture
andhadt akenr easonabl ecaret oensur ethatnodef ectwascaused
byadopt ingapr opersuper vi
sionsy stem.
Held:Si ncet hef i
rstdefendantshadt akenr easonablecar etoensur e
that t hepr oductwasf reef r
om def ectandnoi njurywascausedt oa
consumer ,theywer enotliabl
e.
Principle:Thedut yowedbyamanuf acturertoaconsumeri snott o
ensur et hatthegoodsar eper f
ectbutt ot akereasonabl ecarethatno
i
njuryi scausedt otheconsumer .
HisLordship[descri
best hemet hodofcl eaningthebottl
es
andfil
l
ingthem upwi t
ht hel emonadeandcont inuesatpp.
262and263asf ol
lows]:"Thatmet hodhasbeendescr ibed
asfool
-proof,anditseemst omeal i
tt
ledif
ficul
ttosaythat,
i
fpeoplesuppl yaf ool-
pr oofmet hodofcl eani
ng,washing
andfi
ll
ingbot t
les,t
heyhav enott akenallr
easonablecar
et o
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
preventdef ectsint heircommodi t
y.Theonlywayi nwhi chit
mightbesai dt hatthef ool-pr
oofmachinewasnotsuf fi
cient
wasi fitcoul dbeshownt hatthepeoplewhower eworkingit
weresoi ncompet entt hatt heydidnotgi vet hefoolproof
machi neachance.I tispoi ntedoutquit
er i
ght
lybyMrBusse
thatthequest i
onofsuper vi
sioncomesi n.Ify ouhav e16
gir
lsdoi ngt hisprocesswi thnosupervisi
onoft hei
rwor k,of
courseal lkindsof .
ccident smayhappen.Abot tlemaygett o
thefil
lerwi t
houtev erhav ingbeenwashedatal l.Agirl
may
403•
"
Ihe
upsetabot t
lejustafterithasbeenf il
led.Shefinds,l
etus
say ,thattwot easpoonf ul
soft heliquidhav ebeenpoured
out .Shehast of i
lli
tupf r
om somewher e,soshewal ks
alongt ot het r
olleywher ethedirtybot t
leshavebeenput ,
picksup t he fi
rstbot t
le she seest here,and poursthe
cont entsintot hel emonade.Ofcour se,thatwoul dbea
rathercur i
oust hingf oranyonet odo,buti ti
sapossi ble
thingt ohappeni fther
eisnosuper visi
oni nthi
sprocess.
"1am sat i
sfiedi nt hiscaset hatt hereissuper vision.Ihave
hadcal ledbef oremet hewor ksmanagerwhohaschar geof
allt hreef actor i
es.Thatmeans,ofcour se,thathei snotat
onef actorythewhol etime, buthehasdescr i
bedt omewhat
takespl acei nt hispar ti
cularfactory,andIam sat i
sfi
edthat
ther eisqui teadequat esuper vi
sion.Ev eni ft
het ruev i
ewbe
thatt her ewasher eacasef ort hedef endant stoanswer ,I
am qui tesat isfi
edt hattheyhav eanswer edit,andt hatthe
plaintiffs,asar esul t
,hav eent irel
yf ailedt opr ovet omy
satisfact i
ont hatt hedef endantcompanywer egui l
tyofa
breachoft hei rdutyt owar dst hepl ai
ntiffs— namel y,aduty
tot aker easonabl ecar et o seet hatt her eshoul d beno
def ectwhi chmi ghti njur
et hepl ai
ntif
fs.Fort hatr eason,I
thinkt hatt hepl ainti
ffs'claim agai nstt hef ir
stdef endant
s
fail
s. "
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Hil
lvJamesCr
owe[
1978]1Al
lER
812
Fact s:Thepl ai
ntif
fwasst andingonawoodencasemanuf acturedby
thedef endantt oloadhisl orr
ywhent hecasecol l
apsedcausi nghim
i
njur i
es.Thecol lapseofthecasewasduet oi nsuffi
cientnail
ing.The
plainti
ffsuedandt hedefendantar guedthathehadhi ghst andardsof
wor kmanshi pandsuper visionandt hushadbr eachednodut y.
Held:Si ncet hepl ai
nti
ff
'sinjurywasaf or
eseeabl econsequenceof
thenegl igentmanuf act
urebyt hedef endant,hewasl i
able.
Principle:Iti
snodef encet oallegethatamanuf acturerhasagood
system ofwor kandsuper visi
onort hatthesy stem isfoolproof.
PerMackennaJatpp.815and816:" I
nspi t
eofMrCr owe'
s
evidence,If ind thatthe acci denthappened whi lethe
plainti
ffwasst andingont hepackingcasewhi chCrowehad
made;t hatitwascausedbyt heendcav i
ngin;andt hatit
cav edinbecausei thadbeenv erybadl
ynai l
ed.Ifthecase
canbebr oughtwi thi
nther ul
ei nDonoghuevSt evenson,
l
iabi l
i
tyisest abl
ished.Ithinki
tcan.I tresemblesacasei n
theCour tofAppeal i
nwhichI
"
Counself
orCr
ower
eli
edonDani
elsandDani
elsvRWhi
te&
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
SonsLt dandTar bar d.Thepl ai
ntiffi
nthatcasehadboughtata
publi
chouseaseal edbot t
leofl emonademadebyt hedef endant
manuf acturersandsol dbyt hem t othepubl i
chouse.Thebot t
le
contained,inaddi tiont othel emonade,aquant it
yofcar bol
ic
acidwhi chi twascont endedhadcausedi nj
uryt ot hepl ainti
ff,
who sued t he manuf act ur
ers. Hi s act ion f ailed. The
manuf acturerssatisfiedLewi sJ,t hetri
aljudge,t hatt heyhada
goodsy stem ofwor kint heirfactoryandpr ov i
dedadequat e
supervision.Hesai d( [
1938]4Al lER258at263) :'1am qui te
sati
sfied,howev er,ont heev idencebef oreme,t hatt hewor kof
thi
sf actoryiscarri
edonunderpr opersuper vi
sion,and, t herefore,
thattherehasbeennof ai
l
ur eoft hedutyowedbyt hedef endant
companyt otheplaint i
ff
s.'
"
Wit
hr espect,Idonott hinkthatthi
swasasuf fi
cientreasonf or
dismi ssi
ngthecl ai
m.Themanuf actur
er'sli
abil
i
tyi nnegli
gence
didnotdependonpr oofthathehadei t
herabadsy stem ofwor k
ort hathi s superv
ision was i
nadequat e.He mi ghtalso be
vicari
ouslyli
ableforthenegli
genceofhiswor kmeni nthecourse
oft heiremployment.Iftheplai
nti
ff'
sinjuri
eswer ear easonably
foreseeableconsequenceofsuchnegl i
gence,the
405•
•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
manuf act
urer'
s liabi
li
ty would be est abli
shed under
DonoghuevSt evenson.Daniel
sandDani elsvRWhi t
e&
SonsLt dandTar bardhasbeencr it
ici
sed,Ithi
nkjustl
y,in
Char/esworthonNegl i
genceandIdonotpr oposetofoll
ow
i
t.IholdCrowel i
ableinnegl
igence.
"
Di
vyavToy
oTi
reandRubberCo.Lt
d
[
20111EWHC1993
Fact s:Thef ir
stdef endantwasamanuf actureroftyres.Thesecond
defendantwas dr ivi
ng a carwi tht yr
es manuf actured by the
defendantwhent her earoffsi
det yr
eblewoutanddef l
atedcausing
thev ehiclet o summer saultbef or
ecol lidi
ng withabar r
ier
.The
plaintiff
swhower epassenger si nthecarsuedt hedef endants
all
egi ngt hatt heacci dentwasduet othenegl igentmanuf actureof
thet yrebyt hefi
rstdef endant.
Held:Ont heev i
dence,t heaccidentwasduet ot hei ncomplete
bondi ngoft hest eelcordsint hetyr
eduet oinadequat epenetrat
ion
andt hust hedef endantwasl i
able
Princi pl
e:Amanuf actureristoexer ci
set hehighestl evelofcarein
themanuf actureofhi sproductsoast oav oi
di nj
urytoconsumer s.
•
•406
manuf acturi
ngpr ocess,t hroughwhi chtheev idencehas
takenmei nexactdet ail
,themechani sedprocedureshav e
fail
edt ocov erandpenet ratet hesecordsfull
ywi thrubber
and/ ortocur ethegreent yrepr oper
ly,andthehumansi de
oft heprocesshasf ailedt odet ectsuchfail
ureorf ai
lur
es.
Ther esultisthatthety r
ef ellbelowthehighst andardthat
Toy osetitselfandthatt heenduser sofitsproductswer e
foreseeablyentitl
edtoexpect .
[
72]"Ither
efor
econcludethatthisacci
dentwascausedby
thenegli
genceoftheFir
stDef endantToyo,andacqui
tthe
SecondDefendantofnegl
igenceentir
ely
."
Car rol
l vFearon( 1998)Ti mes, 26Januar y
Fact s:Thef ir
stdef endantwasdr ivi
ngacaront hemot or waywhen
i
twentoutofcont rolandcol l
idedhead- onwi t
ht heplai ntiff
'scar.
Theacci dentwast her esultofasuddenandcompl etet hreadst ri
p
ofar eart yr
emanuf act ur
edbyt heseconddef endant.Thepl ainti
ff
sued i n negl i
gence and t he second def endantar gued t hatthe
plainti
ffmustpr ovet heexactactorbywhom i twasnegl i
gentl
y
done.
Held: Si nce t he pl aint
iff est ablished t hat the pr ocess of
manuf acturewasdef ecti
v eandt hatr esultedint heacci dent,he
mustsucceedwi t
houtpr ovingt hepar ti
cularnegl i
gentactort he
personwhosenegl i
gencer esul
tedi nt hedef ect.
Principle:Ev i
denceest abl
ishingt hatt hepr ocessofmanuf act ur
eis
defect i
vei s enough t o establi
sh l iabil
it
y wi thoutpr oofoft he
particularactori ndivi
dual asbei ngr esponsi bleforthedef ect .
PerJudgeLJ:" I
nanappr opri
atepr
oductli
abili
tycasethe
parti
cularindiv
idualresponsibl
efort he defectint he
productneednotbei dentifi
ednorneedthepar ti
cul
aract
ofnegli
gencebespecified.Theconceptoft
hedut yofcare
andt heproblemsassociatedwithi
thadledt heHouseof
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Lords on numer ous occasi ons to considert he proper
ambi t and dev elopment of t he l aw of negl i
gence.
Ulti
mat el
y,however ,i
nthevastmaj ori
tyofcases,ofwhi ch
thi
swasone, negligenceremai nedaquest ionoffacttobe
decidedintheli
ghtoft heav ai
lableev i
dence.Thetyreburst
manyy earsafteri thad leftt hef actor
yand had been
regular
lyused.It
sf ail
uremighthav er esul
tedfrom anyone
of a number of possi ble causes.But once i t was
establi
shed thatt he tyr
e di sint
egrated because ofan
i
dent i
fi
edfaulti
nt hecourseof
407r
•
i
tsmanufact
urethej
udgehadtodecidewhethert
hatf
aul
t
wast
heresul
tofnegl
i
genceatDunl
op'
sfact
ory
.
PREPARATI
ONORPUTTI
NGUP
Andr
ewsvHopki
nson[
1957]1QB229
Facts:The plai
nti
ff purchased a car under a hi r
e-pur
chase
agreementfr
om t
hedef endantcardeal
er.Thedefendantwarr
anted
thatthecarwasingoodcondi ti
on.Thecarinfacthadadef ecti
ve
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
steeri
ngandt heplaintiffwasi nv olvedinanacci dentowingt ot he
defecti
vest eer i
ng,causi nghimi njur i
es.Thedef ectint hesteer i
ng
couldnotbedi scover edbyanor dinarydr i
verorownerbutcoul d
hav ebeeneasi l
ydiscov eredbyamechani c.Thedef endanthadno
reasont oant ici
patet hatt heplaintiffwoul dhavet hecarexami ned
byamechani c.
Held:Sincet hedef endantputi nci rculat
ionacart hatwasdef ect iv
e
withnor easonabl eant icipati
ont hatt hecust omerwoul dexami nei t
beforeuse,hewasl i
abl e.
Princi
ple:A per sonwhoput si ntoci rculati
onadanger ousar ticl
e
withnor easonabl eexpect ati
onofi tbeingexami nedbyacust omer
putsuporpr eparest hear t
icl
efort hepur posesoft herule.
PerMcNai
rJatpp.236and237:
"In
Her
scht
a/vStewart&
409•
hadbeencarr
iedout.Thedefendanti
saccor
dingl
yal
sol
i
abl
e
fornegl
i
gencefort
helikedamages."
PerSt
abl
eJatp.182:"
Itseemst
omet
hatoner
easonwhy
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
carelessnesspl usi njuryisi nsuf f
ici
entandt hel aw demandsa
dutyaswel list hat,wher eamanuf acturermanuf actur esan
arti
cle, and, itmaybe, mont hsory earsaf t
er war ds,thatar ti
cle,by
reasonoft hecar elessmanuf acture,
doeshar mt ot heconsumer ,
i
tisext raordi naril
ydi ffi
culttoputone' sfingeront het or
tiousact
ofwhi cht hepl aintiffinsuchanact i
onwoul dcompl ain.The
sell
ingoft hear t
iclei snott heactoft hemanuf acturerort he
agent .Thear t
iclei tselfhasceasedt obet hepr opertyoft he
manuf actur er,orunderhi scont r
ol,and,becauseoft hat ,that
maywel lbet hef oundation oft heundoubt ed pr inci
plet hat
,
wher et hemanuf acturerhaspar tedwi thhispr oper tyandputi tin
cir
cul ation al lov ert he wor l
d, unl ess the consumerwho i s
ult
imat el yhar medbysomet hingwhi cht hemanuf actur erhas
negligent lydonecanest ablisht hespeci alr elati
onshi pwi ththe
manuf actur er,then,undert hel aw oft hiscount ry,noact i
onf or
tortwi l
l l
ie."
Atpp.182and183: "
IfOgeeLt d,hadbeent hemanuf act urers,
Ishoul dhav ehel dwi thoutdi fficultyher et hat ,
byt his
adv erti
sementwhi chWat sonsaw( i
tisunnecessar yt o
consi derwhatwoul dhav ebeent hecasei fhehadnotseeni t,
ori ft hecont ent shadnotbeeni mpar tedbysomeonewhohad,
f
or , inthi
scase, hesawt headv ertisement ), anduponwhi ch
her eli
ed,OgeeLt d,i
ftheyhadbeent hemanuf acturers, of
t
hei rownaccor dwoul dhav ebr oughtt hemsel vesi ntodi rect
r
el ationshipwi tht heconsumer .I tissai dt hather e, al
though
themanuf acturer swoul dowesuchadut y ,thedi st ri
but ors,
bei ngdi stri
but or sandnotmanuf act urers, areabsol ved.I t
seemst omet hatt hatst at ementmustbequal i
fied.The
numberofcasesi nwhi chadi stri
but orwoul doweadut ymust ,
It hink, becompar ativ
elyf ew.Asi thasbeensai d,dutyi snot
dut yi ntheabst ract .Onedoesnothav et osear chf ort hedut y
inv acuo, butonehast ol ookatt hef act sanddeci dewhet her
ornott helawat tachesadut youtoft hosef act s,ort ot hose
fact s.Thei niti
al torti
ousactorcar elessact —car elessness
woul dbebet ter—wast heput t
ingoft he10percentsol ut i
on
intothel otion, andf ort hatt hedi st ri
butor swer enot
r
esponsi ble.Themanuf act urerswer enott hei ragent s.They
hadnodi r
ectcont rolovert hemanuf acturer s, andIhav et o
askmy sel
fwhet her , i
nlaw, asbet weent hisconsumerandt hi
s
dist ributor,hav ingr egar dt oal ltheci r
cumst ancesoft hecase,
ther eisadut y .Itisext remel ydi ffi
cul ttoar ri
v eatal egal
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
decisionwi t
houtsomegui danceast ot hesortoft estone
appl i
esast owhet herOfnott hereisadut y.IthinkIam
thr ownbackont hewor dsofLor dThanker toninM' A/ister(or
Donoghue)vSt ev enson.Idonott hinkthatitmat t
er swhet her
themani samanuf act urerorwhet herhei sadistributor.It
seemst omet obet hesamei nthecaseofaper sont hrough
whosehandst her ehaspassedacommodi t
ywhichul timately
r eachesaconsumert ohisdet riment.Wher ethatper sonhas
int entionall
ysoexcl udedi nt
erferencewi th,orexami nati
onof ,
t hear ticl
ebyt heconsumer ,thenhehas, ofhi
sownaccor d,
br oughthi mselfi ntodi rectrelati
onshipwi ththatconsumerso
ast oberesponsi blet otheconsumerf oranyInjurythe
consumermaysust ainasar esul
toft hedistr
ibutor's
negligence.Thedut yisthere.
"
Thequest i
onisnowwhet herornotitwasthenegl
igence
ofthedistr
ibut
orwhichdi
dt hedamage.Ithi
nkt
hatitwas.
Idonott hinkthatthedi
stribut
orcanescapeli
abi
li
tyfor
grosscarel
essness,
wheretheconsumerhasbeeninjur
ed,
411"
bysay lng:'Theiniti
almi st
akewasmadebysomeonef or
whoseact ionsIam notr esponsi
ble.
'Ithinkt hat,ifther e
hadbeenanydoubtast otheduty( t
hetwoquest ionsar e
real
lyinterdependent ,butassumethedut ywast here),the
plai
nti
ffher e could hav e sued both def endants.The
negli
gentactoft hemanuf actur
erwasput t
ingi ntheaci di n
toostrongasol uti
on.Thenegl i
gentactsoft hedistri
but or
werethev ariousactsandomi ssi
onsandr epresentations
whichi ntervenedbet weent hemanuf act
ureoft hear ticle
anditsr eachingWat son."
LI
FEORPROPERTY
Candl
ervCr
aneChr
ist
mas[
1951]2KB
164
Facts:Thepl
aint
if
fdesir
edtoinvesti
nacompanyandr equest
edt
he
accountsofthecompany .TheMDoft hecompanyinstruct
edt
he
defendant
swhower etheaccountant
softhecompanyandwhowere
al
readyprepar
ingtheaccount
stospeedupwi tht
hem,informi
ngt
he
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
accountantst hatt hepl ai
nti
ffwant edt oseet heaccount
sf orthe
purposesofi nv est
ment .Theaccount swer epreparedandshowedt o
theplainti
ffwho,r elyingont heaccount s,investedi
nt hecompany.
Thepl ainti
fflosthi sinvestmentast heaccount swerecar el
essl
y
preparedandcont ainedmanyi naccuracies.
Held:Int heabsenceofanycont ractualrelat
ionshi
pbetweent he
plai
nti
ffandt hedef endant,thedef endantswer enotli
ableforthe
l
ossoft hepl ainti
ff
'sinvestment.
Pri
nci
ple:I
ntheabsenceofanycontract
ualorfi
duci
aryrel
ati
onshi
p,aperson
i
snotliabl
einnegli
genceforeconomicloss.Li
abi
li
tyi
sl i
mitedtoinj
uri
esto
per
son.
"It
hinkthatthatisast ruetodayasi twaswheni twassai
dby
Bowen,L.
J.Wr ot
tesley,J.
,continued:'Ther
eis,i
nmyopi ni
on,not
hing
i
nDonoghuevSt evensonwhi chmakest hatbadlaw.Theexcept
ions
l
aiddownbyDonoghuevSt evenson'—t heexcept
ions t
otherul
ethat
amanisobligedtobecar eful
onl ytothose
413•
to whom he owes a dut y by contr
act— ' ar
e,as I
understand the decisi
on,conf i
ned t
o negli
gence which
result
sindangert oli
fe,dangertoli
mb,ordangertoheal
t h,
and,thepr esentcasenotbei ngoneoft hoseexcepti
ons,
theplaint
if
fshav e,i
nmyopi nion,nocauseofacti
onont he
analogyoft hatcase.
"'
MurphyvBrent
woodDi
str
ictCounci
l
[
1990]2All
ER908
Facts:Thepl ai
nti
ffboughtahouset hatwasbui l
tfoll
owi ngthe
approvalofthepl ansbyt hedefendantcounci l
.Thepl answer e
negli
gentl
yappr ovedandt hatresul
tedi ncracksi nthebui ldi
ng
posingadangert othesafetyofthepl ai
nti
ffandhi sfami l
y.The
plai
ntif
fwhocoul dnotbearthecostoftherepairssoldt
hebui ldi
ng
subjecttothedefect.Hethensuedtor ecoverthelosshei ncurr
ed
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
bysell
ingthehouseforlesst
hanit
smarketv
alue.
Held:Sincethedefecthadbeendetect
edbyt heplai
nti
ffandhad
notcausedanyi nj
urybutmerel
yaneconomicl osstotheplai
nti
ff
,
hecouldnotrecoveri
ndamages.
Pri
nci
ple:A manufactur
eris notli
abl
ef orpurel
yeconomicloss
suf
fer
edbyapl aint
if
fwheretheproductdidnotcauseanyphy
sical
ormateri
aldamage.
PerLor dKeit
hofKi nkelatp.916:"Iseenor easontodoubt
thatthepr i
ncipl
eofDonoghuevSt evensondoesi ndeed
applysoast oplacethebuilderofpremi sesunderadutyto
takereasonablecaret oavoidinj
urythroughdef ect
sinthe
premisest otheper sonorpr opertyoft hosewhom he
shouldhav ei
ncont emplati
onasl i
kelytosuf f
ersuchinj
ury
i
fcar eisnott aken.Butitisagainstinj ur
ythroughlat
ent
defectsthatt
hedut yexist
s
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
t
oguar
d."
Atp.917:" Thequest i
onwhet herr ecov erycoul dbeal l
owed
fordamaget ot hehouseandf ort hecostofput tingi tin
suchast at east obenol ongeradangert oheal thorsaf et y
wast reat edi nt hecont extoft hemeasur eofdamagesand
theanswerwassai dt of oll
ow f rom nor malpr inci ple.I t
appear st hatt he nor malpr inci ple concer ned was t hat
whi chemer gedf r
om DonoghuevSt ev enson, asext ended
tot hespher eofst at utor yf unct ionsofpubl i
cbodi esi n
HomeOf ficevDor setYachtCoLt d.Howev er,anessent ial
feat ureoft hespeci esofl iabilityi nnegl i
genceest abl i
shed
by Donoghue v St ev enson was t hat t he car el essl y
manuf act ur ed pr oductshoul d bei nt ended t or each t he
i
nj uredconsumeri nt hesamest ateast hati nwhi chi twas
putup wi th no r easonabl e pr ospectofi nt ermedi ate
exami nat ion( see[ 19321AC562at599, [
19321Al lERRep
1at20perLor dAt kin;seeal soGr antvAust ralianKni t
ting
Mi ll
sLt d[ 1936]AC85at103- 105, [1935]Al lERRep209at
217- 218perLor dWr ight ).I tist hel atencyoft hedef ect
whi chconst i
tutest hemi schi ef.Ther emayber oom f or
disput at ion whet her t he l ikelihood of i nt ermedi ate
exami nat ionandconsequentact ualdi scov er yoft hedef ect
hast heef fectofnegat i
v ingadut yofcar eorofbr eaki ng
thechai nofcausat ion( compar eFar rvBut tersBr os&Co
[1932]2 KB 606,[ 1932]Al lER Rep 339 wi th Dennyv
Suppl i
esandTr anspor tCoLt d[ 1950]2KB374) .Butt here
canbenodoubtt hat ,what evert her ational e, aper sonwho
i
si njur edt hroughconsumi ngorusi ngapr oductoft he
def ect i
v enat ureofwhi chhei swel lawar ehasnor emedy
agai nstt hemanuf act ur er .Int hecaseofabui l
di ng,i tis
fightt o acceptt hatacar elessbui lderi sl i
abl e,ont he
pr i
ncipl eofDonoghuevSt ev enson,wher eal atentdef ect
resul tsi n phy sicali nj uryt o any one,whet her owner ,
occupi er ,visit
ororpasser -by ,ort ot hepr oper tyofanysuch
per son.Butt hatpr inci plei snotaptt obr inghomel iability
towar dsan occupi erwho knowst hef ullext entoft he
def ecty etcont i
nuest ooccupyt hebui lding."
Andat918:"Thej umpwhichisher
emadef r
om l
iabil
it
y
undertheDonoghuevStev
ensonpri
nci
plef
ordamaget o
personorpar
tl
ycausedbyal at
entdef
ecti
nacarelessl
y
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
manuf act
uredarti
cletoli
abil
i
tyf
orthecostofrect
if
y i
nga
defectinsuchanar t
icl
ewhichisexhypothesinolonger
l
atentisdiff
icul
ttoaccept.As
415r
•
StampLJr ecognisedi nt hesamecase,t hereisnol iabil
ityin
tortonamanuf acturertowar dsthepurchaserf r
om ar et
ailerof
anar t
iclewhi cht urnsoutt obeusel essorv al
uelessthrough
defectsduet ocar elessmanuf actur
e(see[1972]1Al lER426at
489-490,[1972]1QB373at414- 415).Thel ossiseconomi c.I
t
i
sdi ff
icultt odr aw adi sti
nct i
oninpr i
nci
plebet weenanar ticl
e
whichi susel essorv aluelessandonewhi chsuf fer
sf rom a
defectwhi chwoul dr enderi tdangerousi nusebutwhi chi s
discoveredbyt hepur chaseri ntimetoav ertanypossi bil
ityof
i
njury.Thepur chasermayi ncurexpensei nput t
ingr i
ghtt he
defect,or,mor epr obably,discardthearti
cle.Ineit
hercaset he
l
ossi spur elyeconomi c."
i
s not r ecover
ablei nt or
ti nthe absence of a special
rel
ati
onshipofpr oxi
mit
yi mposi
ngont hetort
feasoradutyof
caretosafeguardtheplai
nti
fffr
om economicloss.Ther
eisno
suchspecialr
elati
onshi
pbetweenthemanufacturerofachat
tel
andar emoteownerorhi r
er.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Hedl
eyBy
rnevHel
l
erandPar
tner
s
[
19641AC465
Facts:Theplai
nti
ffwant
edt
oenteri
ntoanadvert
isi
ngcont
ract
wit
h a companywhose bankers werethe def
endant
s.The
pl
ainti
ffaskeditsbanktoenqui
rewhethert
hecompanywas
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
wor t
hdoi ngbusinesswi th.Thedef endantsr epli
edstati
ngt hat
the companywas wor t
h doi ng busi ness with butadded a
disclaimernegat i
vinganyl iabili
tythatmayar ise.Thepl ai
nt i
ff
enteredi ntoanadv erti
singagr eementwi ththecompanybut
thecompanywasl iquidated.Itwasf oundt hattheadvicebyt he
defendant swasnegl igentlygiv enalthoughnotf raudul
ently.
Held:Thedef endantswoul dhav ebeenl iabletot hepl
aintif
ff or
thelosssuf feredbutf orthedi sclai
mer .
Principle:Pureeconomi cl ossi sdamager ecoverablei
nt het ort
ofnegl i
gence.
PerLordReidatp.583:"Areasonableman,knowi ng
thathewasbei
ngtrust
edorthathisski
ll
andjudgment
werebeingr
eli
edon,would,
Ithink,
havethreecourses
opentohim.Hecouldkeepsil
entordecl
inetogiv
et he
i
nformati
onoradvi
ce
417.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
PerLor dDev l
inatpp.602and603:" Thisiswhyt hedisti
ncti
oni s
nowsai dt odependonwhet herf
inanciallossi scausedt hr
ough
physicalinjuryorwhet heritiscauseddi rectly.Theinter
posi t
ion
ofthephy sicalinjur
yissaidt omakeadi ff
erenceofpr inci
ple.I
canf i
ndnei therlogicnorcommonsensei nt hi
s.Ifir
respecti
v eof
contract,
adoct ornegligent
lyadvisesapat ientthathecansaf el
y
pursuehi soccupat ionandhecannotandt hepat i
ent'
sheal t
h
suffersandhel oseshi sli
vel
ihood,thepatienthasar emedy .But
i
fthedoct ornegl igentl
yadv i
seshimt hathecannotsaf el
ypur sue
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
hisoccupat ionwheni nf acthecanandhel oseshisl i
veli
hood,
therei ssai dt obenor emedy .Unl ess,ofcour se,thepat i
entwas
apr ivat epat i
entandt hedoct oraccept edhal fagui neaf orhis
troubl e:t hent hepat ientcanr ecov erall
.Iam boundt osay,my
l
or ds,t hatIt hi
nkt hist o benonsense.I ti snott hesor tof
nonsenset hatcanar iseev eni nthebestsy stem oflawoutoft he
need t o dr aw ni ce di st
incti
ons bet ween bor derl
i
ne cases.I t
arises, ifitist helaw, simpl youtofar ef
usalt omakesense.The
l
inei snotdr awnonanyi ntell
i
gi bleprinci
ple.Itjusthappenst obe
thel inewhi cht hosewhohav ebeendr i
venf rom theext r
eme
asser tion t hat negl igent st atement s in t he absence of
cont ract ualorf i
duci arydut ygiv enocauseofact i
onhav ei nthe
cour seoft hei rretreatsof arreached.
"
Ishal lnow exami ne t he r elev antaut horit
ies and y our
l
or dshi pswi ll,Ihope,par donmei f,wi thoneexcept ion,I
attendonl ytot hoset hathav ebeendeci dedi nt hisHouse, for
Ihav emadei tplai nt hatIwi llnoti nt hismat tery i
eldt o
per suasi onbutonl yt ocompul sion.Theexcept i
oni sthecase
ofLeLi ev revGoul d,f ory ourl or dshipswi llnoteasi lyupset
deci sions of t he Cour t of Appeali ft hey hav e st ood
unquest ionedf orasl ongassev entyy ear s.Thef iv erelev ant
deci sionsoft hisHousear eDer r
yvPeek,Noct onvLor d
Ashbur ton,Robi nsonvNat ionalBankofScot l
and,Donoghue
vSt evenson,andMoni sonSSCoLt dvGr ey stokeCast le
(Car goOwner s).Thel astoft heseIcandealwi thatoncef or
i
tl i
esout sidet hemai nst ream ofaut hor i
tyont hispoi nt .Iti s
acasei nwhi chdamagewasdonet oashi past her esultofa
collisi
onwi thanot hershi p.Theowner sofcar goont hef i
r st
ship, whi chcar gowasnoti tselfdamaged, t
husbecamel iabl e
tot he owner s oft he f irstshi pf ora gener alav erage
cont ri
but ion.Theysuedt hesecondshi pasbei ngpar tlyt o
blame f ort he col lisi
on.Thust heywer e cl aimi ng f ort he
fi
nanci allosscausedt othem byhav ingt omaket hegener al
aver agecont ribution al t
hought heirpr oper tysust ainedno
phy sicaldamage.Thi sHousehel dt hatt heycoul dr ecov er.
Thei rl ordshi psdi dnoti nt hatcasel aydownanygener al
principleaboutl i
abi li
tyf orf inanci all ossi nt heabsenceof
phy sical damage; butt hecase
419•
i
tsel
fmakesi
timpossi
bletoar
guethatt
her
ei sanygener
al
r
uleshowi
ngt
hatsuchlossi
sofit
snatur
eir
recover
abl
e."
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Riv t
owMar i
neLt dvWashi ngtonI r
onWor ks( 1973)40DLR( 3rd)
530
Fact s:Thepl ainti
f facquiredacr anei nstal
ledonal oggi ngbar ge
from t hedef endant .Duet ol at entdef ectint hecr ane,i thadt o
under gor epairsdur ingthepeakt i
meandasar esult,thepl ai
ntiff
coul d notuse i tdur ing t he peakseason.The pl aintiffsued
alleginglossar isingf rom hi sinabi l
it
yt ouset hecr anedur ingt he
peakseason.
Hel d:Al t
houghdamagesf orexpensesi ncur r
edi nrepai ringt he
def ectwasnotr ecov erable,consequent i
all ossar isi
ngf rom t he
necessi tytor epai rwasact ionabl eift hel ossar i
singf r
om t he
necessi tytor epaircoul dhav ebeenav oidedbyr easonabl ecar e;
fori ft hedef endanthadwar nedt hepl aintif
f ,ther epai rcoul d
hav ebeencar ri
edoutbef or et hepeakseason.
Pr i
nciple:Amanuf acturerofadef ecti
v earticleisnotl iablei ntor t
toanul ti
mat econsumeroruserf orthecostofr epairi
ngdamage
arisingi nthear ti
cl eitsel
fnorf orsucheconomi clossaswoul d
hav ebeensust ainedi nanyev entasar esultoft heneedt oef fect
repai r
s.Butwher eeconomi clossar i
singoutoft henecessi t
yt o
repai r could hav e been av oided by r easonabl e car e,t he
manuf acturerisliable.
Mui
rheadvI
ndust
ri
alTankSpeci
alt
ies
[
1985]3Al
lER705
Facts:Thepl aintiffneededpumpsf orhi sfi
shf arm.Thet hi
rd
defendantassembl edt hepumpi nEngl andf r
om el ectri
cmot ors
manuf acturedbyi tspar entcompanyi nFr ance.Thepumpswer e
thensol dt ot heseconddef endantsuppl ierwhosuppl i
edt hefir
st
defendantt oi nstall
.Af tert heinstallati
on,thepumpsdi dnot
wor kast heyoughtt odo,l eadingt ot helossofal argequant it
y
off ish.The def ecti nt he pump r esulted from t he v ol
tage
diff
erencei nEngl and.Thepl aint
if
fsued.
Held:Si ncet herewasnopr oximityandnor el
iancewaspl aced
ont hemanuf acturerbyt hepl ainti
ff,hecoul dnotr ecoverfor
economi clossar isi
ngf rom thedef ectivegoods.
Principle:A manuf acturerofdef ectivegoodscanbel iablein
negligencef oreconomi cl osssuf feredbyanul timatepur chaser
i
ft her eisav erycl osepr oximityorr elati
onshipbet weent he
parti
esandt heul t
imatepur chaserpl acesr ealr el
ianceont he
manuf acturerrat herthanont hevendor .
PerRober
tGof
fLJatpp.715and716:"
Ihav
eal
readyquot
ed
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
t
hepassagef
rom t
hejudgmentofthej
udgeinwhichhehel
d
t
hatt
herewasther
equi
sit
erel
iancebyt
heplai
nti
ffon
themanuf act ur ersandt hatt hemanuf act urer smustr easonabl y
havef oreseent hatanyuseri ntheUni tedKi ngdom woul dr ely
ont hem t oensur etheadequacyoft heirmot orsatl easti nt he
fundament alr espectt hatt heywoul dbesui t
abl ef oruseon
United Ki ngdom v oltages.Cer tai
nlyt his was a mat terof
fundament ali mpor tance,andwoul daf fectev er yuseroft he
mot orsi nt he Uni ted Ki ngdom.ButIf ind i ti mpossi blet o
diff
erentiatet hiscasef rom anyot hercaseofmanuf act ured
goodswhi ch,t hr oughaf undament aldef ect ,resul tinf inanci al
l
ossbei ngsuf f eredbyanul t
imatepur chaserwhobuy st hem f or
usei nhisbusi nessand,byr easonoft hedef ect,suf fersal oss
ofpr ofit
s.Fur ther mor e,t here was no ' verycl ose pr oxi mi t
y'
betweent hepl ai nti
ffandt hemanuf actur ers,int hesenset hat
therewasnov er ycloser elati
onshipbet weent hepar ties;so
thatfactor,t oo,i smi ssingf rom thecase. .AsIseet hepr esent
casei tmustf al lwithint hosecases,descr i
bedbyLor dFr aser
andLor dRoski ll,ofor dinar ypurchaseofchat t
el s,inwhi cht he
buyer,ifheseekst orecov erdamagesf orpur elyeconomi cl oss
ari
singf r
om def ectsint hegoods,mustont hel awasi tst ands
l
ook t o hi si mmedi atev endor and not t o t he ul ti
mat e
manuf actur erf orhi sremedy ."
PerNour seLJatp.719:" I
nhi sanal y
sisofJuni orBooksLt dv
Veit
chiC0Lt d[ 1982]3Al lER201,[ 1983]1AC520Rober tGoff
LJhasi dent i
fiedt hethr eef eaturesoft hatcaseonwhi cht he
decisi
on t hatt he nomi nated sub- contractorhad v olunt ar
il
y
assumed a di rectr esponsi bil
i
tyt ot he bui ldi
ng ownerwas
founded.The f ir
stt wo oft hese wer ev er
ycl ose proximi t
y
betweent hesub- contract orandt hebui l
dingownerandr eliance
byt hebui l
dingowneront hesub- contractor.Hav i
ngbeenso
decided,t hatcasecannot ,inmyr espectfulopinion,bet akent o
beaut hor it
yf ort hepr opositiont hatwher et hosef eaturesar e
absentadef endantisl iableint ortinrespectofeconomi cl oss
whichi snotconsequentonphy si
caldamaget ot heper sonor
propertyoft hepl aint
iff
....
"Int
hepresentcasetherewasnov er
ycloseproximit
ybetween
themanuf actur
ersand theplaint
iff
.Contract
uall
yt heywer e
sever
alstagesremovedf r
om eachother.Moreimportant
,there
wasnor eliancebyt heplai
nti
ffont hemanuf actur
ersint he
senseinwhichthatconceptwasappliedinJuni
orBooks.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
421
"Ifthesamepr i
nci pleappl iesi nt hef ieldofr ealpr oper tyto
thel iabilit
yoft hebui lderofaper manentst ruct ur ewhi chis
danger ouslydef ect i
ve,t hatl iabilit
ycan onl yar ise i fthe
def ectr emai nshi ddenunt ilt hedef ectivest ruct ur ecauses
per sonali njury ordamage t o pr operty ot hert han t he
struct urei tself.I ft he def ecti s di scover ed bef ore any
damagei sdone,t hel osssust ainedbyt heowneroft he
struct ure,who has t or epai rordemol i
sh i tt o av oida
pot ent i
alsour ceofdangert ot hirdpar ties,woul dseem t obe
pur ely economi c.Thus,i fIacqui r
e a pr oper ty wi tha
danger ouslydef ect ivegar denwal lwhi chi sat tributabl eto
thebadwor kmanshi poft heor i
ginalbui lder,iti sdi ffi
cultto
seeanybasi sinpr incipleonwhi chIcansust ainanact ionin
tortagai nstt hebui l
derf ort hecostofei therr epai r
ingor
demol i
shingt hewal l
.Nophy sicaldamagehasbeencaused.
Allt hathashappenedi sthatt hedef ectint hewal lhasbeen
discov eredi nt imet opr ev entdamageoccur ring.Idonot
fi
ndi tnecessar yf ort hepur poseofdeci dingt hepr esent
appealt oexpr essanyconcl udedv iewast ohowf ar,ifatall,
ther at i
odeci dendiofAnnsvMer t
onLondonBor ough[ 1977]
2Al lER492,[ 1978]AC728i nv olvesadepar turef rom t hi
s
princi pleest ablishinganew causeofact ioni nnegl igence
agai nstabui lderwhent heonl ydamageal legedt ohav e
beensuf feredbyt hepl aint i
ffi st hedi scov eryofadef ectin
thev eryst r
uctur ewhi cht hebui lderer ected."
Andatp.1007:'' I
nthei nstantcaset heonl yhiddendef ect
wasi ntheplaster.Theonl yitem pleadedasdamaget oother
property was ' cost of cl eaning car pets and ot her
possessionsdamagedordi r
tiedbyf al
li
ngpl aster:{50'.Once
i
tappear ed thatt he plasterwas l oose,any dangerof
personalinjur
yoroff urtheri nj
uryt oot herpr oper t
ycoul d
have been simpl yav oided byt he timel yr emov aloft he
defecti
veplaster.Theonl yfunct i
onofpl asteronwal lsand
ceil
ings,unl
essi tisit
sel felaboratelydecor ative,istoser ve
asasmoot hsur faceonwhi chtopl acedecor ati
v epaperor
paint.Whatevercaset heremaybef ort reati
ngadef ectin
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
somepar toft hestructureofabuil
dingascausingdamage
to'otherpr oper t
y'whensomeot herpar tofthebuildi
ngis
i
njuri
ousl yaffected,asf orexampl
ecr acki
nginwallscaused
by def ecti
vef oundati
ons,i twoul
d seem t o me ent i
rel
y
art
ifi
cialtot r
eatt hepl asterasdi
sti
nctf r
om thedecorati
ve
surf
acepl acedoni t.Ev enifitwereso t r
eated,theonly
damaget o'other
423•
•
property'causedbyt hedefecti
vepl asterwoul
dbet he
l
ossofv alueoftheex i
sti
ngdecor at
ionsoccasi
onedbythe
necessitytoremov el
ooseplasterwhi chwasindanger
off al
l
ing.Whent helooseplasterinf l
at37wasf i
rst
discovered in 1980,theflatwasi n anyeventbeing
redecorated.
"I
tseemst omecl eart hatt hecostofr eplacingt he
defecti
vepl asteritsel
f,eitherascar r
iedouti n1980or
asintendedt obecar riedouti nf uture,wasnotani t
em
ofdamagef orwhi cht hebui lderofChel woodHouse
couldpossi blybemadel i
ablei nnegl i
genceundert he
pri
ncipleofDonoghuevSt evensonoranyl egiti
mat e
developmentoft hatpr i
ncipl
e.Tomakehi m sol iablewould
bet oimposeonhi mf orthebenef itofthosewi thwhom
hehadnocont ractualr el
ati
onshi pt heobligat i
onofone
who war ranted thequal it
yoft hepl asterasr egards
mat er
ial
s,wor kmanshi pandf itnessf orpur pose.Iam
gl
adt oreacht heconcl usiont hatt hisi
snott helaw. ..
."
Fi
nesseGr oupLt dvBr ysonPr oducts[20131EWHC3273
Facts:Thepl ainti
ffpur chased from thedef endantadhesi ves
manuf acturedbyat hi
r dpar t
y.Thepl ai
ntif
fusedt headhesi vesto
makest andsf orexhi
bi ti
onbutl aterreali
sedt hattheadhesi ves
wer edef ecti
ve,causi
ngt hest andst odel aminate.Nodamage
wascausedt oanyper sonorpr oper t
y.Thepl ai
ntif
fsuedt he
defendantandt hedefendantsoughtt ojoi
nt hethir
dpar t
y.
Held:Si nceno damagewascaused t o anyper son orot her
proper ty,thet hir
d part yasmanuf acturerswer enotl iablein
negligence.
Principle:Tosucceedi nanyact ioni npr oductsliabi
li
ty,there
mustbephy sicaldamaget oaper sonort hingot herthant he
producti tself
.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
PerAkenheadJatpar s.24and25:[ 24]" Iwilladdr esst he
primar ypoi ntfir
stwhi chi swhet her,ont hef actsaspl eaded,
Finessecanhav eanycauseofact ioni nt ortagai nstBost ik.
Sav ef orcases wher et he par ti
es ar ei n a cl ose enough
relati
onshi p( such ascont r act)Ofi tcan be sai dt hatt he
all
eged t ortf
easorassumed some par ti
cularr esponsi bil
ity
towar dst hecl aimingpar ty,usual l
y,atl east,ther emustbe
phy si
caldamageori njuryot herthant othe' thi
ngi t
sel f
'.Thus,
i
nDonoghuevSt evenson[ 1932]AC562,101LJPC119,37
Com cas350,t hePl aintiffwoul dnothav ebeenent it
ledt o
recov erthecostoft hebot tleofgi ngerbeeral t
houghshe
woul dhav ebeenabl et or ecov erdamagesf orper sonali njur
ies
causedbyt heshockorot heref fectsoft hesnai lint hebot tle.
Ast heedi torsofBenj ami nont heSal eofGoodssayatpar a12
—124' Thusanact i
oni ntor tmayal sol i
eandi ndeedpr i
mar ily
l
ies agai nsta manuf act urerordi stri
but orwho put si nto
circul
ation goods whi ch cause phy sical inj ury or t he
dest r
uctionofordamaget opr oper t
y.'
[25]" Theedi t
orsgooni npar a12—128t oconsi
der,rel
ati
vely
briefly,economi cl oss relating to goods whi ch threaten
damage orar e otherwise unsat isfactory
,referr
ing tot he
HouseofLor dscaseofMur phyv[ 1991]1AC398,[ 1990]2
AllER908, [
1990]3WLR414as, i
nor dinar
ycases, r
uli
ngout
ther ecov eryofeconomi closs.Lor dsKeithandJaunceyi n
thatcasel eftoverthepossi bili
tythat'themanufacturerofa
separ atepar tofast ructureorar ti
clemaybel iabl
ei fit
prov esdef ectiv
ei nsuchawayast odamageot herpar t
sof
thest r
uct ur
eorar t i
cle,thequest ionhasnotr eallybeen
consi dered i n connect ion wi t
h goods as opposed t o
buildings'.
"
[29]"Idonotconsiderthati
tisar guablet hatthereisor
wasdamagei nthiscaseatall,ont hefactspl eaded.Itis
notbeingsuggestedint
hepleadi ngt hatthepanel sort he
standswereactuall
ydamaged; indeed, i
tseemst obe
suggestedi
npar a12thatthedamagel i
esi nthealleged
unsati
sfact
oryquali
tyorunsuitabil
ityoftheadhesi veand
thatofcour
sewoul dinanyev entbedamaget othething
i
tself(
theequiv
alentofthegingerbeerbot tl
einDonoghue) .
Evenifonecouldapplyorextendt he
425• u
thoughtpr ocessesofLor dsKei thandJaunceyi nt he
Mur phycaseandt reatt headhesi v east het hingi tself
andt hepanelasasepar atepar toft hest r
uct ure,sot o
speak,t he panel s ar e notpl eaded as hav ing been
damaged.Thef actt hatt hereissomef inanci allosssai d
tobeassoci atedwi t
hput ti
ngr i
ghtt heal legedpr obl ems
and consequences oft he adhesi vef ailure does not
conv ertt hatst ate ofaf f
air
si nto damage f ort he
purposesofacauseofact i
oni nnegl i
genceagai nst
Bost i
k.Ial sov erymuchdoubtt hatt headhesi vecoul d
besai dt obeot hert hanpar tofone' structure'andt hat
delami nati
on t herefor ei si ni tself not damage t o
anythingot herthant het hingitself.Oneal sohast obear
i
nmi ndapubl icpol icyf loodgatesar gumenti nr elat i
on
to goods such as gl ue orev en component s ofa
machi ne.Anexampl emi ghtbecar elessl ypr epar edgl ue
usedi nmaki ngashoewhi chf ailscausi ngt hesol eor
heelt odr opof f;thesuggest i
ont hatt heowneroft he
shoecoul dsuet hegl uemanuf actur eri sf anci ful.Of
course, therewoul dorcoul dbeacauseofact i
oni nt ort
againstt hemanuf act ureri nthecur rentt ypeofcasei f
asar esultofnegl igentlymanuf act uredgl uewhi chf ail
s
someel ementsupposedt obeadher edt oasubst ratum
fal
ls of finjuri
ng someone ordamagi ng an adj acent
exhibit(i
nt hecaseofanexhi biti
onst and) .
[30]"I
tfoll
owsthatforthesereasonsalonethecauseof
acti
onintortaspl
eadedi nthedraf
tre-amendmenthasno,
l
etaloneareali
sti
c,prospectofsuccess.
"
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Robi
nsonvPEJones(
Cont
ract
ors)
[
2012]QB44
Fact s:Thedef endantbui lder
swer econstruct
ingabui ldingwi th
onlyonechi mneywhen t heplainti
ffagreed to pur chaset he
building.Thepar ti
esent eredintoacontractfort heconst ruction
ofanaddi t
ionalchi mney .Bothchimneyswer el aterfoundt obe
defect i
ve.Thepl ainti
ffsuedt orecoverthecostofr epairingt he
defect sint hechimney .
Held:Si ncenodamagewascausedt oanyot herpr oper t
yor
person, thepl ai
nt i
ff'
sactionfail
ed.
Principle:Thedut yowedbyamanuf act
urertoaconsumeri sto
taker easonabl ecar et hatnoi njur
yiscausedt oanyper sonor
otherpr opertyandt hus,damagesf orrepair
ingt hedef ecti
ve
productar enotr ecoverable.
[
68] "
Absentanyassumpt i
onofr esponsi
bil
i
ty,ther
edo
notspring up between the part
ies duti
es ofcar e co-
ext
ensivewitht
heircontract
ualobl
igati
ons.Thelaw oftort
i
mposes a di f
ferent and morel imit
ed duty upon t he
manufactur
erorbui l
der.Thatmorel i
miteddutyistotake
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
reasonable car et o pr
otectthe clientagai nstsuffering
personalinjuryordamaget ootherpr operty.Thelawoft ort
i
mposes t his duty
,notonl ytowar ds the fir
stperson t o
acquirethechat telorthebuil
ding,butal sotowardsot hers
whof oreseeablyownorusei t.
[
69] "Theanal ysisint hepr ecedi ngparagraphf i
tswi th,
i
ndeed i s di
ctated by ,the House ofLor ds'decision in
DonoghuevSt evenson[ 1932]AC562,t heHouseofLor ds'
decision in Mur phy'
scase[ 1991]1 AC 398 and May J'
s
decisioni nNit
piginEireannTeor antavIncoAl l
oysLtd[1992]
1 WLR 498.Al though Ni tr
igin's case isaf i
rstinstance
decision,itcommandsr espectbecauseoft heforceoft he
reasoningi nthej udgment .Alsoi tshouldbenot edthatthe
tri
aljudgei nNitrigi
n'scasewasaspeci al
istinthisfiel
das
wellas bei ng t he then edi torofKeat ing on Bui l
ding
Contract s.
"
Andatpp.62and63,par s.83and84:[83]"
Inthepr esent
caseIseenot hi
ngtosuggestt
hatthedef
endant'assumed
responsi
bil
i
ty'
tothecl
aimanti
ntheHedl
eyByrnesense.The
427.
part
iesent er
edi ntoanor malcont ractwher ebyt hedefendant
wouldcompl etetheconst ructionofahousef ortheclai
mantt o
anagreedspeci f
icati
onandt hecl ai
mantwoul dpayt hepurchase
pri
ce.Thedef endant'swarrantiesofqual i
tywer esetoutandt he
cl
aimant'sremediesi ntheev entofbr eachofwar r
antywerealso
setout.The par t
ies were noti n a pr ofessionalrel
ati
onship
whereby,forexampl e,theclaimantwaspay i
ngt hedefendantto
giv
e adv i
ce ort o pr epar
er eport
s orpl ans upon whi ch the
cl
aimantwoul dact.
PerSt anleyBur nt
onLJatpp.64and65,par s.92— 95:[ 92]" I
n
myj udgment ,i
tmustnow ber egar dedasset t
ledlaw thatt he
builder /
vendorofabui ldingdoesnotbyr easonofhi scontractto
const ructort ocompl etet hebuildingassumeanyl i
abi
li
tyint he
tortofnegl i
gencei nrelationtodef ectsint hebuildi
nggivingr i
se
topur el
yeconomi cl oss.Thesameappl iestoabui l
derwhoi s
nott hev endor ,
andt ot hesel l
erormanuf actur
erofachat tel.The
decisi on oft he House ofLor ds i n Anns v Mer ton London
BoroughCounci l[
19781AC728, l
ikei tsearli
erdecisi
oninJuni or
BooksLt d vVei tchiCo Lt d[ 1983]1 AC 520,mustnow be
regar dedasaber r
ant, i
ndeedasher etical
.Thel awi sasstatedby
LordBr i
dgeofHar wichi nD&FEst at esLidvChur chComr sf or
Engl and[ 19891AC177, 206: '
Ifthehi ddendef ectinthechat tel
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
i
st hecauseofper sonalinjuryOfofdamaget opr oper ty
othert hant hechat t
elitself,themanuf acturerisl iable.
Buti fthehi ddendef ecti sdiscov eredbef oreanysuch
damagei scaused,t herei snol ongeranyr oom f ort he
applicati
onoft heDonoghuevSt evensonpr i
nciple.The
chatteli snow def ecti
vei n qualit
y,buti sno l onger
danger ous.I tmaybev aluelessori tmaybecapabl eof
economi cr epair..I fthesamepr i
ncipleappliesi nt he
fi
eldofr ealpr oper t
yt ot hel i
abili
tyoft hebuilderofa
permanentst r
ucture whi ch is danger ousl
ydef ective,
thatliabili
tycanonl yarisei fthedef ectr emainshi dden
untilthedef ectivest r
uctur ecausesper sonalinjur yor
damaget opr opertyothert hant hest r
uct ur
eitself.Ifthe
defecti sdi scov er
edbef oreanydamagei s done,t he
l
osssust ainedbyt heowneroft hest r
uct ur
e,whohast o
repairordemol i
sh i tto av oid apot enti
alsour ceof
dangert o t hird parti
es,woul d seem t o be pur ely
economi c.'
them i
sdefect
iveorcauseshiminjury.Themanaging
agentsi
nHendersonvMer r
ettSyndicatesLt
d[1992]2
AC145owedadut y
.ofcaretotheirNamesbecause
theyweremanagingtheNames'assets.
[94] "Itisimpor t
antto notet hata per son who
assumesacont ract
ualdutyofcaredoesnott hereby
assumeani denti
caldutyofcarei ntorttot heother
contr
act
ingparty
.Thedut yofcareincontractextends
toanydefecti
nthebuildi
ng,goodsOfser vi
cesuppl i
ed
underthe cont
ract,as wellas toloss Ofdamage
causedbysuchadef ecttoanotherbuil
dingOfgoods.
Thedutyofcareintort
,alt
houghsaidtoar isefr
om an
assumpti
onof
429"
l
iabili
ty,isi mposed byt hel aw.I n casesofpur ely
fi
nanci all
oss, assumpt i
onofl i
abi l
i
tyisusedbot hasa
meansofi mposingl i
abil
it
yi nt ortandasar est r
iction
ont heper sonst owhom t hedut yisowed.Thedut yof
carei ntortappl i
est odamaget ootherpr oper t
yt han
thatsuppl i
ed, ortopersonali njuryordeat h,causedby
adef ectint hepr opert
ysuppl ied.Thepr oviderofa
service,suchasanaccount antorsol ici
tor,owesa
dutyofcar eint orttohisclientbecausehi snegl igence
maycausel ossoft heclient'sasset s.Idonott hink
thatacl ienthasacauseofact ionint ortagai nsthi s
negligentaccount antorsol i
citorsi mplybecauset he
account ant'
s orsol i
ci
tor'
s adv ice isincorr ect( and
thereforewor thlesst hant hef eepaidbyt hecl i
ent )
.
Thecl i
entdoeshav eacauseofact ionint or tift he
advicei sreli
eduponbyt hecl ientwi t
ht her esultt hat
hisasset saredi mini
shed.
[
95] "
Itfol
lowsi nmyj udgmentt hatt hefi
rstinstance
decisi
onst owhi chJacksonLJr efersinpara52ofhi s
j
udgmenti nwhichbuildi
ngcontractorswer ehel
dt ohav e
assumedadut yofcar eintor
tinr el
ationtofi
nancialloss
result
ingfrom defect
si nthebuil
dingt heyconst
ructed,in
theabsenceofdamaget ootherpr operty
,werewr ongly
decided."
Wit
tmervGebr
.WeberGmbH(
2011)
Ti
mes,6Jul
y
Facts:The f i
rstdef endantsoughtt or ecoverthe costof
remov alandr einst al
lat i
onofdef
ectiveti
lespur
chasedfrom t
he
fi
rstdefendant .Thesecondpl ai
nti
ffsoughttorecovert
hecost
ofremov alandr einst al
lat
ionofadef ecti
vewashingmachine
purchasedf rom t heseconddef endant.Held(bytheCourtof
Justi
ce of the Eur
opean Uni
on)
: That t
he cost
s wer
e
recov
erabl
e.
(NB:Thedeci
sionwasbasedonPar
li
amentandCounci
lDi
rect
ive
1999/44/
ECofMay25,1999,anEUdir
ect
ive.
)
Pri
nciple:Asell
erisunderadutyt
or emoveandrei
nst allany
defecti
veproducthesellst
oaconsumerandi fhef ails,the
consumermayr ecov
erthecostofremovalandr
einstallat
ion
fr
om thesell
er.
POSSI
BLEAPPLI
CATI
ONOFRESI
PSALOQUI
TUR
DonoguevSt
evenson(
supr
a)
PerLordMacmi
ll
anatp.622:"
The
bur
denofproofmust
alwaysbeupont heinjuredpar tytoestabl
ishthatthe
defectwhi ch caused t he injur
ywaspr esentint he
arti
clewheni tl eftthehandsoft hepart
ywhom he
sues, that the def ect was occasi oned by t he
carel
essnessoft hatparty,andt hattheci
rcumstances
aresuchast ocastupont hedef enderadutyt otake
carenottoi nj
uret hepur suer.Thereisnopresumption
ofnegligencei nsuchacaseast hepresent,noris
thereanyjusti
ficationforappl yi
ngt hemaxim,resipsa
l
oquitur
.Negl i
gencemustbebot hav er
redandpr ov
ed.
"
AboagyevKumasiBr
eweryLimi
ted
(supr
a)Fact
sandHoldi
ng:(
supr
a)
Pr
inci
ple:Thepr i
nci
pleofresi
psal
oqui
turappli
eswher
ethe
wantofreasonabl
ecareint
hemanuf
act
ureisproved.
PerDj abanorJatp.244:" Theaut hor i
ti
esar eset tl
edi n
thev iew t hatt hemaxi mr esi psal oquiturappl i
est o
negligencei nmanuf act urewhent heci rcumst ances
aresuchast ocal lf ori tsappl ication.I nChar /eswor th
onNegl igence( 4thed. ),p.363,par a.802appear st he
foll
owi ng passage whi ch Iacceptas t he cor rect
statementoft hel aw:' Themer epr esenceofasnai lin
ast opper edandseal edbot tleofgi ngerbeerwoul d
appeart o be wi t
hi nt he maxi m because,owi ng t o
retentionofef fectivecont rolbyt hemanuf acturerunt i
l
the gi ngerbeerr eached t he consumer ,t herei sa
greaterpr obabi li
tyofnegl igenceont hepar toft he
manuf acturert hanont hepar tofanyot herper son.I n
GrantvAust ralianKni tti
ngMi l
ls[ 1936]A. C.85t he
courtappar ent l
y pr oceeded on t he v i
ew t hatt he
presenceoft hechemi cali rri
tanti nt hegar ment swas
evidenceofnegl igence
Similarly,int heear l
iercaseofChapr onierevMason
(1905)21T. L.R.633, t
hepr esenceofast onei nabat h
bunmanuf actur edbyt hedef endantwashel dt obe
withint hemaxi mr esi psal oqniturandt obeev i
dence
of negl i
gence agai nst t he manuf acturer.
'On t he
author it
iest her eforeIhol dt hatt hemaxi mr esipsa
l
oqui turappl iesi nt hiscaseandt hereforet hatapr ima
faciecaseofnegl igencehasbeenest abli
shedagai nst
thedef endant .
"
AcheampongvOv er
seasBr
ewer
iesLtd(supr
a)
Pri
nci
ple:Thepr i
nci
pleofresi
psaloquit
urappli
eswher
ethe
wantofreasonabl
ecareint
hemanufact
ur ei
sproved.
431"
PerAnnanJat.pp.12and13:"
Thedut
yasl
aiddown
i
st ot aker easonabl ecareint hemanuf actureoft he
productandi tist hef ai
luretotakesuchcar et hatwil
l
renderhi m liablet othe consumerwho i si njur
ed.
Negl i
gencet heref orehast obeest abli
shedagai nstthe
manuf act ur
erbef orel i
abil
it
yi s establi
shed and t he
met hodofpr oofi sthesameasi nanyot hercaseof
negligence. The mer e pr esence of f oreign or
deleteriousmat teri snotPerseenoughandnegl i
gence
hast obeest abli
shedei therbywayoft hepr esumpt ion
ofnegl igencewi thr esipsaloquit
ur ,orwher ef actsare
established whi ch gi ve ri
se t o an i nference of
negligence."
Ov
erseasBr
ewer
iesLt
dvAcheampong(
supr
a)
(
Onappeal
tot
heCour
tofAppeal
)
Princi
ple:Thepr i
nci
pleofr esipsaloqui
turi
st hatwherea
productiscont ami
nated,i
tisnott hedut
yoft heplai
nti
ffto
provethesour ceofthecontaminantwhennegli
gencecanbe
establi
shedbywayoft hepresumpti
onofnegl
igencewithres
i
psal oquit
ur.
PerAr
cherJA( af
terr
efer
ri
ngt
othe
passageofLord
Macmi l
lanabove,continuingatp.427asf ol
lows) :"In1936,
i
nt hecaseofGr antvAust ral
ianKnitt
ingMi l
l
sLt d.[1936]
A.C.85,P. C.t
hepl ainti
ffhadcont ractedder mat iti
sasa
resul
tofexcess sul phitef ound in a pai rofwool len
underwearmanuf acturedbyt hedefendants.TheJudi cial
Commi tteeofthePr i
vyCounci loverr
ulingthej udgmentof
theHighCour tofAust rali
aheldt hatt hemanuf act
urers
wereliabletot heplaintiffont heprincipl
el aiddowni n
Donoghue v St evenson. Lor d Wr i
ght , deli
ver i
ng t he
j
udgmentoft he court,stated at p.101 as f ollows:
'
Accor di ng t otheev idence,t hemet hod ofmanuf acture
wascor r ect:thedangerofexcesssul phitesbeingl ef twas
recogni sed and wasguar ded agai nst:the processwas
i
ntendedt obef oolproof.Ifexcesssul phi
teswer el eftin
thegar ment ,t
hatcouldonl ybebecausesomeonewasat
fault.Theappel l
antisnotr equir
edt ol ayhisfingeront he
exactper soni nallthechai nwhowasr esponsible,ort o
speci f
ywhathedi dwr ong.Negl i
gencei sfoundasamat ter
ofi nferencef rom theexi stenceoft hedef ectst akeni n
connect i
onwi thalltheknownci rcumst ances:ev eni ft he
manuf act urerscouldbyaptev i
dencehav er ebuttedt hat
i
nf erencet heyhav enotdoneso. 'TheGr ant
casecl ear
lyill
uminat
edt henat ur
eoftheburdenofproof
ont heplaint
iff
.LordMcMi ll
anwasamemberoft hecourt
i
nt heGr antcaseandt hereforehisdi
ctaint
heDonoghue
case( supra)asregardsthenat ur
eoftheburdenofproof
onthepl ai
ntif
fmustber egardedasobit
er.
"
NEGLI
GENCEI
NRELATI
ONTOCHATTELS
DI
STI
NGUI
SHI
NG BET\XEEN DANGEROUS CHATTELS
ANDNON-
DANGEROUSCHATFELS
DixonvBel l(1816)105ER1023
Fact s:Thedefendantsentagi rltofet
chal oadedgun.The
girl
,af t
ertakingthegun,poi ntedthel oadedgunatt he
plainti
ff'
ssonandpul l
edt hetrigger
,causinghiminjuri
es.I
t
wasf oundt hatthedef endanthadt akenpr ecauti
onby
givinginstr
ucti
onstot hegirlaboutthegun.
Held: Thedefendantwasl iabl
e.
Principle:Apersonwhokeepsadanger ousinstrumentis
underadut ytokeepi twel landi sli
ableforanydamage
causedduet ohisbreachoft hatduty.
PerEll
enboroughCJatp.1024:" Thedefendantmight
andoughttohav egonef art
her;itwasincumbenton
him,who,bychargi
ngt hegun,hadmadei tcapableof
doingmischief
,torenderitsafeandi nnoxi
ous.This
mighthavebeendonebyt hedischar
geordr awingof
the cont
ent;and t hough it was the defendant
's
i
ntenti
ont opreventallmi schi
ef,andheexpect edt hat
thi
swoul dbeef f
ectuatedbyt akingoutt hepr iming,
theev enthasunf or
tunatelyprovedt hattheor dert o
Lemanwasnotsuf fi
cient;consequently
,asbyt his
wantofcar e,t
heinstr
umentwasl efti
nast atecapabl e
ofdoi ng mischi
ef,the law wi l
lholdt he defendant
responsibl
e.Iti
sahar dcase,undoubt edl
y;butIt hink
theactionismaintai
nable."
Langri
dgevLev y[1832-421Al lERRep586;( 1837)150
ER863Fact s:Theplainti
ff
'sfatherwantedtobuyagun
fr
om t he defendant for hi
msel f and hi
s sons.The
defendantf
alsel
yrepr
esentedthatthegunwas
369•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
•
370
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
i
tbeaf al
sehoodt oldwi t
hani ntenti
ont hatitshouldbe
act eduponbyt hepar t
yi njured,andt hatactmust
producedamaget ohi m,if,insteadofbei ngdelivered
tot hepl aintif
fi mmedi atel
y ,thei nstrumenthadbeen
placedi nt hehandsofat hirdper son,fort hepurpose
ofbei ngdel i
v eredt oandt henusedbyt hepl ai
nti
ff, t
he
l
ikef alser epresent at
ionbei ngknowi nglymadet ot he
i
nt ermedi at e per son t o be communi cated tot he
plaintiff,andt hepl ai
nti
ffhadact eduponi t
,therecan
benodoubtbutt hatthepr inciplewoul dequal l
yappl y,
andt hepl aintif
fwoul dhav ehadhi sremedyf ort he
decei t;norcoul di tmakeanydi fferencethatt het hir
d
per son al so was i ntended byt he defendantt o be
decei v ed;nordoest hereseem t obeanysubst antial
distinct i
on
•
371
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
i
ft heinstrumentbedel i
ver ed,i
nordertobesousedby
theplaint
iff,thoughi tdoesnotappeart hatthedefendant
i
ntended t he f alse r epresent
ati
on i t
self to be
communi catedt ohi m.Ther ei saf al
serepresentati
on
madebyt hedef endant ,wi thav i
ew thatthepl aint
iff
should use t he inst r
umenti n a danger
ous way ,and,
unlessther epresent ati
onhadbeenmade, t
hedanger ous
actwoul dnev erhav ebeendone
Onaf urt
herappealt otheCour tofExchequerChamber ,
thecourtperLor dDenmanCJaf f
irmedthedecisionatp.
592asf oll
ows:" Weagr eewi ththeCour tofExchequer ,
andaf fi
rmt hejudgmentont hegr oundstat
edbyPar keB
that'ast hereisf raud,anddamage,t her esultoft hat
fraudnotf r
om anactr emot eandconsequent i
al,butone
contempl at
edbyt hedef endantatt het
imeasoneofi ts
result
s,thepartygui l
tyoft hefraudi sr
esponsibletot he
partyinj
ured."
'
oneoft
heropesbrokeandhefel
landi
njur
edhimsel
f.
Hel
d:Thedefendantwasunderadut
ytotakecar
ethatt
her
opes
heused
371.
werefi
tforthei
rpur poseandthusliabl
etotheplai
nti
ffalt
hough
t
herewasnocont ractbetweenthem
Pr
inci
ple:A per son may owe a dut y of careto another
i
ndependentofacont r
actprov
ideditwasreasonabl
et hati
njur
y
mayresul
tfrom wantofcare.
Domi
nionNat
ural
GasvCol
l
ins
Facts:Thedef endantinstall
edagasmachi neont hepremi sesof
arail
waycompanyandf i
xedt heregulatorint heblacksmithshop
i
nt herai l
waycompanyi nsteadoffixingi toutsi
det hebuilding.A
l
argequant i
tyofgasescapedandt hepl ainti
ffinanat temptt o
putoffther egul at
orgotinjuredwhenanexpl osi
onoccur r
ed.
Held:Sincet hedef endanthadbeennegl igentinthei nst
all
ationof
themachi ne, hewasl iabl
e.
Pri
nciple:Aper soninpossessionofadanger ousar t
icl
eisundera
dutytot akepr ecauti
ont oav oi
dinj
uryr esult
ingfrom it.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
THEMANUFACTURER
DonoghuevSt evenson[ 19321AC562
Facts:Af ri
endoft hepl ai
ntiffpurchasedabeermanuf act uredby
thedefendantf orher .Thebeerwasi nanopaquebot t l
esucht hat
i
twasi mpossi blet oseet hecontent s.Af t
erdr inkingsomeoft he
beerthepl aintifffoundadecomposedsnai lint her emai nderof
thebeer .Thepl aintif
fsuf f
eredshockandgast r
o-enterit
tis.
Held:Si ncet hebeerwasmanuf acturedt o beconsumedand
bottl
ed wi thout any r easonable means of i nspect i
ons,t he
defendantwasl iablef ortheinjuri
essuf f
eredbyt hepl ai
nt i
ff.
Princi
ple:Amanuf acturerofpr oduct s,whi chhesel l
si nsucha
form ast o show t hathei ntendst hem t or eacht heul t
imat e
consumeri nthef ormi nwhi chtheyl ef
thim wi thnor easonabl e
possibi
lityofi ntermedi ateexami nat i
on,andwi t
ht heknowl edge
thattheabsenceofr easonabl ecar eint hepr epar at
ionorput ting
upoft hepr oduct swi llresultinani njurytot heconsumer '
sl if
eor
propert
y ,owesadut yt ot heconsumert ot aket hatr easonabl e
care.
t
hatnotonl
ythedegreeofcarebutt
her angeofpersons
t
owhom adut yisowedmaybeext ended.Buttheyall
i
l
lust
rat
ethegener
alpri
nci
ple.
"
375.
.
Andatp.599:" MyLor ds,ify ourLor dshipsacceptt he
view t hatt hispl eading disclosesar el
evantcauseof
act i
ony ouwi llbeaf f
irmingt hepr oposi t
ionthatbyScot
andEngl ishlawal i
keamanuf acturerofpr oducts,which
hesel lsinsuchaf orm ast oshowt hathei ntendsthem
tor eacht heul ti
mat econsumeri nthefor minwhi chthey
l
ef thim wi thnor easonabl epossi bil
i
tyofi ntermedi
ate
ex aminat i
on, andwi ththeknowl edgethatt heabsenceof
reasonabl ecar eint heprepar ati
onorput t
ingupoft he
product swi llresultinani njuryt otheconsumer 'sli
feor
proper ty,owes a dut ytot he consumert ot ake t
hat
reasonabl ecar e."
Br
ownvCot
ter
il
l(1934)54TLR21
Facts:Thepl
ainti
ff,
aninf
ant
,wasinjuredbythefal
lofatombstone
whenhewasl awful
lyi
nthepremi
sesofachur chyar
d.I
twasf ound
thatthetombstonewasnegl
igent
lyerected.
Held:Since the pl
ainti
ffwas lawfull
yinthe chur
chyard,the
defendantswhoer ectedthetombst onewer
emanuf act
urersin
thatnarr
owsenseandaccor di
nglyowedadutytohim andwer e
thusli
ableforthei
njur
iessuf
fered.
PRODUCT
Gr
antvAust
ral
i
anKni
tt
ingMi
l
lsLt
d[1936]AC85
Facts:Thepl ai
nt i
ffboughtwool l
enunder wearmanuf acturedby
thef i
rstdefendantandsol dbyt heseconddef endant.Excess
sulphi
tehad been negl igentl
ylefti nt hegar mentbyt hef i
rst
defendant.Duet ot heexcesssul phit
e,t heplainti
ffcontracted
dermat i
ti
swhenhewor ethegarment .Hesuedbot hdefendant s.
Itwasf oundthatt hesul
phitewasahi ddenandl atentdefectthat
couldnotbedet ectedbyreasonableexami nat
ion.Held:Thef i
rst
defendantbreachedadut yt heyowedt otheplainti
ffandwer e
thusli
ablefortheirnegli
gence.
Princi
ple:Theliabili
tyofamanuf acturertoaconsumerappl ies
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
onl
ywheret hedefectintheproductishi
ddenandcannotbe
di
scov
ered byreasonabl
e examinat
ion.A pr
oductin pr
inci
ple
i
ncl
udesthi
ngsusedinter
nall
yandthi
ngsusedext
ernal
l
y.
PerLor dWr i
ghtatpp.104— 106:" I
tisobv ioust hatt he
pri
ncipl est husl aiddowni nvolveadut ybasedont he
simplef act sdet ailedabov e,adut yqui teunaf f
ect edby
anycont ract sdeal ingwi ththet hi
ng, f
ori nstance, ofsal e
bymakert or et ail
er,andagai nbyr etail
ert oconsumeror
totheconsumer 'sf r
iend.Itmaybesai dt hatt hedut yis
dif
ficultt odef ine, becausewhent heactofnegl igencei n
manuf actur e OCCUf St here was no speci fi
c per son
towar dswhom t hedut ycouldbesai dtoexi st :thet hing
mightnev erbeused:i tmi ghtbedest royedbyacci dent ,
Ofitmi ghtbescr apped,ori nmanyway sf ai lt ocome
i
nto usei nt henor malway :i n ot herwor dst hedut y
cannotatt he t ime of manuf act ure be ot hert han
potent i
alorcont ingent ,andonl ycanbecomev estedby
thef actofact ualusebyapar ticularper son.Butt he
samet heor eticaldi ff
icult
yhasbeendi sr egardedi ncases
l
ikeHeav envPender ,Ofinthecaseoft hingsdanger ous
perseOfknownt obedanger ous,wher et hirdpar ti
es
have been hel d ent i
tled t
or ecov eron t he pr inciples
explainedi nDomi nionNat uralGasCo. ,Ld.vCol li
ns&
Perkins.I nDonoghue' scaset het hingwasdanger ousi n
fact,thought hedangerwashi dden,andt het hingwas
danger ousonl ybecauseofwar yofcar ei nmaki ngi t;as
LordAt kinpoi nt souti nDonoghue' scase,t hedi stinction
between t hi ngs i nher entl
ydanger ous and t hings onl y
danger ousbecauseofnegl i
gentmanuf act urecannotbe
regardedassi gnifi
cantf orthepur poseoft hequest i
ons
hereinv olv ed.
"Onefur t
herpoi ntmaybenot ed.Thepr i
ncipleofDonoghue' s
casecanonl ybeappl i
edwher et hedefecti shi ddenand
unknownt ot heconsumer ,
otherwisethedirectnessofcause
andef f
ecti sabsent:t hemanwhoconsumesOfusesat hing
whichheknowst obenoxi ouscannotcompl ai
ni nrespectof
whatevermi schieffollows,becauseitfoll
owsf rom hisown
consciousv ol i
ti
oninchoosi ngtoincurtheriskorcer tai
ntyof
mischance.I ft hefor egoi
ng aret heessent i
alf eatur
esof
Donoghue' s case,t hey are also to be f ound,i nt hei
r
Lordships'j
udgment ,inthepresentcase.Thepr esenceoft he
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
del
eteri
ous chemi cali nthe pant s,due t o negligence in
manufacture,wasahi ddenandl atentdefect,
justasmuchas
werether emai nsoft hesnailintheopaquebot tl
e:itcould
notbedet ect
edbyanyexami nationt hatcoul
dr easonabl ybe
made.Not hi
ng happened bet ween t he maki ng of t he
garmentsandt heirbeingwornt ochanget heirconditi
on.The
garmentswer emadebyt hemanuf actur
ersfort hepur pose
ofbeing wor n exactlyast heywer e worni nf actbyt he
appel
lant:
i
twasnotcont emplatedthattheyshoul dbefirstwashed.I ti
s
377.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
i
mmat erialt
hatt heappell
anthasacl aimincont r
actagai
nstthe
ret
ail
ers,becauset hatisaqui t
eindependentcauseofact i
on,
basedondi ff
erentconsiderati
ons,eventhoughthedamagemay
be the same.Equal l
yi r
relevantis any question ofl
iabi
lit
y
betweent heretail
ersandthemanuf act
urersont hecont
ractof
sal
e between t hem.The t or
tl i
abi
li
tyisi ndependentofany
questi
onofcont ract.
"I
twasar gued,butnotper hapsv er
ystrongly,thatDonoghue' s
casewasacaseoff oodordr inkt obeconsumedi nter
nall
y,
wher easthepant sherewer et obewor nexternally.Nodisti
ncti
on,
howev er
,can be l ogicall
ydr awn fort his purpose between a
noxious t hing taken internal
ly and a noxi ous t hi
ng appli
ed
externall
y:t hegar mentswer emadet obewor nnextt heskin;
i
ndeed Lor d Atkin specifi
call
y puts as exampl es ofwhati s
cover ed by the pr i
nciple he is enunciati
ng t hings oper
ati
ng
externall
y,such as ' an ointment,a soap,a cl eani
ng fl
uid or
cl
eani ngpowder '
."
SALE
Hasel dinevDaw&Sons[ 194112KB343
Fact s:The second def endant s carr
ied outr epairwor ks on a l i
fti n
buildingownedbyt hef irstdefendant.Aser v antoft heseconddef endan
negl i
gentlyfailedt or eplacesomegl andsi nt hel i
ft
.Thepl aintif
fv i
sit
ed
thebui ldingthef oll
owi ngdayupont heinv itationofaser vanoft hef i
rst
defendantgoti njuredwhenheusedt hel iftasar esultoff ailuret o
replacet hegl ands.Thepl ai
nti
ffsued.
Held:Theseconddef endantasar epair
eroft hel i
ftwasl iabletopl ainti
ff
fort hebr eachoft hedut yt heyowedt ohim asal awf uluseoft hear ti
cle
sincet herewasnor easonabl eoppor t
unityf orexami nat i
orbef oreuse.
Principle:Ther epair erofanar t
icl
eowesadut ytoanyper sonbywhon
thear t
icl
ei sl awf ullyusedt oseet hatithasbeencar efull
yr epairedi n
casewher ether ei snor easonabl eoppor tuni tyfortheexami nat i
onoft h
arti
cl eafterther epai riscompl etedandbef orei tisused.
PerScottLJatp.363:"Itiswort
hnotici
ngthatinDonoghuev
Stev
ensonLordBuckmast ert
reat
edtherepai
rerasinconsimi
/i
casutothemanuf
actur
er.Herecogni
zedthatt
heprinci
plewhi
ch
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
.
.378
hedeni edt ot hecommonl aw must ,ifi texistsatal l
,applyt othe
repai
reraswel last othemanuf act
ur er.Thef actthather egarded
thatsi
mi larit
yasar easonf orr ej
ecti
ngt hepr i
ncipledoesnotl essen
theforceoft her easonsf orsay i
ngthat ,ifitdoesappl ytotheone, it
mustal soappl ytot heother ..
..Thef actsoft hiscase,therefore,i
n
myopi nion, clearlyshowt hatt heengineer sdidoweadut yofcar eto
anyper sonusi ngt helif
tint heor di
nar ywayupt othet i
meoft heir
nextexami nat i
onofi t
,fort heyr eali
zed,oroughtt ohav er eal
ized,
thatnoef fectiveexami nationwasi nthel eastlikelybeforethen."
379•
•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Atpp.377and378:" Onwhatsoundpr i
nciple,then,
cant hecaseofar epairerbedi stinguishedf rom t hat
ofamakerofanar ti
cle?Ofcour se,thedoct ri
nedoes
notappl yt ot her epai rofanyar ticleanymor et hant o
i
tsmanuf act ure.I fIor dermyt ai l
ort omakemeasui t,
orawat chmakert or epairmywat ch,noonewoul d
supposet hatany onebutmy selfwasgoi ngt ouset he
suitorwat ch.I ft het ailorleftal argeneedl ei nt he
l
iningandi tinjur edaper sont ow&om atsomet imeI
l
entt hecoat ,Ishoul dt hinkt hatt hel attercoul dnot
recov eragai nstt het ail
or .Ther el
ationshi pwoul dbe
alt
oget hert oo r emot e,and manyoft hesuggest ed
diffi
cultiesofDonoghuevSt ev ensondi sappeari fitis
reali
zedt hatt hedeci si
onwas,asIv enturet obel i
ev e,
essent iall
yoneont hequest i
onofr emot eness.Butt he
caseofal i
ftr epai rerisv erydi fferent.Al i
ftinabl ock
off latsi st heret o beused byt heownerand hi s
servant s,t he t enant s and t hei rser vants,and al l
personsr esortingt heretoonl awf ulbusi ness.Bl ocks
off l
at sandof fi
cesar ef requent l
yownedbyl imited
compani eswhowoul dbecont ract i
ngpar ti
eswi tht he
l
iftengi neer s.I nsuchacase,t heempl oyerwoul dbe
theone' per son' whocoul dbynopossi bili
tyuset hel i
ft.
Ifther epai r
er sdot heirwor kcar elessly,orf ai
l t
or epor t
adangerofwhi cht heyasexper tsoughtt obeawar e, I
cannotseewhyt hepr incipleofDonoghuevSt evenson
•
382
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
shoul
dnotappl
ytot
hem.
"
Andatpp.379and380: "Itis,howev er
,arguedt hati
tis
notfightt hatar epairerwho,asi nt hepr esentcase,
hasst i
pulatedwi ththeper sonwhoempl oyshimt hat
heshal lnotbel iabl
ef oracci dent s,shouldnonet he
l
essbemadel iabletoat hirdper son.Theanswert o
thi
sar gumenti st hatt hedut ytot het hirdpar t
ydoes
notariseoutoft hecont r
act ,butindependent lyofit
.It
i
s,f ori nstance,a common t hi
ng nowaday sf ora
garagepr opriet
ort ostipul atethatcust omer s'carsare
dri
venbyhi m onlyatthe
•
383
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
soler isk oft he cust omer .Buti f,whi le dr iv ing a
cust omer '
scar ,her unsi nt oandi njur esapedest rian, the
cont racthehasmadewoul daf fordnoanswert ot he
l
at ter's cl aim. To hol d t he r epai rer l iabl ei n t he
circumst ancesoft hepr esentcase,. innowayenl arges
the l iabili
ty ofa cont ract ororr epai rerwho,bei ng
empl oy edt odocer t
ainwor k, doesi tpr oper lyandhands
i
tov ert otheper sonwhoempl oy edhi m.I fadangerbe
ther ebycr eat ed, i
tisfort heempl oy ert oguar dagai nsti t.
Fori nst ance, anownerofpr oper tyengagesacont ractor
toer ectanobst ructionacr ossadr iveorpr iv at er oad
wher enonehasbef or eexi sted.Hedoeswhathei s
empl oy edt odoexact lyi nt hewayhi sempl oy erdesi res.
Nextdayat r adesmanappr oachi ngt hehousei nt hedar k
runsi ntot heunexpect edobst ruct i
onandi si nj ur ed.He
woul dhav enocl ai
m agai nstt hecont ract or,becausei t
i
st heempl oy erwhocr eat edt hedangerandt hedut yof
guar dingorwar ningagai nsti tl iesonhi m.Tor endert he
cont ract ororr epai rerl) gbl e,t her emustbe,f irst ,awant
ofcar eonhi spar tintheper for manceoft hewor kwhi ch
hewasempl oy edt odo,and,secondl y,ci rcumst ances
whi chshowt hatt heempl oy erwi llbel ef tini gnor anceof
thedangerwhi cht hel ackofcar ehascr eat ed.Suppose
al i
ftr epai r
ert oldt heownert hatapar twaswor noutso
thatwhi l
ehecoul dpat chi tuphecoul dnotl eav ei tina
saf econdi tion.I fhewer et ol dt odot hebesthecoul d,
andanacci dentt henhappened,Icannotconcei v et hat
ther epai rerwoul dbehel dl iabl e.Hehasf ulfilledhi sdut y
bywar ningt heempl oy er ,andi ft hel at ter, i
nspi teoft hat ,
choosest oal lowt hel i
f tt obeused,t hel iabi l
itywi llrest
on hi m.The acci dentwoul d be caused,notbyt he
car elessness oft he r epai rer ,butby t he empl oyer '
s
disregar doft hewar ninggi v ent ohi m.I nt hepr esent
case, thelandl or disnotl iabl et ot hepl aintiffbecausehe
hadar ightt or el yont hewor kandr epor t
soft heexper ts
heempl oyed,andnoexami nat ionoft heirwor kaf ter
compl et i
on wascont empl at ed.I twoul d,Iv ent ur et o
think,beast rangeandunj ustr esul tift hepl aint iffwho
hasbeeni njur eddi rectlybyt hecar elessper for manceof
thewor kist obel eftwi thoutar emedy ."
EvansvTripl
exSafet
yGlassLt
d[193611AllER283
Facts:Theplai
nti
ffboughtacarthewindscr
eenofwhi
chhad
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
beenmanufacturedbythedef
endant
s.Whil
etheplaint
if
fwas
dri
ving t
he caraf t
erabouta yearaf
terits pur
chase,t
he
windscr
eenbrokeint
opi
eces
381•
wit
houtanyf orcebei
ngexertedoni t,result
ingininj
urytosome
ofthepassengersinthecar.
Held:Thedef endant
swer enotl i
ablesi ncetherehadbeenan
opport
unit
yofexami nationbyt heintermediat
esel l
erandther
e
hadbeenal apseoft i
mebet weent hepur chaseoft hevehi
cle
andtheoccurrenceoftheaccident.
PerPor terJatp.286:" I
nt hiscaseIcannotdr aw the
i
nferencet hatt hecauseoft hedisintegrat i
onwast he
fault
ymanuf acture.Iti st r
uet hatt hehumanel ement
mayf ailandt hent hemanuf acturerswoul dbel i
ablefor
negligence oft heirempl oyee,butt hen t hatwasnot
provedi nthiscase.Thedi sintegrat
ionmayhav ebeen
causedbyanyacci dent.Ther ewasev eryoppor tunit
yfor
fai
lureont hepar toft hehumanel ementi nf ast
eningthe
windscr een,andIt hinkt hatthedi sintegrationwasdue
rathert ot hef itt
ing oft hewi ndscreent hant of ault
y
manuf acturehav i
ngr egardt oitsuseont her oadandt he
damagedonet oawi ndscy eeni nthecour seofuser .
"I
nDonoghuevSt ev
ensontherewasasnai li
nt heginger
beerbot t
leandt her
ewasnooppor tunit
yofseeingi tas
you coul d not see thr
ough t he glass.In Gr ant v
Australi
anKnitt
ingMi l
l
sLtdt heart
iclepassedont othe
purchaser and i tis qui
te clear that a reasonable
exami nat
ionofthegarmentwoul dnothav ereveal
edt he
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
presenceofthesul phit
e.Thatcaseisdif
ferentfrom this.
Inthatcasetherewasf oundinsomeoft hegarment san
excessofsulphitesandt hatclear
lywasthecauseoft he
i
njury.Hereareanumberofcauseswhi chmi ghthav e
caused disi
ntegration.Ido notf ind any negligence
provedagainstthedef endantsandIgivethedef endants
j
udgmentwi thcost s."
ULTI
MATECONSUMER
DonoghuevSt
evenson[
19321AC562
Fact
sandHol
ding:
supr
a
Pr
inci
ple:Thedut
yowedbyt hemanuf
act
urerofgoodsi
sowed
t
otheultimat
econsumeroft
hegoods.
PerLor dAtki
natp.595:" Ishouldhavecomet ot he
conclusi
on that,as t he manufact
urers must hav e
contemplat
edt hebottl
ebeinghandledi mmedi atel
yby
theconsumer,theyowedadut ytohimt ot akecarethat
heshouldnotbei nj
uredext
ernal
lybyexplosion,justasI
thi
nkt heyowedadut yto hi
m tot akecar et hathe
should notbe injur
ed int
ernal
ly by poison orot her
noxi
oust hi
ng."
PerLor dMacmi ll
anatp.620:" NowIhav enohesi t
ation
i
naf firmi ngt hataper sonwhof orgainengagesi nt he
businessofmanuf acturi
ngar ti
clesoff oodanddr ink
i
ntendedf orconsumpt i
onbymember soft hepubl i
ci n
thefor mi nwhi chhei ssuest hem isunderadut ytotake
carei nt hemanuf actureoft hesear ti
cles.Thatdut y,in
myopi nion,he owes t ot hose whom he i ntends t o
consume hi s pr oducts. He manuf actures hi s
commodi tiesforhumanconsumpt i
on;hei ntendsand
contempl atesthattheyshal lbeconsumed.Byr easonof
thatv eryf actheplaceshi msel finar el
ationshi pwi thall
thepot entialconsumer sofhi scommodi ties,andt hat
rel
ationshi pwhi chheassumesanddesi resf orhisown
endsi mposesuponhi m adut yt otakecar et oav oid
i
njuringt hem.Heowest hem adut ynott oconv ertbyhi s
owncar elessnessanar ti
clewhi chhei ssuest ot hem as
wholesome and i nnocent i nto an ar ticle whi ch i s
danger oust oli
feandheal th."
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
StennetvHancock[ 193912Al lER518
Facts:Thef i
rstdef endantsenthi scart ot heseconddefendant
to carry outr epairs on t he wheel s.The second def endant
repair
ed itand f ixed thef lange,al bei
tnegl i
gentl
y.When t he
servantofthef i
rstdef endantwasdr i
v i
ngt hecaraft
erfewhour s,
theflangecameof fandr anont hepav ementt ohittheplai
ntiff
whowaswal kingont hepav ement .
Held:The f irstdef endantwas notl iable butthe second
defendantwas l iabl
et ot he plaintif
fundert he pri
ncipl
ei n
DonoghuevSt ev ensonsi nceheknewt hatt hevehi
clewouldbe
usedont heroadandcoul dcausei njuryto
383•
ar
oaduseri
fhewasnegl
i
gent
.
Princi
ple:A manuf act
ureri
sliabletot heulti
mateuserofhi
s
productand a r oad userquali
fies as such ul
ti
mat
e useri
n
respectofvehi
clesusedonther oad.
Andatpp.583and584:" .
..
Ithi
nkitri
ghtt
osayt hat
,if
,
uponthefactsoft
hecase,
ithadappear
edthatHancock
shoul
dr easonabl
y hav
e examined t
he wheelbefore
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
putt
ingitintouse,andhadf ail
edtodoso,t henthere
wouldbeanov usact
usi ntervenienswhichwoul dbreak
thecontinuit
ynecessar yt omakePet ersliablet othe
femaleplaint
iff
.Icannott hi
nk, however,thatitwouldbe
ri
ghttosay( asIhav eal readysai d)thataper sonwho
employsaski l
ledandcompet entrepair
ertor epai
rhis
vehi
cleisomi tt
inganydut ywhi chheowest ohi mselfor
toanybodyel seifhetrustst othatmanhav i
ngdonehi s
work properl
y ,and,inr eliance upon t hat
,t akes the
vehi
cleupont heroad.
"
NO REASONABLE POSSI
BILI
TY OF I
NTERMEDI
ATE
EXAMI
NATION
Dr
ansfi
eldvBr
it
ishI
nsul
atedCabl
e
Lt
d[1937]4Al
lER382
Andatp.388:" Appl yi
ngthosepr inci
plest othiscase,the
manuf acturerswer enoti nt hehabitoft esti
ngt her i
ngs
beforesuppl ying t hem t o purchasers.Theyt ook,and
thoughtt hattheywer er i
ghti nt
aking,achance,whi chis
oneofMrWi lson'sanswer sgi v
ent oMrTuckeri nthe
courseofcr oss- exami nati
on.Theysai d,andIagr ee,that,
withpr opermat eri
alandt hemat eri
alofwhi chthisr i
ng
wasmadewasper fectl
ypr oper andcar ef
ulwor kmen,
therewasr eal
lynodangeri nal
lowingwel dingtogoout
withoutfurthertesting.ButIcannotf indin
thiscaseanyev i
denceofanyst epst akenbyt hem t o
preventt hepur chaserf rom test i
ngbef orer etaili
ngt he
goods, orrequiri
ngot herper sonst ouset hem.I tisnota
casei nwhi cht heuseofi ntermedi atet ests,whet her
successf ulornot ,woul ddef eatt heobj ectoft hesuppl y
.
Testscoul dbeappl i
edwhi ch, ifsuccessf ul,woul dleave
thepr oductperf ectlyfitforuse.Ther ewer e,admi t
tedly,
tests whi ch coul d easi ly hav e been made. The
empl oyeesoft heBour nemout hCor por ati
ondi dnotuse
them,because t hey sai dt hat t hey r eli
ed on t he
manuf acturers,and t hat,ift heypur chased f rom t he
manuf acturersr ings,suchast hesewer e,ofsuf fi
cient
dimensi onst obeart hest r
ai nwhi chwoul dbeputon
them,t heywoul dbeent itl
edt oassumet hatt hegoods
wer eper f
ect.Thecor por ati
onhadanengi neeringst aff,
andt heycer t
ainl yhadsuf fici
entoppor t
uni tyt oappl y
tests of whi ch t hey knew.They had,i nf act,an
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
i
nst rumentcal ledady namo- meter
,actuall
ysuit
abl efor
testingstrainsonmet als.Itwasnott hei
rhabit,before
thisaccident ,touset hisinstrumentf ortesti
ngsuch
things as bul l-
ri
ngs,though i twas used i nf actf or
testingmor ef lexi
blepor ti
onsoft heirsyst
em,butt hey
couldeasi lyandwel l
—Iam usi ngthewor dsofoneof
theirownwi tnesses—hav eusedi tbeforeputti
nganyof
thebul l
-r
ingsi ntouse,andIunder standthattheuseof
suchat estwoul dhavedi sclosedquiteeasi
lywhet heror
nott heweldi ngswerefitforuse.
"It
hereforethi
nkthatthereislacki
ngoneoft hefact ors
whichitisessenti
alfortheplaint
ifftopr oveinor dert o
subst
ant i
atehercase,and,howev ermuchImayr egret
i
t,Imustgi vej
udgmentagainsther .Ithi
nkt hattheonus
ofprooft hatthenecessaryrelati
onexi stsliesonher ,
andIthinkthatshehasfail
edt oprov esuchar el
ation."
Paul
i
nevCol
nev
all
ey[
1938]4Al
l
ER8803
Facts:Theseconddef endantsbuiltki osksthatwer eusedbyt he
fi
rstdefendantasanel ect
ri
calstation.Theki oskswer ej oi
nedby
i
nsulati
ngwi reandoneoft hewi reswasl efthangi ngbyt he
seconddef endant.Awor kmanoft hef i
rstdefendantcamei nt o
contactwiththelivewireandwaski lled.Theexecut ri
xsued.
Held:Sincet herewasampl eoppor tunityfori nspectionbyt he
fi
rstdefendant ,t
heseconddef endantasmanuf acturerswer e
notli
able.Pri
nciple:Amanuf actureri snotliableforinjurycaused
toaconsumeri fther
ewasr easonabl epossi bil
it
yofi ntermediate
i
nspection.
"
Herethesecond def
endant
swerenotempl oyed t
o
i
nst
all
,butonl
ytomakeanddeli
ver
,theki
osk.I
thadin
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
factbeendel i
v eredsomet woy ear sbef or
et heacci dent,
andhadbeenatt hef i
rstdef endant s'premisesev er
since.Thedut yi mposedbyt heFact or yandWor kshop
Act1901wasont hef i
rstdef endant s,andi twasf or
them t osat isfyt hemselvest hatt heki oskcompl iedwi th
thatAct .Thei rengi neersf ixedi t,and, ifnoonet roubled
toseet hati twassaf ef ort hei rment ouse( andt hey
knewbet terthanany oneel secoul dknowt hemet hods
whi chwoul dbeadopt edandt het oolswhi chwoul dbe
used) ,they wer e,in my opi nion,gui lt
y ofa v ery
consi derablebr eachofdut yt ot heirwor kmen.Fort hese
reasons Imusthol dt hatt her e was no pr oximat e
relationshipbet weent heseconddef endantsandt he
deceased,and i n so hol ding Iam suppor t
ed byt he
deci sionofAt kinsonJi nOt t
ovBol ton&Nor ri
s."
AswanEngineer
ingEstabl
ishment
Co.vLupi
dineLtd[1987]1All
ER135
Facts:Thepl ai
ntif
fboughtal i
quidwat erpr
oofmat eri
alfrom the
fi
rst def endant. The mat eri
als wer e put in pl asti
c pai l
s
manuf actur
edbyt heseconddef endaht.Themat er
ialswer esent
toKuwai tandwer el efti nthesun.Thepl ast
iccoll
apsedandt he
mat erialswer elost.Itwasf oundt hatthecoll
apsewasduet o
themanneri nwhi cht hemat eri
alshadbeenpacked.
Held:Theseconddef endantmanuf acturerswerenotl i
ablesince
i
twasnotr easonablyf oreseeablethatthedamaget hatoccurred
woul dhav eoccur r
ed.
Principle:Amanuf actur er'
sdut yextendsonl yt
odamaget hatis
reasonabl yforeseeabl e.
Baxhal
lSecur
it
iesLt
dvShear
d
WalshawPart
nershi
p(af
ir
m)
[
20021
EWCACi v09
Facts:Thepl aint
if
fswer et heoccupi ersofani ndustri
alhouse.
Thedev eloperofthebui l
dingempl oy edthedef endantarchi
tects
todesignt heroofdrainagesy stem.Thesy stem designedbyt he
defendantsandi nstal
leddi dnothav eov erfl
owsandf oll
owinga
heavydownpour ,
theplaint
iff'
spr emiseswer ef l
ooded.
Held:Sincet heabsenceoft heov erfl
owswasappar entand
could hav e been det ected by t he pl ai
nt i
ff by reasonable
examination,thedefendantswer enotl i
able.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Pri
nci
ple:Amanufact
ureri
snotli
abl
eforappar
entdefect
swhi
ch
canbeident
if
iedandremediedbyr
easonabl
eexaminati
on.
PerDav i
dSt eel Jatpar s.45— 48:" Theemphasi si s
accor dingl yondef ectswhi char elatenti nt hesense
thatt heycoul d notbedet ected bysuchr easonabl e
exami nat ionast hedef endantt othecl ai m mi ght,i fhe
hadgi v enanyt houghtt oit,reasonablyant i
cipat ewoul d
be conduct ed.Thi s approach i s conf i
rmed by t he
decisionoft hePr ivyCouncil inGrantvAust raliaKni tting
Mill
s[ 1936]AC85.Atpage105,Lor dWr ightsai das
foll
ows:' Thepr incipleofDonoghue' scasecanonl ybe
appliedwher et hedef ecti
shi ddenandunknownt ot he
consumer ,ot her wiset hedirectnessofcauseandef fect
i
sabsent :themanwhoconsumesorusesat hi ngwhi ch
heknowst obenoxi ouscannotcompl aininr espectof
what ev ermi schi eff oll
ows,becausei tf oll
owsf r
om hi s
ownconsci ousv oli
tioninchoosi ngt oi ncurt her iskor
certainty of mi schance. Ift he foregoi ng ar et he
essent ialf eat uresofDonoghue' scase,t heyar ealsot o
bef ound,i nt heirLor dshi
ps'j udgment ,int hepr esent
case.Thepr esenceoft hedel eteri
ouschemi cali nt he
partsduet onegl i
gencei nmanuf acture,wasahi dden
andl atentf eat ure,justasmuchaswer et her emai nsof
thesnai lint heopaquebot tle:itcouldnotbedet ect ed
byanyexami nat i
ont hatcouldr easonabl ybemade. '
"Theconceptofal at
entdef ecti snotadi f
f i
cultone.I t
meansaconceal edf l
aw.Whati saf law?I ti st heact ual
def ecti nt he wor kmanshi p ordesi gn,nott he danger
present edbyt hedef ect.(Agoodexampl eoft hedi st inction
i
scont ainedi nNi t
riginEir eannTeor ant avI ncoAl loy sLt d
[1992]1WLR498)Towhatext entmusti tbehi dden?I nmy
j
udgment ,itmustbeadef ectthatwoul dnotbedi scov ered
followi ngt henat ureofi nspectiont hatt hedef endantmi ght
reasonabl yant i
cipatet he ar ti
cle woul d be subj ect ed t o.
Ther ei s,accor dingly,a quest ion her e ofdegr ee.The
consumerofaf i
zzydr i
nkwi l
lnot,inthenor mal cour se, bring
i
nanexper tt oi
nspectt hegoodshepur chased.I nmar ked
cont rast ,thebuy erofabui l
dingal mosti nvariablywoul d.
Cer tainlyi nt hecommer cialcont ext
,adef ectwoul dnotbe
l
at enti fithadbeenr easonabl ydi scoverablebyt hecl aimant
witht hebenef i
tofsuchski lledthirdpartyadv iceashemi ght
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
beexpect edtor et
ain.Thecl assi
cdefini
tionoflatentdefect
i
nt hef ieldofcar r
iageofgoodsbyseai st hatcontai
nedi n
RiverstoneMeatPO!Lt dvLancashi r
eShi ppingCompanyLt d
[1961]AC807,perLor dKei thofAv onholm atpage871:' He
willbepr otectedagainstlatentdefects,i
nt hestri
ctsense,in
wor kdoneonhi sship,thatist osay,def
ect snotduet oany
negligentwor kmanshi pofr epair
ersorot hersempl oyedby
ther epairersand,asIseei t
,againstdef ect
smaki ngf or
unseawor thi
ness int he shi p,howev ercaused,bef orei t
becamehi sshi p,i
fthesecoul dnotbediscov er
edbyhi m, Of
compet entexperts
393.
.
employedbyhi
m,byt heexerci
seofduedi
l
igence.
'(A si
mil
arapproachi
s
adoptedint
heinsur
ancefi
eld:seeTheCar
ibbeanSea [1981]Ll
oydsRep
338.
)"
"Therewasar easonableopport
unit
yofi
nspecti
ngt hebuil
ding
beforetheclai
mant stookalease.I
twoul
dbenor malprocedure
foranyi ncomi
ngt enanttohav ethebui
l
dinginspectedbyt he
surveyor,and thatis whattheydid.Al
though the cl
aimants
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
receiv ed war nings f rom bot ht he sur vey ors and f rom Mr
Meikl ejohnofadanger ,t heywer enott oldwhatwast hepr eci se
problem.Thesur v ey orscoul d,andi nmyv iewshoul d,hav et old
thecl ai mant st hatt her ewer enoov er flows,andt hatov er
flows
shoul dbepr ov ided.Thecostofov er flowswasv er ysmal landi f
thecl aimant shadbeenadv isedt oi nst allt hem t henIcannot
thi
nkt hatt heywoul dhav ef ail
edt odoso.I fLamber tSmi th
Hampt onhadbeenmor eassi duousi nt heper formanceoft heir
duties,t hecl aimant swoul dhav ebeenexpr essl ywar nedoft he
absenceofov erflowsandt hef loodswoul dnothav eoccur red.
Towhatext enti st hecl aimant s'cl ai m af fect edbyt heact sof
thei
rpr of essi onaladv iser s?Ar et heyent i
tledt o say ,ast hey
mighti nr esponset oadef enceofcont ribut or ynegl i
gence,t hat
theyt ookski lledadv iceandar eent itledt or elyont hatadv ice?I
donott hinkt hatt hati st her i
ghtappr oach.
"Idonott hi nkt hati ti sf airj ustOfr easonabl et hatt he
ext entoft hel iabi l
ityoft hedef endant sshoul ddepend
on t he assi dui tyoft he sur v
ey or si nst ruct ed byt he
clai mant s. The cl ai mant s had t he oppor tuni t
yt o
discov er t he absence of ov er flows by r easonabl e
inspect i
on by pr of essi onal adv iser s who mi ght
reasonabl ybeexpect edt obei nst ruct ed:whet hert hat
reasonabl eoppor t
uni tyi nf actr ev ealedt hedef ecti s
irrelev ant .Becauset her ewasar easonabl eoppor t
uni t
y
toi nspect ,t he def endant s wer e noti n a pr oximat e
relat ionshi pt ot hecl ai mant ssof arasconcer nsdef ects
whi chcoul dhav ebeendi scov er edbyt hati nspect i
on,
namel y ,t he absence ofov erflows.ButIr epeatmy
pr ev ious f i
ndi ng t hatnei thert he cl aimant s nort heir
sur v ey ors coul d r easonabl y be expect ed t o hav e
discov eredt heunder desi gnoft hedr ainagesy stem. "In
myj udgmentt he j udge' s anal ysi si s cor r
ect .Act ual
knowl edgeoft hedef ect,oral t er nat i
v elyar easonabl e
oppor tunityf ori nspect iont hatwoul dunear tht hedef ect,
wi llusual lynegat ivet hedut yofcar eoratl eastbr eak
thechai nofcausat i
onunl ess( asi snotsuggest edint he
pr esentcase)i ti sr easonabl ef ort hecl aimantnott o
remov et hedangerposedbyt hedef ectandt or unt he
riskofi njur y:seeTar get /vTomaenBC[ 1992]3Al lER
27perSi rDonal dNi chol l
sV- Cat
p.
37.
"
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
WANTOFREASONABLECARE
DonoghuevSt
evenson(
supr
a)
Fact
sandHol
ding:
supr
a
PerLor dMacmi ll
anatp.619:" Todescendf rom these
generali
ti
estot hecircumst ancesoft hepresentcase,I
do nott hi
nkt hatanyr easonabl emanoranyt welve
reasonable men woul d hesi tat
et o holdt hat,ift he
appell
antest abli
shes heral legati
ons,t he respondent
has exhibit
ed car el
essness i nt he conduct of hi s
business.Foramanuf acturerofaer at
edwat ert ostore
hisempt ybottl
esinapl acewher esnail
scangetaccess
tot hem,and t of i
l
lhi s bot tl
es withoutt aking any
adequate precauti
ons by i nspection orot herwise to
ensurethat
395•
•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
they contai
n no deleter
ious for
eign mat t
er, may
reasonabl
ybechar act
eri
zed ascarelessnesswit
hout
applyi
ngtooexact
ingastandar
d."
GrantvAust
ral
i
anKni
tt
ingMil
ls
(supr
a)Fact
sandHol
ding:
supra
PerWr ightJatp.105:" I
nDonoghue' scaset hething
wasdanger ousinf act
,thoughthedangerwashi dden,
andt het hingwasdanger ousonlybecauseofwantof
carei nmaki ngit
;asLor dAtkinpoint
soutinDonoghue' s
case, t he di sti
nct i
on bet ween t hi
ngs i nher
ent l
y
danger ous and t hings only dangerous because of
negligentmanuf acturecannotberegardedassignif
icant
forthepur poseofthequest ionsherei
nvolv
ed."
PerDj
abanorJatpp.245and246:" Iam sat
isf
iedfr
om
whatIhav e seen and hear
dint hi
s case thatthe
def
endant
s'plantist he bestpossibl
e pl
ant.Iam
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
sati
sf i
edt hatnopossi bleat tackcanbemadeont hei r
i
mpl ement s,theirmachi neryOft hegener alwayi nwhi ch
thei
rbusi nessi scar riedon;andi ndeedt hisisav er y
substantialandmoder nplaceofbusi ness.Thewhol e
system ofwor kshoul dreallybedescr ibedasf ool-
proof ,
butf orthef act,asadmi t
tedbyMr .Hor stmanhi msel f,
thatwhen t hese machi nes and pr ocesses ar e being
operatedbyhumanbei ngsonecannotbeal way scertain.
Howev er
,thedef endantsar esay ingf ollowingt hecase
ofDani el
sandDani el
sv .R.Whi te&Sons,Lt d.
,3thatby
adopt i
ngaf ool-
pr oofpr ocessandbycar ryingoutt hat
processunderpr opersuper vision,theyhad
•
•396
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Andatp.247:i nt hi
scaseIhav efoundt hatt henutwasi nthe
beerwhent hepl aintiffdr anki t
.Ihav ebeent ol dandhav eseen
theup- to- dat emachi ner yand pr ocesst hatt hedef endant s
havei nt hei rfact or yf orbr ewi ngandbot tl
ingt hei
rbeert o
preventt hi ngsl i
keanutf rom ent eri
ngorr emai ni
ngi nt he
bott
lesofbeert hatt heysel loutt ot heircust omer s.Allthat
showst hati fallthewor kmendi dt hewor kt hatwasexpect ed
ofthem t henutshoul dnev erhav er emai nedi nthebot t
le.
Somebodyi nthedef endant s'empl oy mentf ailedt odohi sdut y
onthisoccasi onandal lowedt hebeerwi tht henuti nittopass
outoft hef actory .Inmyv iew( aswast hev iewofLor dDunedi n
i
nBal lardvNor thBr it
ishRai l
wayCo.( supra) )t hedef endant s
hadt oshow how t henutcoul dhav egoti ntot hebot tl
eand
remainedt here,inspi teoft heirsy stem ofwor k,ifsomebody
hadnotbeennegl i
gent .Itismyv i
ewt hattheyf ai l
edtodot hat.
Iti
smyf urtherv i
ewt her eforet hatthepl aintiffhaspr ovedthat
thenutwasi nt hebeerwhenhedr anki t
,andt hatitcouldnot
havebeent her eift hedef endant swer enotnegl igent.
"
397•
•
i
nthemanuf
act
ureofhi
spr
oduct
.
Ov erseasBr eweri
esvAcheampong[ 1973]1GLR421
Fact sasabov e.Onanappealt ot heCour tofAppeal:Thedef endants
arguedt hatsincethetri
aljudgef oundt heirsyst
em tobeofv eryhigh
standar d,therewasnonegl i
genceont heirpart
.
Hel d:The f actthatt he def endants had a f ool
proofsy stem of
manuf acturedidnotnegati
venegl igence.
Principle:Once a pl ai
nti
ffpr oves wantofr easonable care byt he
presenceofanext ernalmat eri
alinthepr oduct,i
tisnotadef encet hat
thedef endanthad af ool
pr oofsy stem orav eryhigh standar d of
oper ati
ons.
ofl
awcanbedi
scov
ered
u398
withoutdi ffi
cultyf rom al ltheot hercases:Chapr oni
erevMason
(supr a),Gr ants'case ( supra),Lockhar tv Bar r( supra),Mason v
Will
iams( supra)(toci teaf ew)namel y,thedut yofcar eexact edby
thedoct rineinDonoghuevSt evenson( supr a)i snotf ul
fil
ledbya
manuf acturerwhosucceedsi ndemonst ratingt hathehasaf ool-proof
system ofmanuf acture.Not withst anding hi sf ool-
proofsy stem,
negligencewi llbei nferredagai nsthi m unl esst her ei sev i
dencet hat
thedef ectinthemanuf act uredar ticlewaspr obabl yduet ocausesf or
whichhecannotbehel dr esponsi ble.Seef ori nst anceEv ansv .Tr i
plex
(supr a)wher et hemanuf act
urer ssuccessf ull
ypr ovedot herpr obabl e
causesf orwhi cht heycoul dnothav ebeenr esponsi ble.Inthepr esent
appeal ,theappel l
ant scannotr elyont heirfool -pr oofsy stem al onet o
escaper esponsi bil
itybecauset herewasnoev i
dencebef oret hecour t
belowast ohowt heker osenegotormi ghthav egoti ntot hebot tl
ed
beer .Itwasnott hedut yoft her espondentt opr ov ehowi tgoti ntot he
beer .Itwasr athert her esponsi bil
ityoft heappel l
ant stoexpl aint hat
theker osenemi ghthav egoti nt ot hebeerwi thoutanynegl igenceon
theirpar t.Thist heyf ailedt odoandont hepr inciplei nGr ants'case
(supr a),negligencemustbef oundasamat t erofi nference.The
l
ear nedt r
ialjudgewast herefor er i
ghti nf indi ngnegl igenceagai nst
theappel l
ants."
Tay
lorvRov
ercarco.[
1966]2Al
lER181;
[196611WLR1491
Facts:Thef irstdefendantgott heseconddef endantt omanuf acturea
chisel for t hem. The chi sel was manuf actured accor ding t o
specif
ications pr ov i
ded by t he f irst def endant f rom al loy st eel
purchasedf r
om t het hirdparty.Thet hirdpar t
yal soheat -
treat edt he
steelfortheseconddef endant.Thepl aint
if
f ,anempl oyeeoft hef i
rst
defendantsuf feredani njurytoaney ewhenheusedt hechiselduet oa
defectinthechi sel causedbyt heheat -
treatmentbyt het hi
rdpar ty.
Held:Sincet heseconddef endantempl oyedacompet enthardenert o
hardent hest eeltheyhaddi schargedt hedut yofcar eplacedont hem
andwast husnotl iable.
Princi
ple:Amanuf acturerisnotl iablei fheexer cisesduecar ei nt he
manuf actureofhi spr oduct.
PerBakerJ atp.186:"
Itseems t
o me t hatthe l
ogi
cal
concl
usi
onmustbet
hataf
ashi
onerOffabr
icator
,suchast
he
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
seconddef
endant
s,whoi
snotpr
ovedt
ohav
ebeengui
l
tyof
399•
anybr eachofdut yornegl i
gencei nt hef ashioningofagui lty
tool,can onl ybe l i
ablei fthe maxi m r espondeatsuper i
or
applies.Whyshoul dhi sliabil
ity,howev er ,bedi f
ferentf r
om
thatoft heempl oyerwho,i fonef ollowsLor dMor ton,asI
respectfull
ydo,isclearlynotl i
ablef orhi sagent 'snegl i
gence?
Apassagehasbeenci t
edf rom Char /eswor t
honNegl i
gence
(4thEdn) ,para797:' Amanuf acturer'sdut yisnotlimi tedt o
thosepar tsofhispr oductwhi chhemakeshi mself.I
text ends
to componentpar t
s,suppl i
ed byhi ssub- manufact urersor
others,whi chheusesi nthemanuf actureofhi sownpr oduct s.
Hemustt akereasonablecar e,byi nspect ionorot herwi se,to
seet hatthosepar t
scanpr operlybeusedt oputhispr oducti n
acondi ti
oni nwhichi tcanbesaf elyusedorconsumedi nt he
contempl atedmannerbyt heul ti
mat euserorconsumer .'
HolmesvAshf ord
Fact s:Theseconddefendantwast hemanuf act
urerofahairdyewi t
ha
l
abelandabr ochurewarningt hati tmightbedanger oust ocer t
ain
skinsandr ecommendedat estbef or
ei t
suse.Thef ir
stdef endant
hairdresserusedthedyeont hepl aint
if
fwithoutanytestorwarningt o
thepl ai
nti
ffandtheplai
nti
ffcontracteddermat i
ti
s.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Held:Si
ncet
heseconddefendanthadt
akenr
easonabl
ecar
etowar
n
usersoft
hedanger
s,i
twasnotli
abl
e.
•
400
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Principl
e:Amanufactur
erwhoput sadangerousar t
icl
eont he
mar ketmusttake reasonabl
e st
eps to pr
ev entanyper son
comi ngint
ocontactwithitfr
om beinginj
uredal t
houghsuch
steps may notbe di rect
ed dir
ect
lytowar ds the ult
imate
consumer .
"Ihavenotfounditnecessar
ytorefertothebrochure,
and the label
s on the bottl
es,because the fir
st
defendantsai
dthathehadr eadthem andunderstood
them.It hi
nktheyindicat
esuffi
cient
lytoanyper son
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
401z•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
KubachvHol
l
ands[
193713Al
lER
907
Fact s:Thet eacheroft hepl ai
nt i
ffboughtf rom t heseconddef endant
chemi cal smanuf act uredbyat hir
dpar tyf ormaki ngcompoundsi n
thechemi str ylabor ator y.Thet eacherwassuppl i
edwi thami xtureof
antimonysul phi deandmanganesedi oxidewhi chwasl abel
ledas
manganesedi oxide.Thet woar eindistingui shabl et ot heey e.-The
chemi calwasheat edwi thpot assium chl oratef ort hepur poseof
maki ngoxy gen,i texpl odedduet ot hepr esenceoft heant i
mony
sulphi de.Whent heseconddef endantpur chasedt hesubst ancef rom
thet hirdpar ty, i
twassol abell
edasmanganesedi oxi dewi thanot ice
whichr eadasf ol l
ows:" Theabov egoodsar eaccur ateasdescr i
bed
onl eav ingourwor ksbutt heymustbeexami nedandt estedbyuser
befor euse.Theabov egoodsar enoti nv oicedassui tableforany
purposebutt heyar eoft henat ureandqual itydescr i
bed."Not ests
wer ecar riedoutandt heseconddef endantdi dnotwar nt heteacher
aboutt hedanger s.
Held:Si ncet het hirdpar t
yt ookst epst owar nt heuser sandt he
seconddef endanthadf ailedt oexami net hepr oductal thoughi thad
ampl et imet osodo, thet hir
dpar ti
eswer enotl iable.
Pri
nci pl e:Amanuf act ureri snotl iablei fheexer cisest heduecar e
expect edofhi mi nwar ningconsumer saboutt hedanger sint he
art
icle.
warni
ngcont
ainedont
hei
nvoi
cewi
thwhi
cht
heyhadr
ecei
ved
t
hepowder.
"
Dani
elsandDani
elsvWhi
te[
193814
Al
lER258
Facts:Ahusbandpur chasedabot tleofl emonademanuf acturedby
the f i
rstdef endantf rom t he second def endant .The lemonade
contai ned38gr ainsofcar bolicaci dandt hehusbandandhi swi fe
sustainedi nj
ur i
esaf t
erconsumi ngthecont ent
.Itwasf oundasaf act
thatt hef irstdef endantadopt edaf oolproofsy stem ofmanuf acture
andhadt akenr easonabl ecaret oensur ethatnodef ectwascaused
byadopt ingapr opersuper vi
sionsy stem.
Held:Si ncet hef i
rstdefendantshadt akenr easonablecar etoensur e
that t hepr oductwasf reef r
om def ectandnoi njurywascausedt oa
consumer ,theywer enotliabl
e.
Principle:Thedut yowedbyamanuf acturertoaconsumeri snott o
ensur et hatthegoodsar eper f
ectbutt ot akereasonabl ecarethatno
i
njuryi scausedt otheconsumer .
HisLordship[descri
best hemet hodofcl eaningthebottl
es
andfil
l
ingthem upwi t
ht hel emonadeandcont inuesatpp.
262and263asf ol
lows]:"Thatmet hodhasbeendescr ibed
asfool
-proof,anditseemst omeal i
tt
ledif
ficul
ttosaythat,
i
fpeoplesuppl yaf ool-
pr oofmet hodofcl eani
ng,washing
andfi
ll
ingbot t
les,t
heyhav enott akenallr
easonablecar
et o
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
preventdef ectsint heircommodi t
y.Theonlywayi nwhi chit
mightbesai dt hatthef ool-pr
oofmachinewasnotsuf fi
cient
wasi fitcoul dbeshownt hatthepeoplewhower eworkingit
weresoi ncompet entt hatt heydidnotgi vet hefoolproof
machi neachance.I tispoi ntedoutquit
er i
ght
lybyMrBusse
thatthequest i
onofsuper vi
sioncomesi n.Ify ouhav e16
gir
lsdoi ngt hisprocesswi thnosupervisi
onoft hei
rwor k,of
courseal lkindsof .
ccident smayhappen.Abot tlemaygett o
thefil
lerwi t
houtev erhav ingbeenwashedatal l.Agirl
may
403•
"
Ihe
upsetabot t
lejustafterithasbeenf il
led.Shefinds,l
etus
say ,thattwot easpoonf ul
soft heliquidhav ebeenpoured
out .Shehast of i
lli
tupf r
om somewher e,soshewal ks
alongt ot het r
olleywher ethedirtybot t
leshavebeenput ,
picksup t he fi
rstbot t
le she seest here,and poursthe
cont entsintot hel emonade.Ofcour se,thatwoul dbea
rathercur i
oust hingf oranyonet odo,buti ti
sapossi ble
thingt ohappeni fther
eisnosuper visi
oni nthi
sprocess.
"1am sat i
sfiedi nt hiscaset hatt hereissuper vision.Ihave
hadcal ledbef oremet hewor ksmanagerwhohaschar geof
allt hreef actor i
es.Thatmeans,ofcour se,thathei snotat
onef actorythewhol etime, buthehasdescr i
bedt omewhat
takespl acei nt hispar ti
cularfactory,andIam sat i
sfi
edthat
ther eisqui teadequat esuper vi
sion.Ev eni ft
het ruev i
ewbe
thatt her ewasher eacasef ort hedef endant stoanswer ,I
am qui tesat isfi
edt hattheyhav eanswer edit,andt hatthe
plaintiffs,asar esul t
,hav eent irel
yf ailedt opr ovet omy
satisfact i
ont hatt hedef endantcompanywer egui l
tyofa
breachoft hei rdutyt owar dst hepl ai
ntiffs— namel y,aduty
tot aker easonabl ecar et o seet hatt her eshoul d beno
def ectwhi chmi ghti njur
et hepl ai
ntif
fs.Fort hatr eason,I
thinkt hatt hepl ainti
ffs'claim agai nstt hef ir
stdef endant
s
fail
s. "
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Hil
lvJamesCr
owe[
1978]1Al
lER
812
Fact s:Thepl ai
ntif
fwasst andingonawoodencasemanuf acturedby
thedef endantt oloadhisl orr
ywhent hecasecol l
apsedcausi nghim
i
njur i
es.Thecol lapseofthecasewasduet oi nsuffi
cientnail
ing.The
plainti
ffsuedandt hedefendantar guedthathehadhi ghst andardsof
wor kmanshi pandsuper visionandt hushadbr eachednodut y.
Held:Si ncet hepl ai
nti
ff
'sinjurywasaf or
eseeabl econsequenceof
thenegl igentmanuf act
urebyt hedef endant,hewasl i
able.
Principle:Iti
snodef encet oallegethatamanuf acturerhasagood
system ofwor kandsuper visi
onort hatthesy stem isfoolproof.
PerMackennaJatpp.815and816:" I
nspi t
eofMrCr owe'
s
evidence,If ind thatthe acci denthappened whi lethe
plainti
ffwasst andingont hepackingcasewhi chCrowehad
made;t hatitwascausedbyt heendcav i
ngin;andt hatit
cav edinbecausei thadbeenv erybadl
ynai l
ed.Ifthecase
canbebr oughtwi thi
nther ul
ei nDonoghuevSt evenson,
l
iabi l
i
tyisest abl
ished.Ithinki
tcan.I tresemblesacasei n
theCour tofAppeal i
nwhichI
"
Counself
orCr
ower
eli
edonDani
elsandDani
elsvRWhi
te&
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
SonsLt dandTar bar d.Thepl ai
ntiffi
nthatcasehadboughtata
publi
chouseaseal edbot t
leofl emonademadebyt hedef endant
manuf acturersandsol dbyt hem t othepubl i
chouse.Thebot t
le
contained,inaddi tiont othel emonade,aquant it
yofcar bol
ic
acidwhi chi twascont endedhadcausedi nj
uryt ot hepl ainti
ff,
who sued t he manuf act ur
ers. Hi s act ion f ailed. The
manuf acturerssatisfiedLewi sJ,t hetri
aljudge,t hatt heyhada
goodsy stem ofwor kint heirfactoryandpr ov i
dedadequat e
supervision.Hesai d( [
1938]4Al lER258at263) :'1am qui te
sati
sfied,howev er,ont heev idencebef oreme,t hatt hewor kof
thi
sf actoryiscarri
edonunderpr opersuper vi
sion,and, t herefore,
thattherehasbeennof ai
l
ur eoft hedutyowedbyt hedef endant
companyt otheplaint i
ff
s.'
"
Wit
hr espect,Idonott hinkthatthi
swasasuf fi
cientreasonf or
dismi ssi
ngthecl ai
m.Themanuf actur
er'sli
abil
i
tyi nnegli
gence
didnotdependonpr oofthathehadei t
herabadsy stem ofwor k
ort hathi s superv
ision was i
nadequat e.He mi ghtalso be
vicari
ouslyli
ableforthenegli
genceofhiswor kmeni nthecourse
oft heiremployment.Iftheplai
nti
ff'
sinjuri
eswer ear easonably
foreseeableconsequenceofsuchnegl i
gence,the
405•
•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
manuf act
urer'
s liabi
li
ty would be est abli
shed under
DonoghuevSt evenson.Daniel
sandDani elsvRWhi t
e&
SonsLt dandTar bardhasbeencr it
ici
sed,Ithi
nkjustl
y,in
Char/esworthonNegl i
genceandIdonotpr oposetofoll
ow
i
t.IholdCrowel i
ableinnegl
igence.
"
Di
vyavToy
oTi
reandRubberCo.Lt
d
[
20111EWHC1993
Fact s:Thef ir
stdef endantwasamanuf actureroftyres.Thesecond
defendantwas dr ivi
ng a carwi tht yr
es manuf actured by the
defendantwhent her earoffsi
det yr
eblewoutanddef l
atedcausing
thev ehiclet o summer saultbef or
ecol lidi
ng withabar r
ier
.The
plaintiff
swhower epassenger si nthecarsuedt hedef endants
all
egi ngt hatt heacci dentwasduet othenegl igentmanuf actureof
thet yrebyt hefi
rstdef endant.
Held:Ont heev i
dence,t heaccidentwasduet ot hei ncomplete
bondi ngoft hest eelcordsint hetyr
eduet oinadequat epenetrat
ion
andt hust hedef endantwasl i
able
Princi pl
e:Amanuf actureristoexer ci
set hehighestl evelofcarein
themanuf actureofhi sproductsoast oav oi
di nj
urytoconsumer s.
•
•406
manuf acturi
ngpr ocess,t hroughwhi chtheev idencehas
takenmei nexactdet ail
,themechani sedprocedureshav e
fail
edt ocov erandpenet ratet hesecordsfull
ywi thrubber
and/ ortocur ethegreent yrepr oper
ly,andthehumansi de
oft heprocesshasf ailedt odet ectsuchfail
ureorf ai
lur
es.
Ther esultisthatthety r
ef ellbelowthehighst andardthat
Toy osetitselfandthatt heenduser sofitsproductswer e
foreseeablyentitl
edtoexpect .
[
72]"Ither
efor
econcludethatthisacci
dentwascausedby
thenegli
genceoftheFir
stDef endantToyo,andacqui
tthe
SecondDefendantofnegl
igenceentir
ely
."
Car rol
l vFearon( 1998)Ti mes, 26Januar y
Fact s:Thef ir
stdef endantwasdr ivi
ngacaront hemot or waywhen
i
twentoutofcont rolandcol l
idedhead- onwi t
ht heplai ntiff
'scar.
Theacci dentwast her esultofasuddenandcompl etet hreadst ri
p
ofar eart yr
emanuf act ur
edbyt heseconddef endant.Thepl ainti
ff
sued i n negl i
gence and t he second def endantar gued t hatthe
plainti
ffmustpr ovet heexactactorbywhom i twasnegl i
gentl
y
done.
Held: Si nce t he pl aint
iff est ablished t hat the pr ocess of
manuf acturewasdef ecti
v eandt hatr esultedint heacci dent,he
mustsucceedwi t
houtpr ovingt hepar ti
cularnegl i
gentactort he
personwhosenegl i
gencer esul
tedi nt hedef ect.
Principle:Ev i
denceest abl
ishingt hatt hepr ocessofmanuf act ur
eis
defect i
vei s enough t o establi
sh l iabil
it
y wi thoutpr oofoft he
particularactori ndivi
dual asbei ngr esponsi bleforthedef ect .
PerJudgeLJ:" I
nanappr opri
atepr
oductli
abili
tycasethe
parti
cularindiv
idualresponsibl
efort he defectint he
productneednotbei dentifi
ednorneedthepar ti
cul
aract
ofnegli
gencebespecified.Theconceptoft
hedut yofcare
andt heproblemsassociatedwithi
thadledt heHouseof
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Lords on numer ous occasi ons to considert he proper
ambi t and dev elopment of t he l aw of negl i
gence.
Ulti
mat el
y,however ,i
nthevastmaj ori
tyofcases,ofwhi ch
thi
swasone, negligenceremai nedaquest ionoffacttobe
decidedintheli
ghtoft heav ai
lableev i
dence.Thetyreburst
manyy earsafteri thad leftt hef actor
yand had been
regular
lyused.It
sf ail
uremighthav er esul
tedfrom anyone
of a number of possi ble causes.But once i t was
establi
shed thatt he tyr
e di sint
egrated because ofan
i
dent i
fi
edfaulti
nt hecourseof
407r
•
i
tsmanufact
urethej
udgehadtodecidewhethert
hatf
aul
t
wast
heresul
tofnegl
i
genceatDunl
op'
sfact
ory
.
PREPARATI
ONORPUTTI
NGUP
Andr
ewsvHopki
nson[
1957]1QB229
Facts:The plai
nti
ff purchased a car under a hi r
e-pur
chase
agreementfr
om t
hedef endantcardeal
er.Thedefendantwarr
anted
thatthecarwasingoodcondi ti
on.Thecarinfacthadadef ecti
ve
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
steeri
ngandt heplaintiffwasi nv olvedinanacci dentowingt ot he
defecti
vest eer i
ng,causi nghimi njur i
es.Thedef ectint hesteer i
ng
couldnotbedi scover edbyanor dinarydr i
verorownerbutcoul d
hav ebeeneasi l
ydiscov eredbyamechani c.Thedef endanthadno
reasont oant ici
patet hatt heplaintiffwoul dhavet hecarexami ned
byamechani c.
Held:Sincet hedef endantputi nci rculat
ionacart hatwasdef ect iv
e
withnor easonabl eant icipati
ont hatt hecust omerwoul dexami nei t
beforeuse,hewasl i
abl e.
Princi
ple:A per sonwhoput si ntoci rculati
onadanger ousar ticl
e
withnor easonabl eexpect ati
onofi tbeingexami nedbyacust omer
putsuporpr eparest hear t
icl
efort hepur posesoft herule.
PerMcNai
rJatpp.236and237:
"In
Her
scht
a/vStewart&
409•
hadbeencarr
iedout.Thedefendanti
saccor
dingl
yal
sol
i
abl
e
fornegl
i
gencefort
helikedamages."
PerSt
abl
eJatp.182:"
Itseemst
omet
hatoner
easonwhy
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
carelessnesspl usi njuryisi nsuf f
ici
entandt hel aw demandsa
dutyaswel list hat,wher eamanuf acturermanuf actur esan
arti
cle, and, itmaybe, mont hsory earsaf t
er war ds,thatar ti
cle,by
reasonoft hecar elessmanuf acture,
doeshar mt ot heconsumer ,
i
tisext raordi naril
ydi ffi
culttoputone' sfingeront het or
tiousact
ofwhi cht hepl aintiffinsuchanact i
onwoul dcompl ain.The
sell
ingoft hear t
iclei snott heactoft hemanuf acturerort he
agent .Thear t
iclei tselfhasceasedt obet hepr opertyoft he
manuf actur er,orunderhi scont r
ol,and,becauseoft hat ,that
maywel lbet hef oundation oft heundoubt ed pr inci
plet hat
,
wher et hemanuf acturerhaspar tedwi thhispr oper tyandputi tin
cir
cul ation al lov ert he wor l
d, unl ess the consumerwho i s
ult
imat el yhar medbysomet hingwhi cht hemanuf actur erhas
negligent lydonecanest ablisht hespeci alr elati
onshi pwi ththe
manuf actur er,then,undert hel aw oft hiscount ry,noact i
onf or
tortwi l
l l
ie."
Atpp.182and183: "
IfOgeeLt d,hadbeent hemanuf act urers,
Ishoul dhav ehel dwi thoutdi fficultyher et hat ,
byt his
adv erti
sementwhi chWat sonsaw( i
tisunnecessar yt o
consi derwhatwoul dhav ebeent hecasei fhehadnotseeni t,
ori ft hecont ent shadnotbeeni mpar tedbysomeonewhohad,
f
or , inthi
scase, hesawt headv ertisement ), anduponwhi ch
her eli
ed,OgeeLt d,i
ftheyhadbeent hemanuf acturers, of
t
hei rownaccor dwoul dhav ebr oughtt hemsel vesi ntodi rect
r
el ationshipwi tht heconsumer .I tissai dt hather e, al
though
themanuf acturer swoul dowesuchadut y ,thedi st ri
but ors,
bei ngdi stri
but or sandnotmanuf act urers, areabsol ved.I t
seemst omet hatt hatst at ementmustbequal i
fied.The
numberofcasesi nwhi chadi stri
but orwoul doweadut ymust ,
It hink, becompar ativ
elyf ew.Asi thasbeensai d,dutyi snot
dut yi ntheabst ract .Onedoesnothav et osear chf ort hedut y
inv acuo, butonehast ol ookatt hef act sanddeci dewhet her
ornott helawat tachesadut youtoft hosef act s,ort ot hose
fact s.Thei niti
al torti
ousactorcar elessact —car elessness
woul dbebet ter—wast heput t
ingoft he10percentsol ut i
on
intothel otion, andf ort hatt hedi st ri
butor swer enot
r
esponsi ble.Themanuf act urerswer enott hei ragent s.They
hadnodi r
ectcont rolovert hemanuf acturer s, andIhav et o
askmy sel
fwhet her , i
nlaw, asbet weent hisconsumerandt hi
s
dist ributor,hav ingr egar dt oal ltheci r
cumst ancesoft hecase,
ther eisadut y .Itisext remel ydi ffi
cul ttoar ri
v eatal egal
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
decisionwi t
houtsomegui danceast ot hesortoft estone
appl i
esast owhet herOfnott hereisadut y.IthinkIam
thr ownbackont hewor dsofLor dThanker toninM' A/ister(or
Donoghue)vSt ev enson.Idonott hinkthatitmat t
er swhet her
themani samanuf act urerorwhet herhei sadistributor.It
seemst omet obet hesamei nthecaseofaper sont hrough
whosehandst her ehaspassedacommodi t
ywhichul timately
r eachesaconsumert ohisdet riment.Wher ethatper sonhas
int entionall
ysoexcl udedi nt
erferencewi th,orexami nati
onof ,
t hear ticl
ebyt heconsumer ,thenhehas, ofhi
sownaccor d,
br oughthi mselfi ntodi rectrelati
onshipwi ththatconsumerso
ast oberesponsi blet otheconsumerf oranyInjurythe
consumermaysust ainasar esul
toft hedistr
ibutor's
negligence.Thedut yisthere.
"
Thequest i
onisnowwhet herornotitwasthenegl
igence
ofthedistr
ibut
orwhichdi
dt hedamage.Ithi
nkt
hatitwas.
Idonott hinkthatthedi
stribut
orcanescapeli
abi
li
tyfor
grosscarel
essness,
wheretheconsumerhasbeeninjur
ed,
411"
bysay lng:'Theiniti
almi st
akewasmadebysomeonef or
whoseact ionsIam notr esponsi
ble.
'Ithinkt hat,ifther e
hadbeenanydoubtast otheduty( t
hetwoquest ionsar e
real
lyinterdependent ,butassumethedut ywast here),the
plai
nti
ffher e could hav e sued both def endants.The
negli
gentactoft hemanuf actur
erwasput t
ingi ntheaci di n
toostrongasol uti
on.Thenegl i
gentactsoft hedistri
but or
werethev ariousactsandomi ssi
onsandr epresentations
whichi ntervenedbet weent hemanuf act
ureoft hear ticle
anditsr eachingWat son."
LI
FEORPROPERTY
Candl
ervCr
aneChr
ist
mas[
1951]2KB
164
Facts:Thepl
aint
if
fdesir
edtoinvesti
nacompanyandr equest
edt
he
accountsofthecompany .TheMDoft hecompanyinstruct
edt
he
defendant
swhower etheaccountant
softhecompanyandwhowere
al
readyprepar
ingtheaccount
stospeedupwi tht
hem,informi
ngt
he
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
accountantst hatt hepl ai
nti
ffwant edt oseet heaccount
sf orthe
purposesofi nv est
ment .Theaccount swer epreparedandshowedt o
theplainti
ffwho,r elyingont heaccount s,investedi
nt hecompany.
Thepl ainti
fflosthi sinvestmentast heaccount swerecar el
essl
y
preparedandcont ainedmanyi naccuracies.
Held:Int heabsenceofanycont ractualrelat
ionshi
pbetweent he
plai
nti
ffandt hedef endant,thedef endantswer enotli
ableforthe
l
ossoft hepl ainti
ff
'sinvestment.
Pri
nci
ple:I
ntheabsenceofanycontract
ualorfi
duci
aryrel
ati
onshi
p,aperson
i
snotliabl
einnegli
genceforeconomicloss.Li
abi
li
tyi
sl i
mitedtoinj
uri
esto
per
son.
"It
hinkthatthatisast ruetodayasi twaswheni twassai
dby
Bowen,L.
J.Wr ot
tesley,J.
,continued:'Ther
eis,i
nmyopi ni
on,not
hing
i
nDonoghuevSt evensonwhi chmakest hatbadlaw.Theexcept
ions
l
aiddownbyDonoghuevSt evenson'—t heexcept
ions t
otherul
ethat
amanisobligedtobecar eful
onl ytothose
413•
to whom he owes a dut y by contr
act— ' ar
e,as I
understand the decisi
on,conf i
ned t
o negli
gence which
result
sindangert oli
fe,dangertoli
mb,ordangertoheal
t h,
and,thepr esentcasenotbei ngoneoft hoseexcepti
ons,
theplaint
if
fshav e,i
nmyopi nion,nocauseofacti
onont he
analogyoft hatcase.
"'
MurphyvBrent
woodDi
str
ictCounci
l
[
1990]2All
ER908
Facts:Thepl ai
nti
ffboughtahouset hatwasbui l
tfoll
owi ngthe
approvalofthepl ansbyt hedefendantcounci l
.Thepl answer e
negli
gentl
yappr ovedandt hatresul
tedi ncracksi nthebui ldi
ng
posingadangert othesafetyofthepl ai
nti
ffandhi sfami l
y.The
plai
ntif
fwhocoul dnotbearthecostoftherepairssoldt
hebui ldi
ng
subjecttothedefect.Hethensuedtor ecoverthelosshei ncurr
ed
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
bysell
ingthehouseforlesst
hanit
smarketv
alue.
Held:Sincethedefecthadbeendetect
edbyt heplai
nti
ffandhad
notcausedanyi nj
urybutmerel
yaneconomicl osstotheplai
nti
ff
,
hecouldnotrecoveri
ndamages.
Pri
nci
ple:A manufactur
eris notli
abl
ef orpurel
yeconomicloss
suf
fer
edbyapl aint
if
fwheretheproductdidnotcauseanyphy
sical
ormateri
aldamage.
PerLor dKeit
hofKi nkelatp.916:"Iseenor easontodoubt
thatthepr i
ncipl
eofDonoghuevSt evensondoesi ndeed
applysoast oplacethebuilderofpremi sesunderadutyto
takereasonablecaret oavoidinj
urythroughdef ect
sinthe
premisest otheper sonorpr opertyoft hosewhom he
shouldhav ei
ncont emplati
onasl i
kelytosuf f
ersuchinj
ury
i
fcar eisnott aken.Butitisagainstinj ur
ythroughlat
ent
defectsthatt
hedut yexist
s
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
t
oguar
d."
Atp.917:" Thequest i
onwhet herr ecov erycoul dbeal l
owed
fordamaget ot hehouseandf ort hecostofput tingi tin
suchast at east obenol ongeradangert oheal thorsaf et y
wast reat edi nt hecont extoft hemeasur eofdamagesand
theanswerwassai dt of oll
ow f rom nor malpr inci ple.I t
appear st hatt he nor malpr inci ple concer ned was t hat
whi chemer gedf r
om DonoghuevSt ev enson, asext ended
tot hespher eofst at utor yf unct ionsofpubl i
cbodi esi n
HomeOf ficevDor setYachtCoLt d.Howev er,anessent ial
feat ureoft hespeci esofl iabilityi nnegl i
genceest abl i
shed
by Donoghue v St ev enson was t hat t he car el essl y
manuf act ur ed pr oductshoul d bei nt ended t or each t he
i
nj uredconsumeri nt hesamest ateast hati nwhi chi twas
putup wi th no r easonabl e pr ospectofi nt ermedi ate
exami nat ion( see[ 19321AC562at599, [
19321Al lERRep
1at20perLor dAt kin;seeal soGr antvAust ralianKni t
ting
Mi ll
sLt d[ 1936]AC85at103- 105, [1935]Al lERRep209at
217- 218perLor dWr ight ).I tist hel atencyoft hedef ect
whi chconst i
tutest hemi schi ef.Ther emayber oom f or
disput at ion whet her t he l ikelihood of i nt ermedi ate
exami nat ionandconsequentact ualdi scov er yoft hedef ect
hast heef fectofnegat i
v ingadut yofcar eorofbr eaki ng
thechai nofcausat ion( compar eFar rvBut tersBr os&Co
[1932]2 KB 606,[ 1932]Al lER Rep 339 wi th Dennyv
Suppl i
esandTr anspor tCoLt d[ 1950]2KB374) .Butt here
canbenodoubtt hat ,what evert her ational e, aper sonwho
i
si njur edt hroughconsumi ngorusi ngapr oductoft he
def ect i
v enat ureofwhi chhei swel lawar ehasnor emedy
agai nstt hemanuf act ur er .Int hecaseofabui l
di ng,i tis
fightt o acceptt hatacar elessbui lderi sl i
abl e,ont he
pr i
ncipl eofDonoghuevSt ev enson,wher eal atentdef ect
resul tsi n phy sicali nj uryt o any one,whet her owner ,
occupi er ,visit
ororpasser -by ,ort ot hepr oper tyofanysuch
per son.Butt hatpr inci plei snotaptt obr inghomel iability
towar dsan occupi erwho knowst hef ullext entoft he
def ecty etcont i
nuest ooccupyt hebui lding."
Andat918:"Thej umpwhichisher
emadef r
om l
iabil
it
y
undertheDonoghuevStev
ensonpri
nci
plef
ordamaget o
personorpar
tl
ycausedbyal at
entdef
ecti
nacarelessl
y
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
manuf act
uredarti
cletoli
abil
i
tyf
orthecostofrect
if
y i
nga
defectinsuchanar t
icl
ewhichisexhypothesinolonger
l
atentisdiff
icul
ttoaccept.As
415r
•
StampLJr ecognisedi nt hesamecase,t hereisnol iabil
ityin
tortonamanuf acturertowar dsthepurchaserf r
om ar et
ailerof
anar t
iclewhi cht urnsoutt obeusel essorv al
uelessthrough
defectsduet ocar elessmanuf actur
e(see[1972]1Al lER426at
489-490,[1972]1QB373at414- 415).Thel ossiseconomi c.I
t
i
sdi ff
icultt odr aw adi sti
nct i
oninpr i
nci
plebet weenanar ticl
e
whichi susel essorv aluelessandonewhi chsuf fer
sf rom a
defectwhi chwoul dr enderi tdangerousi nusebutwhi chi s
discoveredbyt hepur chaseri ntimetoav ertanypossi bil
ityof
i
njury.Thepur chasermayi ncurexpensei nput t
ingr i
ghtt he
defect,or,mor epr obably,discardthearti
cle.Ineit
hercaset he
l
ossi spur elyeconomi c."
i
s not r ecover
ablei nt or
ti nthe absence of a special
rel
ati
onshipofpr oxi
mit
yi mposi
ngont hetort
feasoradutyof
caretosafeguardtheplai
nti
fffr
om economicloss.Ther
eisno
suchspecialr
elati
onshi
pbetweenthemanufacturerofachat
tel
andar emoteownerorhi r
er.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Hedl
eyBy
rnevHel
l
erandPar
tner
s
[
19641AC465
Facts:Theplai
nti
ffwant
edt
oenteri
ntoanadvert
isi
ngcont
ract
wit
h a companywhose bankers werethe def
endant
s.The
pl
ainti
ffaskeditsbanktoenqui
rewhethert
hecompanywas
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
wor t
hdoi ngbusinesswi th.Thedef endantsr epli
edstati
ngt hat
the companywas wor t
h doi ng busi ness with butadded a
disclaimernegat i
vinganyl iabili
tythatmayar ise.Thepl ai
nt i
ff
enteredi ntoanadv erti
singagr eementwi ththecompanybut
thecompanywasl iquidated.Itwasf oundt hattheadvicebyt he
defendant swasnegl igentlygiv enalthoughnotf raudul
ently.
Held:Thedef endantswoul dhav ebeenl iabletot hepl
aintif
ff or
thelosssuf feredbutf orthedi sclai
mer .
Principle:Pureeconomi cl ossi sdamager ecoverablei
nt het ort
ofnegl i
gence.
PerLordReidatp.583:"Areasonableman,knowi ng
thathewasbei
ngtrust
edorthathisski
ll
andjudgment
werebeingr
eli
edon,would,
Ithink,
havethreecourses
opentohim.Hecouldkeepsil
entordecl
inetogiv
et he
i
nformati
onoradvi
ce
417.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
PerLor dDev l
inatpp.602and603:" Thisiswhyt hedisti
ncti
oni s
nowsai dt odependonwhet herf
inanciallossi scausedt hr
ough
physicalinjuryorwhet heritiscauseddi rectly.Theinter
posi t
ion
ofthephy sicalinjur
yissaidt omakeadi ff
erenceofpr inci
ple.I
canf i
ndnei therlogicnorcommonsensei nt hi
s.Ifir
respecti
v eof
contract,
adoct ornegligent
lyadvisesapat ientthathecansaf el
y
pursuehi soccupat ionandhecannotandt hepat i
ent'
sheal t
h
suffersandhel oseshi sli
vel
ihood,thepatienthasar emedy .But
i
fthedoct ornegl igentl
yadv i
seshimt hathecannotsaf el
ypur sue
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
hisoccupat ionwheni nf acthecanandhel oseshisl i
veli
hood,
therei ssai dt obenor emedy .Unl ess,ofcour se,thepat i
entwas
apr ivat epat i
entandt hedoct oraccept edhal fagui neaf orhis
troubl e:t hent hepat ientcanr ecov erall
.Iam boundt osay,my
l
or ds,t hatIt hi
nkt hist o benonsense.I ti snott hesor tof
nonsenset hatcanar iseev eni nthebestsy stem oflawoutoft he
need t o dr aw ni ce di st
incti
ons bet ween bor derl
i
ne cases.I t
arises, ifitist helaw, simpl youtofar ef
usalt omakesense.The
l
inei snotdr awnonanyi ntell
i
gi bleprinci
ple.Itjusthappenst obe
thel inewhi cht hosewhohav ebeendr i
venf rom theext r
eme
asser tion t hat negl igent st atement s in t he absence of
cont ract ualorf i
duci arydut ygiv enocauseofact i
onhav ei nthe
cour seoft hei rretreatsof arreached.
"
Ishal lnow exami ne t he r elev antaut horit
ies and y our
l
or dshi pswi ll,Ihope,par donmei f,wi thoneexcept ion,I
attendonl ytot hoset hathav ebeendeci dedi nt hisHouse, for
Ihav emadei tplai nt hatIwi llnoti nt hismat tery i
eldt o
per suasi onbutonl yt ocompul sion.Theexcept i
oni sthecase
ofLeLi ev revGoul d,f ory ourl or dshipswi llnoteasi lyupset
deci sions of t he Cour t of Appeali ft hey hav e st ood
unquest ionedf orasl ongassev entyy ear s.Thef iv erelev ant
deci sionsoft hisHousear eDer r
yvPeek,Noct onvLor d
Ashbur ton,Robi nsonvNat ionalBankofScot l
and,Donoghue
vSt evenson,andMoni sonSSCoLt dvGr ey stokeCast le
(Car goOwner s).Thel astoft heseIcandealwi thatoncef or
i
tl i
esout sidet hemai nst ream ofaut hor i
tyont hispoi nt .Iti s
acasei nwhi chdamagewasdonet oashi past her esultofa
collisi
onwi thanot hershi p.Theowner sofcar goont hef i
r st
ship, whi chcar gowasnoti tselfdamaged, t
husbecamel iabl e
tot he owner s oft he f irstshi pf ora gener alav erage
cont ri
but ion.Theysuedt hesecondshi pasbei ngpar tlyt o
blame f ort he col lisi
on.Thust heywer e cl aimi ng f ort he
fi
nanci allosscausedt othem byhav ingt omaket hegener al
aver agecont ribution al t
hought heirpr oper tysust ainedno
phy sicaldamage.Thi sHousehel dt hatt heycoul dr ecov er.
Thei rl ordshi psdi dnoti nt hatcasel aydownanygener al
principleaboutl i
abi li
tyf orf inanci all ossi nt heabsenceof
phy sical damage; butt hecase
419•
i
tsel
fmakesi
timpossi
bletoar
guethatt
her
ei sanygener
al
r
uleshowi
ngt
hatsuchlossi
sofit
snatur
eir
recover
abl
e."
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Riv t
owMar i
neLt dvWashi ngtonI r
onWor ks( 1973)40DLR( 3rd)
530
Fact s:Thepl ainti
f facquiredacr anei nstal
ledonal oggi ngbar ge
from t hedef endant .Duet ol at entdef ectint hecr ane,i thadt o
under gor epairsdur ingthepeakt i
meandasar esult,thepl ai
ntiff
coul d notuse i tdur ing t he peakseason.The pl aintiffsued
alleginglossar isingf rom hi sinabi l
it
yt ouset hecr anedur ingt he
peakseason.
Hel d:Al t
houghdamagesf orexpensesi ncur r
edi nrepai ringt he
def ectwasnotr ecov erable,consequent i
all ossar isi
ngf rom t he
necessi tytor epai rwasact ionabl eift hel ossar i
singf r
om t he
necessi tytor epaircoul dhav ebeenav oidedbyr easonabl ecar e;
fori ft hedef endanthadwar nedt hepl aintif
f ,ther epai rcoul d
hav ebeencar ri
edoutbef or et hepeakseason.
Pr i
nciple:Amanuf acturerofadef ecti
v earticleisnotl iablei ntor t
toanul ti
mat econsumeroruserf orthecostofr epairi
ngdamage
arisingi nthear ti
cl eitsel
fnorf orsucheconomi clossaswoul d
hav ebeensust ainedi nanyev entasar esultoft heneedt oef fect
repai r
s.Butwher eeconomi clossar i
singoutoft henecessi t
yt o
repai r could hav e been av oided by r easonabl e car e,t he
manuf acturerisliable.
Mui
rheadvI
ndust
ri
alTankSpeci
alt
ies
[
1985]3Al
lER705
Facts:Thepl aintiffneededpumpsf orhi sfi
shf arm.Thet hi
rd
defendantassembl edt hepumpi nEngl andf r
om el ectri
cmot ors
manuf acturedbyi tspar entcompanyi nFr ance.Thepumpswer e
thensol dt ot heseconddef endantsuppl ierwhosuppl i
edt hefir
st
defendantt oi nstall
.Af tert heinstallati
on,thepumpsdi dnot
wor kast heyoughtt odo,l eadingt ot helossofal argequant it
y
off ish.The def ecti nt he pump r esulted from t he v ol
tage
diff
erencei nEngl and.Thepl aint
if
fsued.
Held:Si ncet herewasnopr oximityandnor el
iancewaspl aced
ont hemanuf acturerbyt hepl ainti
ff,hecoul dnotr ecoverfor
economi clossar isi
ngf rom thedef ectivegoods.
Principle:A manuf acturerofdef ectivegoodscanbel iablein
negligencef oreconomi cl osssuf feredbyanul timatepur chaser
i
ft her eisav erycl osepr oximityorr elati
onshipbet weent he
parti
esandt heul t
imatepur chaserpl acesr ealr el
ianceont he
manuf acturerrat herthanont hevendor .
PerRober
tGof
fLJatpp.715and716:"
Ihav
eal
readyquot
ed
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
t
hepassagef
rom t
hejudgmentofthej
udgeinwhichhehel
d
t
hatt
herewasther
equi
sit
erel
iancebyt
heplai
nti
ffon
themanuf act ur ersandt hatt hemanuf act urer smustr easonabl y
havef oreseent hatanyuseri ntheUni tedKi ngdom woul dr ely
ont hem t oensur etheadequacyoft heirmot orsatl easti nt he
fundament alr espectt hatt heywoul dbesui t
abl ef oruseon
United Ki ngdom v oltages.Cer tai
nlyt his was a mat terof
fundament ali mpor tance,andwoul daf fectev er yuseroft he
mot orsi nt he Uni ted Ki ngdom.ButIf ind i ti mpossi blet o
diff
erentiatet hiscasef rom anyot hercaseofmanuf act ured
goodswhi ch,t hr oughaf undament aldef ect ,resul tinf inanci al
l
ossbei ngsuf f eredbyanul t
imatepur chaserwhobuy st hem f or
usei nhisbusi nessand,byr easonoft hedef ect,suf fersal oss
ofpr ofit
s.Fur ther mor e,t here was no ' verycl ose pr oxi mi t
y'
betweent hepl ai nti
ffandt hemanuf actur ers,int hesenset hat
therewasnov er ycloser elati
onshipbet weent hepar ties;so
thatfactor,t oo,i smi ssingf rom thecase. .AsIseet hepr esent
casei tmustf al lwithint hosecases,descr i
bedbyLor dFr aser
andLor dRoski ll,ofor dinar ypurchaseofchat t
el s,inwhi cht he
buyer,ifheseekst orecov erdamagesf orpur elyeconomi cl oss
ari
singf r
om def ectsint hegoods,mustont hel awasi tst ands
l
ook t o hi si mmedi atev endor and not t o t he ul ti
mat e
manuf actur erf orhi sremedy ."
PerNour seLJatp.719:" I
nhi sanal y
sisofJuni orBooksLt dv
Veit
chiC0Lt d[ 1982]3Al lER201,[ 1983]1AC520Rober tGoff
LJhasi dent i
fiedt hethr eef eaturesoft hatcaseonwhi cht he
decisi
on t hatt he nomi nated sub- contractorhad v olunt ar
il
y
assumed a di rectr esponsi bil
i
tyt ot he bui ldi
ng ownerwas
founded.The f ir
stt wo oft hese wer ev er
ycl ose proximi t
y
betweent hesub- contract orandt hebui l
dingownerandr eliance
byt hebui l
dingowneront hesub- contractor.Hav i
ngbeenso
decided,t hatcasecannot ,inmyr espectfulopinion,bet akent o
beaut hor it
yf ort hepr opositiont hatwher et hosef eaturesar e
absentadef endantisl iableint ortinrespectofeconomi cl oss
whichi snotconsequentonphy si
caldamaget ot heper sonor
propertyoft hepl aint
iff
....
"Int
hepresentcasetherewasnov er
ycloseproximit
ybetween
themanuf actur
ersand theplaint
iff
.Contract
uall
yt heywer e
sever
alstagesremovedf r
om eachother.Moreimportant
,there
wasnor eliancebyt heplai
nti
ffont hemanuf actur
ersint he
senseinwhichthatconceptwasappliedinJuni
orBooks.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
421
"Ifthesamepr i
nci pleappl iesi nt hef ieldofr ealpr oper tyto
thel iabilit
yoft hebui lderofaper manentst ruct ur ewhi chis
danger ouslydef ect i
ve,t hatl iabilit
ycan onl yar ise i fthe
def ectr emai nshi ddenunt ilt hedef ectivest ruct ur ecauses
per sonali njury ordamage t o pr operty ot hert han t he
struct urei tself.I ft he def ecti s di scover ed bef ore any
damagei sdone,t hel osssust ainedbyt heowneroft he
struct ure,who has t or epai rordemol i
sh i tt o av oida
pot ent i
alsour ceofdangert ot hirdpar ties,woul dseem t obe
pur ely economi c.Thus,i fIacqui r
e a pr oper ty wi tha
danger ouslydef ect ivegar denwal lwhi chi sat tributabl eto
thebadwor kmanshi poft heor i
ginalbui lder,iti sdi ffi
cultto
seeanybasi sinpr incipleonwhi chIcansust ainanact ionin
tortagai nstt hebui l
derf ort hecostofei therr epai r
ingor
demol i
shingt hewal l
.Nophy sicaldamagehasbeencaused.
Allt hathashappenedi sthatt hedef ectint hewal lhasbeen
discov eredi nt imet opr ev entdamageoccur ring.Idonot
fi
ndi tnecessar yf ort hepur poseofdeci dingt hepr esent
appealt oexpr essanyconcl udedv iewast ohowf ar,ifatall,
ther at i
odeci dendiofAnnsvMer t
onLondonBor ough[ 1977]
2Al lER492,[ 1978]AC728i nv olvesadepar turef rom t hi
s
princi pleest ablishinganew causeofact ioni nnegl igence
agai nstabui lderwhent heonl ydamageal legedt ohav e
beensuf feredbyt hepl aint i
ffi st hedi scov eryofadef ectin
thev eryst r
uctur ewhi cht hebui lderer ected."
Andatp.1007:'' I
nthei nstantcaset heonl yhiddendef ect
wasi ntheplaster.Theonl yitem pleadedasdamaget oother
property was ' cost of cl eaning car pets and ot her
possessionsdamagedordi r
tiedbyf al
li
ngpl aster:{50'.Once
i
tappear ed thatt he plasterwas l oose,any dangerof
personalinjur
yoroff urtheri nj
uryt oot herpr oper t
ycoul d
have been simpl yav oided byt he timel yr emov aloft he
defecti
veplaster.Theonl yfunct i
onofpl asteronwal lsand
ceil
ings,unl
essi tisit
sel felaboratelydecor ative,istoser ve
asasmoot hsur faceonwhi chtopl acedecor ati
v epaperor
paint.Whatevercaset heremaybef ort reati
ngadef ectin
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
somepar toft hestructureofabuil
dingascausingdamage
to'otherpr oper t
y'whensomeot herpar tofthebuildi
ngis
i
njuri
ousl yaffected,asf orexampl
ecr acki
nginwallscaused
by def ecti
vef oundati
ons,i twoul
d seem t o me ent i
rel
y
art
ifi
cialtot r
eatt hepl asterasdi
sti
nctf r
om thedecorati
ve
surf
acepl acedoni t.Ev enifitwereso t r
eated,theonly
damaget o'other
423•
•
property'causedbyt hedefecti
vepl asterwoul
dbet he
l
ossofv alueoftheex i
sti
ngdecor at
ionsoccasi
onedbythe
necessitytoremov el
ooseplasterwhi chwasindanger
off al
l
ing.Whent helooseplasterinf l
at37wasf i
rst
discovered in 1980,theflatwasi n anyeventbeing
redecorated.
"I
tseemst omecl eart hatt hecostofr eplacingt he
defecti
vepl asteritsel
f,eitherascar r
iedouti n1980or
asintendedt obecar riedouti nf uture,wasnotani t
em
ofdamagef orwhi cht hebui lderofChel woodHouse
couldpossi blybemadel i
ablei nnegl i
genceundert he
pri
ncipleofDonoghuevSt evensonoranyl egiti
mat e
developmentoft hatpr i
ncipl
e.Tomakehi m sol iablewould
bet oimposeonhi mf orthebenef itofthosewi thwhom
hehadnocont ractualr el
ati
onshi pt heobligat i
onofone
who war ranted thequal it
yoft hepl asterasr egards
mat er
ial
s,wor kmanshi pandf itnessf orpur pose.Iam
gl
adt oreacht heconcl usiont hatt hisi
snott helaw. ..
."
Fi
nesseGr oupLt dvBr ysonPr oducts[20131EWHC3273
Facts:Thepl ainti
ffpur chased from thedef endantadhesi ves
manuf acturedbyat hi
r dpar t
y.Thepl ai
ntif
fusedt headhesi vesto
makest andsf orexhi
bi ti
onbutl aterreali
sedt hattheadhesi ves
wer edef ecti
ve,causi
ngt hest andst odel aminate.Nodamage
wascausedt oanyper sonorpr oper t
y.Thepl ai
ntif
fsuedt he
defendantandt hedefendantsoughtt ojoi
nt hethir
dpar t
y.
Held:Si nceno damagewascaused t o anyper son orot her
proper ty,thet hir
d part yasmanuf acturerswer enotl iablein
negligence.
Principle:Tosucceedi nanyact ioni npr oductsliabi
li
ty,there
mustbephy sicaldamaget oaper sonort hingot herthant he
producti tself
.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
PerAkenheadJatpar s.24and25:[ 24]" Iwilladdr esst he
primar ypoi ntfir
stwhi chi swhet her,ont hef actsaspl eaded,
Finessecanhav eanycauseofact ioni nt ortagai nstBost ik.
Sav ef orcases wher et he par ti
es ar ei n a cl ose enough
relati
onshi p( such ascont r act)Ofi tcan be sai dt hatt he
all
eged t ortf
easorassumed some par ti
cularr esponsi bil
ity
towar dst hecl aimingpar ty,usual l
y,atl east,ther emustbe
phy si
caldamageori njuryot herthant othe' thi
ngi t
sel f
'.Thus,
i
nDonoghuevSt evenson[ 1932]AC562,101LJPC119,37
Com cas350,t hePl aintiffwoul dnothav ebeenent it
ledt o
recov erthecostoft hebot tleofgi ngerbeeral t
houghshe
woul dhav ebeenabl et or ecov erdamagesf orper sonali njur
ies
causedbyt heshockorot heref fectsoft hesnai lint hebot tle.
Ast heedi torsofBenj ami nont heSal eofGoodssayatpar a12
—124' Thusanact i
oni ntor tmayal sol i
eandi ndeedpr i
mar ily
l
ies agai nsta manuf act urerordi stri
but orwho put si nto
circul
ation goods whi ch cause phy sical inj ury or t he
dest r
uctionofordamaget opr oper t
y.'
[25]" Theedi t
orsgooni npar a12—128t oconsi
der,rel
ati
vely
briefly,economi cl oss relating to goods whi ch threaten
damage orar e otherwise unsat isfactory
,referr
ing tot he
HouseofLor dscaseofMur phyv[ 1991]1AC398,[ 1990]2
AllER908, [
1990]3WLR414as, i
nor dinar
ycases, r
uli
ngout
ther ecov eryofeconomi closs.Lor dsKeithandJaunceyi n
thatcasel eftoverthepossi bili
tythat'themanufacturerofa
separ atepar tofast ructureorar ti
clemaybel iabl
ei fit
prov esdef ectiv
ei nsuchawayast odamageot herpar t
sof
thest r
uct ur
eorar t i
cle,thequest ionhasnotr eallybeen
consi dered i n connect ion wi t
h goods as opposed t o
buildings'.
"
[31]"Idonotconsiderthati
tisar guablet hatthereisor
wasdamagei nthiscaseatall,ont hefactspl eaded.Itis
notbeingsuggestedint
hepleadi ngt hatthepanel sort he
standswereactuall
ydamaged; indeed, i
tseemst obe
suggestedi
npar a12thatthedamagel i
esi nthealleged
unsati
sfact
oryquali
tyorunsuitabil
ityoftheadhesi veand
thatofcour
sewoul dinanyev entbedamaget othething
i
tself(
theequiv
alentofthegingerbeerbot tl
einDonoghue) .
Evenifonecouldapplyorextendt he
425• u
thoughtpr ocessesofLor dsKei thandJaunceyi nt he
Mur phycaseandt reatt headhesi v east het hingi tself
andt hepanelasasepar atepar toft hest r
uct ure,sot o
speak,t he panel s ar e notpl eaded as hav ing been
damaged.Thef actt hatt hereissomef inanci allosssai d
tobeassoci atedwi t
hput ti
ngr i
ghtt heal legedpr obl ems
and consequences oft he adhesi vef ailure does not
conv ertt hatst ate ofaf f
air
si nto damage f ort he
purposesofacauseofact i
oni nnegl i
genceagai nst
Bost i
k.Ial sov erymuchdoubtt hatt headhesi vecoul d
besai dt obeot hert hanpar tofone' structure'andt hat
delami nati
on t herefor ei si ni tself not damage t o
anythingot herthant het hingitself.Oneal sohast obear
i
nmi ndapubl icpol icyf loodgatesar gumenti nr elat i
on
to goods such as gl ue orev en component s ofa
machi ne.Anexampl emi ghtbecar elessl ypr epar edgl ue
usedi nmaki ngashoewhi chf ailscausi ngt hesol eor
heelt odr opof f;thesuggest i
ont hatt heowneroft he
shoecoul dsuet hegl uemanuf actur eri sf anci ful.Of
course, therewoul dorcoul dbeacauseofact i
oni nt ort
againstt hemanuf act ureri nthecur rentt ypeofcasei f
asar esultofnegl igentlymanuf act uredgl uewhi chf ail
s
someel ementsupposedt obeadher edt oasubst ratum
fal
ls of finjuri
ng someone ordamagi ng an adj acent
exhibit(i
nt hecaseofanexhi biti
onst and) .
[32]"I
tfoll
owsthatforthesereasonsalonethecauseof
acti
onintortaspl
eadedi nthedraf
tre-amendmenthasno,
l
etaloneareali
sti
c,prospectofsuccess.
"
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Robi
nsonvPEJones(
Cont
ract
ors)
[
2012]QB44
Fact s:Thedef endantbui lder
swer econstruct
ingabui ldingwi th
onlyonechi mneywhen t heplainti
ffagreed to pur chaset he
building.Thepar ti
esent eredintoacontractfort heconst ruction
ofanaddi t
ionalchi mney .Bothchimneyswer el aterfoundt obe
defect i
ve.Thepl ainti
ffsuedt orecoverthecostofr epairingt he
defect sint hechimney .
Held:Si ncenodamagewascausedt oanyot herpr oper t
yor
person, thepl ai
nt i
ff'
sactionfail
ed.
Principle:Thedut yowedbyamanuf act
urertoaconsumeri sto
taker easonabl ecar et hatnoi njur
yiscausedt oanyper sonor
otherpr opertyandt hus,damagesf orrepair
ingt hedef ecti
ve
productar enotr ecoverable.
[
70] "
Absentanyassumpt i
onofr esponsi
bil
i
ty,ther
edo
notspring up between the part
ies duti
es ofcar e co-
ext
ensivewitht
heircontract
ualobl
igati
ons.Thelaw oftort
i
mposes a di f
ferent and morel imit
ed duty upon t he
manufactur
erorbui l
der.Thatmorel i
miteddutyistotake
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
reasonable car et o pr
otectthe clientagai nstsuffering
personalinjuryordamaget ootherpr operty.Thelawoft ort
i
mposes t his duty
,notonl ytowar ds the fir
stperson t o
acquirethechat telorthebuil
ding,butal sotowardsot hers
whof oreseeablyownorusei t.
[
71] "Theanal ysisint hepr ecedi ngparagraphf i
tswi th,
i
ndeed i s di
ctated by ,the House ofLor ds'decision in
DonoghuevSt evenson[ 1932]AC562,t heHouseofLor ds'
decision in Mur phy'
scase[ 1991]1 AC 398 and May J'
s
decisioni nNit
piginEireannTeor antavIncoAl l
oysLtd[1992]
1 WLR 498.Al though Ni tr
igin's case isaf i
rstinstance
decision,itcommandsr espectbecauseoft heforceoft he
reasoningi nthej udgment .Alsoi tshouldbenot edthatthe
tri
aljudgei nNitrigi
n'scasewasaspeci al
istinthisfiel
das
wellas bei ng t he then edi torofKeat ing on Bui l
ding
Contract s.
"
Andatpp.62and63,par s.83and84:[83]"
Inthepr esent
caseIseenot hi
ngtosuggestt
hatthedef
endant'assumed
responsi
bil
i
ty'
tothecl
aimanti
ntheHedl
eyByrnesense.The
427.
part
iesent er
edi ntoanor malcont ractwher ebyt hedefendant
wouldcompl etetheconst ructionofahousef ortheclai
mantt o
anagreedspeci f
icati
onandt hecl ai
mantwoul dpayt hepurchase
pri
ce.Thedef endant'swarrantiesofqual i
tywer esetoutandt he
cl
aimant'sremediesi ntheev entofbr eachofwar r
antywerealso
setout.The par t
ies were noti n a pr ofessionalrel
ati
onship
whereby,forexampl e,theclaimantwaspay i
ngt hedefendantto
giv
e adv i
ce ort o pr epar
er eport
s orpl ans upon whi ch the
cl
aimantwoul dact.
PerSt anleyBur nt
onLJatpp.64and65,par s.92— 95:[ 92]" I
n
myj udgment ,i
tmustnow ber egar dedasset t
ledlaw thatt he
builder /
vendorofabui ldingdoesnotbyr easonofhi scontractto
const ructort ocompl etet hebuildingassumeanyl i
abi
li
tyint he
tortofnegl i
gencei nrelationtodef ectsint hebuildi
nggivingr i
se
topur el
yeconomi cl oss.Thesameappl iestoabui l
derwhoi s
nott hev endor ,
andt ot hesel l
erormanuf actur
erofachat tel.The
decisi on oft he House ofLor ds i n Anns v Mer ton London
BoroughCounci l[
19781AC728, l
ikei tsearli
erdecisi
oninJuni or
BooksLt d vVei tchiCo Lt d[ 1983]1 AC 520,mustnow be
regar dedasaber r
ant, i
ndeedasher etical
.Thel awi sasstatedby
LordBr i
dgeofHar wichi nD&FEst at esLidvChur chComr sf or
Engl and[ 19891AC177, 206: '
Ifthehi ddendef ectinthechat tel
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
i
st hecauseofper sonalinjuryOfofdamaget opr oper ty
othert hant hechat t
elitself,themanuf acturerisl iable.
Buti fthehi ddendef ecti sdiscov eredbef oreanysuch
damagei scaused,t herei snol ongeranyr oom f ort he
applicati
onoft heDonoghuevSt evensonpr i
nciple.The
chatteli snow def ecti
vei n qualit
y,buti sno l onger
danger ous.I tmaybev aluelessori tmaybecapabl eof
economi cr epair..I fthesamepr i
ncipleappliesi nt he
fi
eldofr ealpr oper t
yt ot hel i
abili
tyoft hebuilderofa
permanentst r
ucture whi ch is danger ousl
ydef ective,
thatliabili
tycanonl yarisei fthedef ectr emainshi dden
untilthedef ectivest r
uctur ecausesper sonalinjur yor
damaget opr opertyothert hant hest r
uct ur
eitself.Ifthe
defecti sdi scov er
edbef oreanydamagei s done,t he
l
osssust ainedbyt heowneroft hest r
uct ur
e,whohast o
repairordemol i
sh i tto av oid apot enti
alsour ceof
dangert o t hird parti
es,woul d seem t o be pur ely
economi c.'
them i
sdefect
iveorcauseshiminjury.Themanaging
agentsi
nHendersonvMer r
ettSyndicatesLt
d[1992]2
AC145owedadut y
.ofcaretotheirNamesbecause
theyweremanagingtheNames'assets.
[97] "Itisimpor t
antto notet hata per son who
assumesacont ract
ualdutyofcaredoesnott hereby
assumeani denti
caldutyofcarei ntorttot heother
contr
act
ingparty
.Thedut yofcareincontractextends
toanydefecti
nthebuildi
ng,goodsOfser vi
cesuppl i
ed
underthe cont
ract,as wellas toloss Ofdamage
causedbysuchadef ecttoanotherbuil
dingOfgoods.
Thedutyofcareintort
,alt
houghsaidtoar isefr
om an
assumpti
onof
429"
l
iabili
ty,isi mposed byt hel aw.I n casesofpur ely
fi
nanci alloss,assumpt i
onofl i
abi l
i
tyisusedbot hasa
meansofi mposingl i
abil
it
yi nt ortandasar est r
iction
ont heper sonst owhom t hedut yisowed.Thedut yof
carei ntor tappli
est odamaget ootherpr oper t
yt han
thatsuppl ied,ortopersonali njuryordeat h,causedby
adef ectint hepr opert
ysuppl ied.Thepr oviderofa
service,suchasanaccount antorsol ici
tor,owesa
dutyofcar eintorttohisclientbecausehi snegl igence
maycausel ossoft heclient'sasset s.Idonott hink
thatacl i
enthasacauseofact ionint ortagai nsthi s
negligentaccount antorsol i
citorsi mplybecauset he
account ant '
s orsol i
ci
tor'
s adv ice isincorr ect( and
thereforewor thl
esst hant hef eepaidbyt hecl i
ent )
.
Thecl i
entdoeshav eacauseofact ionint or tift he
advicei sr el
ieduponbyt hecl ientwi t
ht her esultt hat
hisasset sar edimini
shed.
98] "
[ Itf
oll
owsi nmyj udgmentt hatt hefi
rstinstance
decisi
onstowhi chJacksonLJr efersinpara52ofhi s
j
udgmenti nwhi chbuildi
ngcontractorswer ehel
dt ohav e
assumedadut yofcar eintor
tinr el
ationtofi
nancialloss
result
ingfr
om def ect
si nthebuil
dingt heyconst
ructed,in
theabsenceofdamaget ootherpr operty
,werewr ongly
decided.
"
Wit
tmervGebr
.WeberGmbH(
2011)
Ti
mes,6Jul
y
Facts:The f i
rstdef endantsoughtt or ecoverthe costof
remov alandr einst al
lat i
onofdef
ectiveti
lespur
chasedfrom t
he
fi
rstdefendant .Thesecondpl ai
nti
ffsoughttorecovert
hecost
ofremov alandr einst al
lat
ionofadef ecti
vewashingmachine
purchasedf rom t heseconddef endant.Held(bytheCourtof
•
434
Justi
ce of the Eur
opean Uni
on)
: That t
he cost
s wer
e
recov
erabl
e.
(NB:Thedeci
sionwasbasedonPar
li
amentandCounci
lDi
rect
ive
1999/44/
ECofMay25,1999,anEUdir
ect
ive.
)
Pri
nciple:Asell
erisunderadutyt
or emoveandrei
nst allany
defecti
veproducthesellst
oaconsumerandi fhef ails,the
consumermayr ecov
erthecostofremovalandr
einstallat
ion
fr
om thesell
er.
POSSI
BLEAPPLI
CATI
ONOFRESI
PSALOQUI
TUR
DonoguevSt
evenson(
supr
a)
PerLordMacmi
ll
anatp.622:"
The
bur
denofproofmust
alwaysbeupont heinjuredpar tytoestabl
ishthatthe
defectwhi ch caused t he injur
ywas pr esentint he
arti
clewheni tl eftthehandsoft hepart
ywhom he
sues, that the def ect was occasi oned by t he
carel
essnessoft hatparty,andt hattheci
rcumstances
aresuchast ocastupont hedef enderadutyt otake
carenottoi nj
uret hepur suer.Thereisnopresumption
ofnegligencei nsuchacaseast hepresent,noris
thereanyjusti
ficationforappl yi
ngt hemaxim,resipsa
l
oquitur
.Negl i
gencemustbebot hav er
redandpr ov
ed.
"
AboagyevKumasiBr
eweryLimi
ted
(supr
a)Fact
sandHoldi
ng:(
supr
a)
Pr
inci
ple:Thepr i
nci
pleofresi
psal
oqui
turappli
eswher
ethe
wantofreasonabl
ecareint
hemanuf
act
ureisproved.
•
435
PerDj abanorJatp.244:" Theaut hor i
ti
esar eset tl
edi n
thev iew t hatt hemaxi mr esi psal oquiturappl i
est o
negligencei nmanuf act urewhent heci rcumst ances
aresuchast ocal lf ori tsappl ication.I nChar /eswor th
onNegl igence( 4thed. ),p.363,par a.802appear st he
foll
owi ng passage whi ch Iacceptas t he cor rect
statementoft hel aw:' Themer epr esenceofasnai lin
ast opper edandseal edbot tleofgi ngerbeerwoul d
appeart o be wi t
hi nt he maxi m because,owi ng t o
retentionofef fectivecont rolbyt hemanuf acturerunt i
l
the gi ngerbeerr eached t he consumer ,t herei sa
greaterpr obabi li
tyofnegl igenceont hepar toft he
manuf acturert hanont hepar tofanyot herper son.I n
GrantvAust ralianKni tti
ngMi l
ls[ 1936]A. C.85t he
courtappar ent l
y pr oceeded on t he v i
ew t hatt he
presenceoft hechemi cali rri
tanti nt hegar ment swas
evidenceofnegl igence
Similarly,int heear l
iercaseofChapr onierevMason
(1905)21T. L.R.633, t
hepr esenceofast onei nabat h
bunmanuf actur edbyt hedef endantwashel dt obe
withint hemax i
mr esi psal oqniturandt obeev i
dence
of negl i
gence agai nst t he manuf acturer.
'On t he
author it
iest her eforeIhol dt hatt hemaxi mr esipsa
l
oqui turappl iesi nt hiscaseandt hereforet hatapr ima
faciecaseofnegl igencehasbeenest abli
shedagai nst
thedef endant .
"
AcheampongvOv er
seasBr
ewer
iesLtd(supr
a)
Pri
nci
ple:Thepr i
nci
pleofresi
psaloquit
urappli
eswher
ethe
wantofreasonabl
ecareint
hemanufact
ur ei
sproved.
431"
PerAnnanJat.pp.12and13:"Thedut
yaslai
ddown
i
st otaker
easonabl
ecarei
nt hemanufact
ureoft
he
•
436
productandi tist hef ai
luretotakesuchcar et hatwil
l
renderhi m liablet othe consumerwho i si njur
ed.
Negl i
gencet heref orehast obeest abli
shedagai nstthe
manuf act ur
erbef orel i
abil
it
yi s establi
shed and t he
met hodofpr oofi sthesameasi nanyot hercaseof
negligence. The mer e pr esence of f oreign or
deleteriousmat teri snotPerseenoughandnegl i
gence
hast obeest abli
shedei therbywayoft hepresumpt ion
ofnegl igencewi thr esipsaloquit
ur ,orwheref actsare
established whi ch gi ve ri
se t o an i nference of
negligence."
Ov
erseasBr
ewer
iesLt
dvAcheampong(
supr
a)
(
Onappeal
tot
heCour
tofAppeal
)
Princi
ple:Thepr i
nci
pleofr esipsaloqui
turi
st hatwherea
productiscont ami
nated,i
tisnott hedut
yoft heplai
nti
ffto
provethesour ceofthecontaminantwhennegli
gencecanbe
establi
shedbywayoft hepresumpti
onofnegl
igencewithres
i
psal oquit
ur.
PerAr
cherJA( af
terr
efer
ri
ngt
othe
passageofLord
Macmi l
lanabove,cont i
nui ngatp.427asf ol
lows) :"In1936,
i
nt hecaseofGr antvAust ral
ianKni tti
ngMi l
l
sLt d.[1936]
A.C.85,P.C.t
hepl ainti
f fhadcont ractedder mat i
tisasa
resul
tofexcess sul phitef ound i n a pai rofwool len
underwearmanuf actur edbyt hedef endants.TheJudi cial
Commi tteeofthePr ivyCounci loverr
ul i
ngthej udgmentof
theHighCour tofAust rali
ahel dt hatt hemanuf act
urers
wereliabletot hepl aintiffont hepr i
ncipl
el aiddowni n
Donoghue v St evenson. Lor d Wr ight, deli
v eri
ng t he
j
udgmentoft he cour t
,st ated at p.101 as f ol
lows:
'
Accordingtotheev i
dence, themet hodofmanuf acturewas
•
437
cor r
ect :the dangerofexcess sul phites being l eftwas
recogni sed and wasguar ded agai nst:t he processwas
i
ntendedt obef oolproof.Ifexcesssul phiteswer eleftin
thegar ment ,t
hatcouldonl ybebecausesomeonewasat
fault.Theappel l
antisnotr equir
edt ol ayhi sfingeront he
exactper soni nallthechai nwhowasr esponsible,ort o
speci f
ywhathedi dwr ong.Negl i
gencei sf oundasamat ter
ofi nferencef rom theexi stenceoft hedef ectst akeni n
connect i
onwi thalltheknownci rcumst ances:ev eni fthe
manuf acturerscouldbyaptev i
dencehav er ebutt edthat
i
nf erencet heyhav enotdoneso. 'TheGr ant
casecl ear
lyill
uminat
edt henat ur
eoftheburdenofproof
ont heplaint
iff
.LordMcMi ll
anwasamemberoft hecourt
i
nt heGr antcaseandt hereforehisdi
ctaint
heDonoghue
case( supra)asregardsthenat ur
eoftheburdenofproof
onthepl ai
ntif
fmustber egardedasobit
er.
"
•
438
433•
DEATHI
NRELATI
ONTOTORTS
A. DEATHCREATI
NGLI
ABI
LITY
ATCOMMONLAW
BakervBol ton(1808)170ER1033
Facts:Thepl ai
ntif
flosthi
swi feinanaccidentowi ngtothe
negli
genceoft hedefendants.Hecl ai
medf ordamagesf or
,
amongot hers,t
helossofcomf ortofthewife.
Held:Damageswi llbeawar dedonl yfort helossoft he
wife'
scomf ortandt hedist
resst hathadonherupt othe
deathoft hewi f
e.
Pri
nciple:Deathi snotani njuryatcommonl aw andthus
damagesmustst opwiththedeathoft heperson.
PerLor dEl l
enbor ough:t hej ur
ycoul donl yt akeinto
considerat
ion t he bruises whi ch t he pl ai
nti
ff had
hi
msel fsustained,andt hel ossoft hewi fe'
ssociety,
and the distress ofmi nd he had suf fered on her
account,fr
om t het i
meoft heaccidenttil
lthemoment
ofherdissolution.Inaciv i
lcourt,thedeathofahuman
beingcannotbecompl ainedofasani nj
ury;andint hi
s
caset hedamages,ast ot heplainti
ff
'swif emustst op
•
439
wi
tht
heper
iodofherexi
stence.
"
AddaivBoaky e[1962]GLR147
Facts:The pl aint
if
f,as cust omary successor of t he
deceased,suedonbehal foftheest ateandonbehal fof
the dependant s of t he deceased f or damages f or
negli
gencef orcausi ngt hedeat hoft hedeceased.The
defendantpl eadedest oppelast heclai
m hadbeenset tl
ed
atanar bitr
ation.Held:Thecl ai
m onbehal foftheestat
ei s
notmai ntai
nabl eundert hemaxim actioPer sonal
ismor i
tur
cum Per sonabutt hecl aim onbehalfoft hedependantsi s
maintai
nabl esincetheywer enotpart
iest othearbit
rati
on.
•
440
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
Pr
inci
ple:
Aper
sonal
act
ionbyaper
sondi
eswi
tht
heper
son.
NATUREOFTHERELI
EFI
NTRODUCEDBYTHEREFORMS
SewardvTheVer aCruz(1884)10App.Cas.59
Facts:Theplai
nti
ffastheadmi nist
rat
ri
xoft heest
ateofher
husbandsuedt hedefendantsforthel ossoft heli
feofthe
husband and herson.Hel d:The Admi r
alt
y Courthad no
j
urisdi
cti
ontograntdamagesforlossoflif
e.
435.
hadl ived; anact ionwhi ch, asispointedouti nPy mv
Gr eatNor thern Rai l
way Company ,is new i ni ts
speci es,new i ni tsqual it
y ,new initsprinciple,in
ev erywaynew,andwhi chcanonl ybebr oughti f
therei sanyper sonanswer ingthedescript
ionoft he
wi dow, par ent, or chi ld, who under such
circumst ancessuf ferspecuni arylossbyt hedeat h.
Thati saper sonalact i
on,i fpersonalactiont her e
ev ercanbe.I tisqui teplain( i
tdoesnotrequiremuch
mor et hant ost atei t
)t hati famanwhohast he
cust odyandmanagementofashi pmanagesi tin
suchawayt hatbyhi snegl i
genceorf r
om anyot her
causewhi chi sment ionedi nsect.1aper soni s
kill
ed,t hatmani sl i
ableunderLor dCampbel l
'sAct ;
andal soi fthatmani saser vantacti
ngforasuper i
or
(theshi powneri sgener all
yspeaki ngtheper son) ,if
he i st he ser vantoft he shipownerwho i st he
principal ,theshi powneri sanswer ableundert hi s
causeofact i
on."
ReadvGr
eatEast
ernRai
l
way(
1868)LR3QB555
Fact s:Thedeceasedwasi njur
edt hrought henegl i
genceof
thedef endant sandsubsequent lydied.Pr i
ortohisdeat h,the
defendant spaidhim asum ofmoneyi nf ullsat
isfacti
onof
hiscl ai
m agai nstthem.Followi nghi sdeath,t heplaint
if
f,the
widow oft he deceased,sued t he def endants and t he
defendant spleadedaccordandsat i
sfacti
on.
Hel d:Sincet hedeceasedhadaccept edt hesum ofmoneyi n
satisfactionofhi sclai
m,pl aintiffhadnocauseofact ion
sincet hedeat hdidnotcreat eaf reshcauseofact ion.
Principle:Thel iabi
li
tyofthedef endanti nsuchcasesi shi s
l
iabilit
yi nnegl i
gence,andwher et heclaimi nnegligencehas
beenset tl
ed,thedeathwillnotcr eateanewcauseofact i
on.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
PerBl ackbur nJatp.558:" Thequest iont urnsupon
theconst ruct i
onofs.1of9&10Vi ct.c.93.Bef ore
thatst atut et heper son who r eceived a per sonal
i
nj ury ,andsur v i
vedi tsconsequences, coul dbr i
ngan
act i
on,andr ecov erdamagesf ort hei njury ;butifhe
died f rom i ts ef fect s,t hen no act ion coul d be
brought .Tomeett hisst ateoft hel aw t he9&10
Vict .c.93, waspassed, and' whenev ert hedeat hofa
per soni scausedbyawr ongf ulact ,andt heacti s
such as woul d,ifdeat h had notensued,hav e
ent i
tledt hepar tyinj uredt omai ntai
nanact ion,and
recov erdamagesi nr espectt hereof ,t hen,andi n
ev erysuchcase,t heper sonwhowoul dhav ebeen
l
iabl ei fdeat hhadnotensuedshal lbel iablef oran
act i
onf ordamagesnot wi thst andingt hedeat hoft he
par tyi njur ed.'Her e,t aki ngt hepl eat obet r
ue,t he
par tyi njuredcoul dnot' mai ntainanact i
oni nr espect
ther eof '
, because he had al ready r eceived
sat i
sf act i
on.Thencomess.2,whi chr egul atest he
amount of damages, and pr ovides f or i ts
appor tionmenti namannerdi fferentt ot hatwhi ch
woul dhav ebeenawar dedt oamani n
hisl ifetime.Thi ssect ionmaypr ovide
anew pr incipleast ot heassessment
ofdamages,buti tdoesnotgi v eany
ner i
ghtofact ion.Mr .Coddwasdr iven
toar guet hatt heexecut orcodbr inga
freshact ionev eni ft hedeceasedhad
recov ereddamagi nanact ion;btt o
hol dt hiswoul dbet ost rai nt hewor ds
ofåhesect ion.The
S
i
nt entionoft heenact mentwast hatt
hedeat hOf
theper soninjuredshouldnotf r
eet hewr ongdoer
from an act ion,and int hose cases wheret he
per soni njur
edcoul dmai ntai
nanact i
onhi sper sonal
repr esentati
vemi ghtsue.
"
PerLushJatp.558:" Thei
ntenti
onofthestatuteis,
not
to maket hewr ongdoerpaydamagest wicef orthe
samewr ongfulact,buttoenablether
epresentati
vesof
the per
son injur
ed tor ecoverin a case wher ethe
maxim actio Personali
smor it
urcum Per sonawoul d
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
haveappli
ed.I
tonl ypoint
stoacasewherethepart
y
i
njur
edhasnotr ecover
edcompensati
onagainstt
he
wrongdoer
.Iti
struethats.2pr
ovi
desadif
fer
entmode
ofassessi
ngt hedamages,butthatdoesnotgivea
fr
eshcauseofaction.
"
PerBankesLJatpp.226and227:
"Insomecasest
he
437•
•
deceased maynothav e been ent i
tl
ed atanyt ime t o
mai ntainanact i
onf ort heinjurycompl ainedof ,aswher e
heha&byhi sownnegl igencecont ri
butedt ot hati nj
ur y,Of,
beforet heactornegl ectwhi chcausedt hei njuryhadbeen
done or commi tt
ed, he had cont ract ed wi th t he
defendant sthathewoul dundernoci rcumst ancescl aim
anydamagesf orsuchanactornegl ect.Inot hercaseshe
mayor iginall
yhav ebeenent it
ledtomai ntainanact ionfor
thei njuryandmaybyhi sownconducthav edi sentitl
ed
himsel ftomai ntai
ni t,aswher ehehascompr omi seda
clai
mi nr espectofi t,orhasal l
owedt het i
met ogoby
within whi ch under some Act ,such as t he Publ ic
Author it
iesPr otecti
onAct ,theactionoughtt ohav ebeen
commenced.Butnoneoft hosedi sabli
ngcausesexi sti n
thepr esentcase,andt heonl ycont entionher ei st hat
becauset hedeceasedhadl i
mitedhi sr ightt or ecov er
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
damagest o 1001,t her i
ghtofhi swi dow wasequal ly
l
imi t
edt ot hatamount .Butt hest atuteinspeci fyi
ngthe
conditionsoft hewi dow' sfightt osuesay snot hi
ngabout
thequant um ofdamageswhi cht hedeceasedmusthav e
beenent itl
edt or ecov er,thel anguagei sper fectl
ygeneral
—' andr ecov erdamages'andIcanseenor easonwhyi t
shouldnotber eadini tsnat uralsense.I fi tbesor ead,
the
deceasedwas,ont headmi ssionoft her ail
waycompany ,
entit
ledt omai ntainanact ionandr ecov ersomedamages,
and undert hoseci r
cumst ancesi tseemst o mequi t
e
i
mmat eri
alt oconsi derwhatt heamountoft hedamages
woul dhav ebeent hathemi ghthav erecov ered,forthi
s
reason,t hatt he quant um oft he damages t hatthe
dependant smayr ecov erunders.2i squitedi f
fer
entfr
om
thatwhi cht hedeceasedmi ghthav erecov eredhimself.
Theamountoft hedamageswhi cht hedependant smay
recoveri scompensat i
onpr oper l
ysocal l
ed.I tmayseem
stranget hatthedependant scanr ecoveramuchl ar
ger
sum t hancoul dhav ebeenr ecov eredbyt hedeceased,but
i
thasbeenhel dbyt heHouseofLor dsinTheVer aCruz(1)
thatthecauseofact ionoft hedependant sisanew and
disti
nctcauseofact i
on,inr espectofwhi chthedamages
areest imat edonanent i
relydif f
erentbasi s."
439"
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
"Afatali
njuri
esclaimisdiff
erentt oapersonali
njur
ies
clai
m.Thisissoev enift
heclaimsar i
seoutofthesame
fact
s.Thenatureoftheclai
m andt hedamagesthatfl
ow
from t
hesetoff actsgivi
ngrisetot hecauseofaction
aredif
fer
ent.Theparti
esarediff
erent.
..
."
JamesonvCent r
alEl ectri
cityGener ati
ngBoar d[199911Al lER
193Fact s:Thedeceasedper son,empl oy
edbyhi sempl oyerhad
worked att wo powerst ations owned and oper ated by t he
defendant .Hecont ractedmesot heliomaandsuedt hedef endant .
Heagr eedt oacceptL80,000i n'f ullandf inalset t
lementand
sati
sfaction' .He di ed bef oret he money was pai d butt he
executors ofhi s est ate br oughtpr oceedings undert he Fat al
AccidentsActf orl ossofdependencycl aimingLl42,000.The
defendantj oinedt heempl oy erasat hi rdparty.
Held:Sincet hedeceasedhadaccept edt heamountasf ulland
fi
nalsat isfacti
onofhi sclaim,hehadnocauseofact i
onagai nst
any concur rentt ortf
easorand t hus t he pl ai
nti
ffs could not
maintaint heact i
on.
Pri
nciple:Wher eapl aint
iffent ersint oaset t
lementasf ulland
fi
nal sat isfacti
on of hi s cl aim,t he l i
abil
ity of concur rent
t
ortfeasor sisext inguishedandt hedependant scannotmai ntain
anact i
oni fhedi esev entually.
Andatpp.205and206:
"It
hinkt
hatt
hesecasesdemonst
rat
e
441
thelimitsoft hei nquir
ywhi cht hej udgemayunder takein
theev entofasubsequentact i
onbei ngr ai
sedagai nst
anotheral l
egedconcur rentt or t
feasor.Hemayexami ne
thestatementofcl aimi nt hef irstacti
onandt het ermsof
theset t
lementi nor dertoi dentifythesubjectmat terofthe
clai
m andt heext enttowhi cht hecausesofact ionwhi ch
were compr ised ini thav e been i ncluded wi thint he
sett
lement .Thepur poseofdoi ngsowi llbet oseet hatal
l
theplainti
ff'sclaimswer ei ncludedi nt hesett l
ementand
thatnot hi
ngwasexcl udedf rom i twhichcoul dpr operl
y
formt hebasi sforaf urthercl aimf ordamagesagai nstthe
othert ort
feasors.Thei ntentionoft hepar tiesi st obe
foundi nthewor dsoft heset tl
ement .Thequest i
oni sone
astot heobj ectivemeani ngoft hewor dsusedbyt hem in
thecont extofwhathasbeencl aimed.
"
Thequest
iont
her
efor
eis,asMrMcLar
enQC f
ort
he
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
CEGBputi t,notwhet hertheplaint
if
fhasr eceivedtheful
l
valueofhi scl aim butwhet herthesum whi chhehas
receivedi nset tl
ementofi twasi ntendedt o bei nful
l
satisf
actionoft het or
t.I
nthiscasethewor dsusedcannot
be const rued as meani ng that the sum whi ch the
deceasedagr eedt oacceptwasi nparti
alsati
sfacti
ononly
ofhi sclaim ofdamages.I twasexpr essl
yaccept edinful
l
andf inalsettlementandsat i
sfact
ionofal lhiscausesof
actioninthest atementofclaim.Iwoul dhol
dt hat
eu442
thet
ermsofhissett
lementwithBabcockext
ingui
shedhi
scl
aim of
damagesagai
nstt
heothertor
tfeasor
s."
ReadervMol
esworthBrightCl
egg(afi
rm)[
2007]3All
ER107
Fact
s:Thepl
aint
if
fs'f
atherwasinj
uredi
nacaracci
dentowi
ngt
othe
443"
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
"
Ihe
negl i
genceofoneRoyCor dingley.Heconsul tedasol i
citorin
thedef endant'
sf irm andanact i
onwasi nsti
tut edf orper sonal
i
nj uri
es.Hehowev erdiedi nthecour seoft hepr oceedingsand
thesol ici
tornegligent l
ydiscont i
nuedt heact i
on.Thepl ainti
ffs
l
at ersuedt hedef endantf orprofessionalnegl igencecl ai
mi ng
that wi thout the sol i
cit
or'
s negl igence,t hey coul d hav e
amended t he clai m t oi nclude damages undert he Fat al
Acci dents Act.I tf ellt o be det ermined whet her t he
discontinuanceoft heper sonalinjur
iesclaim ext i
nguishedany
claim undertheFat alAccidentsAct .
Hel d:Anact i
onundert heFat alAccidentsActwasasepar ate
cause of act i
on and t hus coul d not be af fected by a
discont i
nuanceofanact i
onf orpersonalinj
uries.
Principle:Anactionf orl
ossofdependencyi snotaf fectedbya
set t
lementora di sconti
nuance ofan act ion f orper sonal
injuri
es.
PerSmi t
hLJatp.117, pars.36—38:[ 36]' '
Inmyv i
ew,
i
ti scl earfrom s1oft he1976Actt hat,ifatt he
momentofhi s death,an i njur
ed claimanthas an
existi
ngcauseofact i
onar i
singfrom thewr ongf ulact
whi chcausedhisi njur
iesandi fhediesast her esultof
thesamewr ongfulact ,asecondcauseofact i
onf or
thebenef i
tofhisdependant scomesi ntobeingatt hat
moment .Alsoatt hemomentofdeat h,theexi st
ing
causeofact ionistransmi ttedtohisest at
epur suantt o
theLawRef orm(Mi scellaneousPr ovi
sions)Act1934.
[37] "
Myownpr act i
calexper iencetal
li
eswi t
ht hatof
MrLi vesey .Iti s wel lr ecogni sed thatt here ar etwo
separateact i
ons.Inaddi tion,itshoul dbenot edt hatthe
twoact ionsar egov er nedbydi fferentli
mitationper i
ods.
Theper sonalinjur
yact ioni sgov ernedbyss11and14of
theLimi tati
onAct1980.I ngener al,t
heact ionmustbe
broughtwi thinthreey earsoft heacci dentorwher ethe
clai
mr elatest oapr ogr essi v
edi sease,withint hr
eey ears
of the dat e on whi ch t he claimant knew or ought
reasonablytohav eknownoft hecl aim.Ont heot herhand,
theclaim undert he1976Acti sgov er
nedbys12oft he
1980Act ,whichpr ovidest hatthecl ai
m mustbebr ought
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
withi
nt hree year
s oft he date ofthe death.These
provi
sionsarenotcompat ibl
ewi ththenotion t
hatthe
1976Actcl ai
mi smer
elyanextensi
onoforamendmentt o
theori
ginalcl
aim.
[
38] "Iconcl
udet
her
efor
ethat
,wheni
nlat
eMar
ch
1995,
Mr
•
444
Lettall adv i
sed Mr s Reader t o consul t ot her
solici
tor s,thedependant s'claim undert he1976Act
was i nt act.Had i t
sv alue been r educed by any
uncer taintyast oi tsv ali
dity?Inmyv i
ew,i thadnot ;i
t
wasasv aluabl easi thadbeenbef or e11Januar y
1995.Li abili
t ywasboundt obeadmi tted,asi thad
beenadmi ttedi nt heper sonali njur
yact ion.Ther e
woul d be an i ssue as t o whet hert he deat h was
causal lyr elated t ot he or iginalacci dentbutt hat
woul dhav ebeeni nissuewhet hert hecl aim hadbeen
commencedbef ore11Januar y1995oraf ter.Ther e
hadbeennodel ayi npr osecut i
ngt hecl aim suchas
mi ghtr educei tsv alue.Thel i
mi tationper iodhadonl y
j
ustbegunt or un.Mr s Readercoul dhav est artedt he
1976 Actact i
on as soon as she i nst r
uct ed new
solici
tor s.Itisappar entt hatAST, oncounsel '
sadv ice,
tookt hev i
ew t hatt hecl aim hadbeendi scont i
nued
andwaswi t
houtv alue.Isupposei twoul dbef ai
rt o
sayt hat ,i
ft heywer eunsur eaboutt hecor rectnessof
theirv iew,t heywoul dper ceivet hecaset obel ess
valuabl et hani twoul dhav ebeeni fthatuncer t
ainty
had notar isen.Howev er,ther e was i nf actno
uncer taintyast hedi ffer
enceofv i
ew ont hei ssueof
l
awwast obedet ermi nedbyt hej udge."
PerLongmoreLJarep.120,par .52:"Nev er
theless
theli
neofauthori
tyhasenabl edMfLi mbt osubmi t
thati
fasettl
ementbeforedeathdisposesofacl aim,
so musta settl
ementaf terdeat h because there
cannotbeanyl ogi
caldisti
nctionbetweent het wo
sit
uati
ons.Idonotagree,becausedeat hdoesmake
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
allthe di fference.Bef ore deat h,no dependency
clai
m Canexi st .Oncedeat hoccur s,adependency
clai
m canar i
seand,l ogically,timef ort hatcl aim
beginst orun.Soi tmustber egar dedasset tledat
thelev eloftheCour tofAppeal t
hat ,ifbef or
edeat ha
clai
mi ssettledorpr oceedst oj udgment ,thecl aimi n
respect of t he per sonali njury cl aim i sf inally
disposedof .Oncedeat hoccur s,howev er,(prov ided
thatt heper sonali njuryisnotf inal l
yconcl uded)a
dependencycl aim canar i
se.I twi llthenbeamat ter
ofconst r
uingt hetermsofanyset tlementt odeci de
whethert hatset tl
ementdi sposednotonl yoft he
clai
m oft hei njuredper son( nowr epr esentedbyhi s
estate)butal sooft heexi stingdependencycl aim.I
agreet hatint hiscaset he ost ensi blyaut hor ised
settl
ementonl ysettledt heest ate'scl aim andnott he
dependencycl aim.Itf ol
lowst hatIagr eewi th
Srni
thLJt hatt hesecondpr eliminar yi ssueshoul dbeanswer
ed
445"
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
Ver
oni
caMahonvGer
ardJBur
ke[
1991]I
R495
Fact s:Thedeceasedcommencedanact i
onf ordamagesf or
personali njuri
es suf f
ered owing tot he negligence oft he
defendant .hecl aim wasset t
led bycompr omisebef or ehi s
deat h.Onhisdeat h,theplai
nti
ff,thewifeofthedeceased,sued
fordamages f orf uneralexpens s,ment aldistress,loss of
consor ti
um andinjurytothedependant s.
Held:Si ncet hedeceasedset tl
edhi sclaim beforehi sdeat h,the
plainti
ffhadnocauseofact i
on.
Principl
e:Wher eani njuredparty,whohasbr oughtaper sonal
inj
ur i
esact i
onwhi chi ssett
ledbycompr omise,di esafterthe
settlement,thedependant sarepr ecl
udedfrom bringingaf atal
accidentclaim oracl aimforfuneralexpensesinr elat
iontohi s
deat h.
"
448
NATUREOFI
NTERESTSCREATEDBYTHEREFORMS
Bl
akevMi
dlandRai
l
wayCo.(
1852)18QB93
Facts:Thepl ainti
ff
ssued f ordamagesf orthedeat hoft he
deceasedr esul t
ingf r
om thenegligenceoft hedefendant.The
tr
ialjudgedirectedt hejur
ytotakei ntoconsiderat
ionthement al
sufferi
ngandt helossofsocietytot hedependantsi nassessi
ng
damages.
Held:Ment alsuf f
eri
ngandl ossofsoci et
ywer enott obeconsideredi
n
assessingdamages.
Pri
nciple:Compensat i
onundertheacti sforpecuniar
ylossonlyand
ment alsuff
eringandl ossofsociet
ycannotbeconsi deredin
assessingdamages.
HessevAccr
aMuni
cipal
Counci
l[19641GLR399
Fact s: The plaintiff successfull
y sued t he defendant f or
negl i
genceincausi ngt hedeathofhisson.Thedef endantargued
thatt heplai
nti
ff,asf atherofthedeceased,wasnotent it
ledt o
anydamagesi nhi si ndivi
dualcapacit
ysincehewasnotder i
vi
ng
anypecuni ar
ybenef itfrom t
hedeceasedatt hetimeoft hedeat h
oft hedeceasedper son.
Held:Si ncetherewast hepr obabi
li
tythatt heplainti
ffwoul d
somedaybenef itfrom t hedeceased,hewasent i
tledtodamages
forthatprospectivel oss.
Principl
e:Thebasi sf ortheact i
oni ntortispecuni ar
yl ossi ncl
udi
ng
prospectivel
oss.
PerOllennuJSCatp.404:I ti
scor r
ectthatthebasisof
anactionundert heFatalAccidentsActispecuniaryloss
suff
eredbyt hedependant sinconsequenceoft hedeat h.
Thepecuni arylossincl
udesapr obableprospecti
veloss.
TheprincipleisstatedinClerk&Lindse//onTor ts(12th
ed.)
,para.397asf oll
ows:'Thebasisoftheact i
onist he
pecuniary l oss suf f
ered by t he dependant s i n
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
consequenceoft hedeceased'sdeath.Not hi
ngmaybe
giv
enbywayofsol ati
um.Ifnopecuni arylossi sproved
the def endantis enti
tl
ed to succeed.Buti tis not
essentialt hatther
e should be distinctev idence of
pecuniar yadvant
ageactuall
yderi
vedf r
om t hedeceased
pri
ortohi sdeath.Prospecti
velossmaybet akeninto
account ,buti tmustbe t he l
oss ofa ' reasonable
expectat in of pecuniary advantage,'not a ' mere
speculat i
vepossi
bil
it
y'
..
..
"
Andt
hati
sthepr
inci
plewhi
chthel
ear
nedj
udgeshoul
d
have
449•
appli
ed. Alt
hough he properl
y directed hi mselfthat
pecuniar
ylossisthebasisofsuchacl aim,hef ai
ledto
dir
ecthis att
enti
on t
o prospect
ivel oss.Howev er
,that
i
ssuehasnotbeenr ai
sedint hi
sappeal ,andwewoul d
ther
eforesaynomoreaboutit.I
tisenoughher etorest
ate
thepri
ncipl
eoflawappl
icabl
etosuchcases. "
BarnettvCohen[ 1921]KB461
Facts:Thepl ai
ntiffsuedfordamagesf ort
hedeathofhisinfantson
resul
tingf rom thenegl i
genceoft hedefendants.Thesonatt he
dateofhi sdeathwasj ustunderfouryear
s,bri
ghtandhealthy.The
plai
nti
f fclai
medf or,amongothers,l
ossofreasonableexpectati
on
ofpecuni arybenef i
tandburi
alexpenses.
Hel
d:Bur
ial
expenseswer
enotr
ecov
erabl
e.
PerMcCar di
eJatpp472and473:" Thesuggestedheads
ofdamage,ot herthant heoneIhav eabov edealtwith,are
clearlyinv al
i
d.Thebur ialexpensesar enotr ecoverable:
seeCl arkvLondonGener a/Omni busCo.Upont hesame
principleIam debar r
edf r
om allowingeithertheexpenses
i
ncur redbyt hepl ai
ntiff
,indef er
encet ohisreli
giousdut i
es
asaJew, inprocuringawat cherupont hebodyofhi sdead
child,ort helosshewasputt othrought helikeduti
esi n
abst aini
ngf r
om busi nessl aboursforaspaceoft imeaf t
er
thedeat h.Isympat hisewi ththeplainti
ffinthelossofhi s
child,butIam bound i nlaw t o givejudgmentf ort he
def endants."
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
Baay
evPr
empeh(
unr
epor
ted)
DAMAGESRECOVERABLE
A.Dependantscan onl
yclaim fora reasonabl
e expect
ati
on of
pecuni
aryadv
antagebutnotspecul
ati
vepossibi
l
ity
.
AgbedorvYeboa[
1981]GLR769
Facts:Thedeceased,aged20,di edi namot oracci
dentwhent he
defendant '
scarski ddedofft her oad.Pr iort ohisdeath,hehad
obtainedhi sCi t
yandGui ldsCer t
ificatefort el
ecommuni cat i
ons,
practicalmat hemat i
csandengi neeri
ngsci encewi thdist
inct
ionand
evidence showed t hatpeopl e wi t
ht hatqual i
fi
cati
on had hi gh
prospect s.Inanact i
onbytheadmi nistrat
orsonbehal fofthef at
her,
uncle and f oury oungersiblings as dependant s,they claimed
damagesf orlossofexpect
ationofl i
f eandl ossofprospecti
ve
•
450
dependency.The t r
ialjudge granted t
he cl ai
m forloss of
expect
ati
on of l i
fe but not pr ospect
ive dependency.The
admini
strat
orsappeal ed.Held:Thepl ai
nti
ffswer eentit
ledt o
damages f or l
oss of pr ospective dependency since t he
dependants had a f ut
ure pecuniary advantage. Pr
inci
pl e:
Damagesf orpr ospectiv
edependencyar er ecover
ableifthe
dependants hav
el osta r easonable pr
obabilit
yofpecuni ar y
advant
age.
"Thelaw,whet herstatut
ory,commonl aworcustomar y,
i
st hepr oductofsoci alconditi
ons.Accountt herefore
needst obet akenoft hecharacter
ist
icsofthesy stems
ofoursoci alconditi
ons.Theconst r
aint
sofoursoci al
condit
ions demand cogni sance by ourl egali deas,
especiall
yi n such cases as the instantone.Fr om
whatev erareaonecomesf rom inGhana,towhat ever
communi t
yone bel ongs,the factsofoursoci all i
fe
cannotbei gnored.
"Insituationsl i
keours,whereunclesandaunt sexpecta
returnf rom us because t hey had,in some smal l
measur e—per haps an i
nfini
tesimal
measur e—cont ri
butedtoourbei ng,whereourr elati
ons
expectt hatoncewear egrownupwewoul dbeabi t
'
sensi bl
e' ,we cannotdi vorce such pract
icalr eali
ti
es
from consi derati
ons whi ch giver i
se to claims t o
dependency .Moresowi t
hourownf at
hersandmot hers.
Ther emaybedev i
ati
ons;butbyandl ar
ge,whatIhav e
statedist henorm ofoursocietyInsuchmatters.
"Theyhavenursedandnurt
uredusfr
om thecradl
e.They
haveprov
ideduswit
heducat
ionandot
hercomf
ortsofl
if
e.
451•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
Inmanycases,t heyhav edeni edt hemsel vessi mpl e
comfortsinor dertoprov i
deuswi theducat ionandt he
l
itt
lecomf or
tsofourexi stence.Wher et heydi dnot
have educat i
on,t heyhav e done ev eryt
hi ng i
nt heir
powertogi v
euseducat ion.I l
lit
erateast heyar e,they
havesoughtt omakeusl iterate.Idonott hi
nkt hat
natur
all
yt heydonotexpectsomer eturnf rom us.They
know thatt he cont r
ibutions t hatt hey had made
towardsourgr owi ngupwoul dbecompensat edf orat
somest age,andwhenwear eabl et oear nal i
ving.
Knowingt hecondi ti
onsint hiscount ry,Idonott hinkI
cansayt hatsuchexpect at i
onsar enotr easonabl e."
Atp.775:" I
nt heinstantcase,wear edeal i
ngwi tht he
i
ssueofpr ospecti
v edependency .Thef ail
uresoft he
plai
ntif
finAl imatuvBoamehar enotthef ai
luresoft he
appell
ant sinthepr esentcase.Wher eAli
mat uf ai
ledon
the facts,t he appellantsi nthe presentcase had
succeededont hef acts.Thelegalconsiderationsar e
thusnott hesame.Andbecauset hepl ainti
ffint hat
casef ail
edont hef acts,thecourt'
sdi ctabasedon
BarnettvCohenwer enotr eal
l
yger manet ot hei ssue
beforeit.Theydi dnotf or
mt herati
odeci dendioft hat
case.
Andatp.777:" Therealissueforthi
sappeal,however,
i
st hedismissalbythelearnedtri
aljudgeoftheclai
m
forprospect
ivedependency.Readingsecti
on18( 1)(
a)
oft heAct,itisclearthatdamagesf orprospecti
ve
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
dependency coul
d be awar ded. And,as already
demonstrat
edbyr ef
erencetothedecidedcases,the
cl
aimf orl
ossofprospecti
vedependencyoughtnotto
have
•
452
beendi
smi
ssed.Iwoul
d,t
her
efor
e,al
l
owt
heappeal
."
ManuvKakr
aba[
1962]1GLR341
Facts:A14y earoldMi ddleForm 4boywaski lledbyt he
negligenceoft hedefendants.Pri
ortohisdeath,heusedt o
helpi nculti
vati
ngt hefarm andhel pedfetchfi
rewoodand
foodst uff
s.The mot herand gr andmother cl aimed for
damages.
Held:Si ncethedeceasedwoul dhav econti
nuedtohel pinthe
farm had he notdi ed,the dependants were entitl
ed to
damages.
Principle:Damagesar er ecover
ableforreasonableexpectati
onof
pecuni arybenefi
t.
"Ithereforehol
dt hatthisevidenceoft hepl ai
nti
ff
certai
nly shows a r easonable expect at
ion of
pecuniary benefit to t he pl ai
ntif
f and t he
grandmot herfr
om t hecontinuanceoft hel i
feof
Boakye.Iam t hereforesati
sfiedthatt hepl ai
nti
ff
hassucceededi npr ovi
ngpecuni ar
ylosst oherself
and tot he grandmot herwhi ch enti
tl
es hert o
succeedonhercl ai
m. "
Addai
vAt
tor
neyGener
al[
1976]2GLR412
Fact
s:A15-
year
-ol
dgi
rlwasknockeddownandki
l
ledbyacardr
ivenby
453•
the second def endant,an empl oyee oft he Mini
stry of
Education.Thepar ti
essubmi tt
edf orconsentj udgmenta
settl
ementt hatincl
udedl ossofdependency .Therewasno
proveofanyl ossofdependencyi nthepleadings.
Held:Si nce the plaint
iff
s had notpr oved any loss of
dependency ,theywerenotent it
ledt odamagesf orlossof
dependency .
Princi
ple:Part
icular
sofl ossofdependencymustbepl eaded
andpr oved.
Taf
fVal
eRai
l
wayCo.vJenki
ns[
1913]AC1
Facts:Theplai
nti
ff
's16-y
ear-
olddaughterwaski l
ledbyt he
negli
genceofthedefendant.Atthetimeofherdeat h,the
deceased had 2 months l
eftin herapprent
iceshi
p as a
dressmakerandwouldhav eearnedremunerati
onf rom her
workalmostimmediat
ely.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
Held:Al t
hought hedeceasedwasatt het imeofherdeat hnot
earning anyi ncome,t herewasa r easonabl eprobabili
tyofher
earning money i f she had l i
ved and t hus the act i
on was
mai ntainable.
Principle:Itisnotacondi t
ionprecedentt othemai ntenanceofan
actionundert heFatalAcci dent
sAct ,t hatt hedeceasedshoul d
hav ebeenact ual
lyearningmoneyormoney '
swor t
horcont r
ibut
ing
tot hesuppor tofthepl ai
nti
ffatorbef oret hedateoft hedeat h,
prov i
ded t hat the pl aint
if
f had a r easonabl e expectat
ion of
pecuni arybenef i
tfr
om t heconti
nuanceoft hel if
e.
455•
ot
hert
hananddi
ff
erentf
rom t
hem.
"
Atp.471:" Ithi
nkthatt heonlywayt odisti
ngui
shbet ween
thecaseswher et hepl ai
nti
ffhasf ai
l
edf r
om thecases
wherehehassucceededi stosaythatint hefor
merthereis
amer especul ati
vepossi bil
it
yofbenef i
t,whereasint he
l
atter therei sar easonable probabili
ty of pecuni
ary
advantage.Thel atterisassessabl e.Thef ormerisnon-
assessable.Thistest,thoughnecessar i
lyloose,seemst o
betheonl yonetoappl y.
"
457.
Equal l
yuncer tain,too,isthel i
feoft heplainti
ffhi mselfin
view ofhi s poorheal th.He mi ghtormi ghtnothav e
sur vi
vedhi sson.Thati sapoi ntf orconsideration,for,as
waspoi ntedoutbyBr ayJ. ,whensi tt
ingint heCour tof
Appeal ,inPricevG/ yneaandCast l
eCoalCo. :'
Wher ea
claimi smadeunderLor dCampbel l
'
sAct ,asitisher e,i
tis
notonl y a quest ion oft he expect at
ion ofl i
fe oft he
deceased man,butt her
ei s also a quest ion oft he
ex pectat
ionoft hel i
feoft heclaimant '
.Upont hef actsof
thiscaset hepl ainti
ffhasnotpr ov eddamageei theract ual
orpr ospective.Hi sclaimi spressedt oext i
nct i
onbyt he
wei ghtofmul ti
pl i
edcont ingencies.Theact i
ont her ef
ore
fails.
"
B.Benefi
tsaccruingbyv i
rt
ueofabusi
nessr
elat
ionshi
par
enott
o
betakenintoaccount.
SykesvNor
thEast
ernRai
l
wayCo.11874— 801Al
lER
RepExt
1892; (1875)32LT199; LJCP191
Facts:Thedeceased,a23- year-old man,wasempl oyed byhi s
fatherandwaspai dordinarywage.Fol lowinghi sdeat howi ngt o
thenegl i
genceoft hedef endant ,thepl ainti
ffsuedcl aimingamong
otherst hathecoul dnotsecur et hekindofcont ractshesecur ed
duringt hel i
feti
meoft hedeceasedsi ncet hesonwasv eryski l
ful
andv eryinstrumentalinhi swor k.Hel d:Sincethepl ai
ntif
fdidnot
enjoy any pecuni ary benef itf rom t he deceased sav et heir
cont r
act ualrel
ati
onship, t
heplaint iff
'sactionwasnotmai ntainable.
Principle:Pecuniaryadv antagear isingfrom contractualorbusi ness
rel
at i
onshi psisnotrecov erabl
e.
PerBr et
tJatp.1893:" Ther
ei sno evi
dencet hatthe
pl
ainti
ff recei
ved any pecuniary benef
it from t he
conti
nuanceofhisson'
slif
e.Thesonwasoff ullage,and
workedforf ai
rwages,t
hear r
angementsbetweenf at
her
andsonbei ngpur
elymat
tersofcontr
act
.
PerGr
oveJatp.1893:"
Lor
dCampbel
l'
sActwasintended
t
ocompensat
ef orthel
ossofapecuni
arybenef
itwhich
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
hadbeender i
vedfrom rel
ati
onshipt othepersonki l
ledby
the negli
gence ofanot her.In Frankl
in vSout h-Eastern
Rail
wayCompany( 1858,3H&N211) ,thefatherwasol d
andi nfi
rm,andt hesonassi stedhi minear ni
ngwages
from mot i
vesoff i
lialaf
fecti
on.Her ethefatherpai dt he
sont heordinar
ywages,andt hereisnothi
ngt oshowt hat
thesonwoul dnothav el
eftoffworkingforhisfatherifhe
couldhavegotbet t
erwagesf rom anybodyelse."
Bur
gessvFl
orenceNi
ght
ingal
e[1955]1QB349
Fact s:Thepl ainti
ffandhi swif
ewer edancingpar tnersandear ned
theirl i
ving f
rom danci ng.The moneywas usual l
ypai dtot he
plaintiffandhekepti tinacommondr awerwher ebot hofthem
coul ddr aw f
rom.Thedeceasedwaski l
ledbyt henegl igenceofa
sur geonempl oyedbyt hedef endant.Thepl ai
nti
ffl ostbusiness
becausehecoul dnotf i
ndasuitablepartnertodancewi th.
Hel d:Thel ossofbusi nessbei ng onear isi
ng from abusi ness
relationshipi snotr ecov er
abl
e,butsi ncet heykepta common
accountanddr ew from itfort heirneeds,t hepl ai
nti
fflostthat
pecuni aryadvantageandwasent it
ledtorecover.
Princi ple: Loss ar i
sing from busi ness r elat
ionships i s not
recov er abl
e.
PerDev li
nJatpp.355and356:" I
ti scleart hatt hepl ainti
ff
hasi nf actsust ainedani njury;hehassust ainedal oss.
Why ,t hen,isi tnotr ecov erablei nl aw?Theansweri s,I
think,becauset hel aw mustnecessar i
l
yl i
mi tthescope
wi t
hinwhi chi tcanal lowr ecov ery.Whenev eramandi es, i
f
hei samanofanact ivet ype, i
thasr eper cussi ons, greator
smal l
,on al lt hosewi th whom hehaspr ev i
ousl ybeen
concer ned.Itmayr edoundt ot heirf inanci aladv ant age,or
i
tmayr edoundt ot heirf inanci aldi sadv ant age.I faman
whoi sempl oy edasadepar tment almanager ,forexampl e,
atL3,000ay ear ,i
ssuddenl ykill
ed, someonemayst epi nto
hisshoesandgetal ar geri ncome,andder iveabenef i
t
from hi sdeat h,whi l
esomeoneel se,per hapsasecr etary
whom he par ti
cularl
yl iked,mi ght be t hr own out of
empl oy mentand mi ghthav e dif fi
cultyi n get ti
ng ot her
empl oy mentatt hesamesal ary,andmi ghtt husl oseasum
ofmoney .Allthosel osses,t hought heydonotseem qui te
sodi rectast hel osst ot hehusbandi nt hiscase, arei nf act
stil
lwi t
hinthesamecat egor y .Theyar eal i
ttl
emor eremot e
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
becauseoft hecloseconnexionbetweent hehusbandand
thewi f
easdanci ngpartner
s,buttheyarewi t
hinthesame
category,andthel aw doesnotallow i
t,becauseifitdid
therewoul dbenoendt othecompensat ionwhichwoul d
havet obepai dasar esul
tofsomeper hapsquitesmall
accidentwhi ch coul
d nothav e been f or
eseen by the
wrongdoer .
459z•
"Thatpr inci
plehasbeenr ecentlyv er
ycl earl
yst atedint he
HouseofLor dsi nBestv .SamuelFox& Co.Ld.Lor d
Goddar dsaid:" I
tmayof tenhappent hatani njuryt oone
personmayaf f
ectanot her;aser vantwhosemast eri s
kil
ledorper manent l
yi nj
uredmayl osehi sempl oyment,i t
maybeofl ongst anding,andt hemi sfort
unemaycome
whenhei sofanagewheni twoul dbev erydiff
icultforhim
toobt ai
not herwor k,butnoonewoul dsuggestt hathe
therebyacqui resar i
ghtofact ionagai nstthewr ongdoer .
Damages f orper sonali njur ycan sel dom be a per fect
compensat i
on,butwher ei njuryhasbeencausedt oa
husbandorf at herithasnev erbeent hecaset hathi swi fe
orchi ldrenwhosest y
leofl ivi
ngoreducat ionmayhav e
radicallytobecur tai
ledhav eont hataccountar i
ghtof
actionot herthant hatwhi ch, inthecaseofdeat h, theFat al
Acci dentsAct, 1846, hasgi ven."
HayvHughes[ 1975]QB790
Facts:Thepar
entsoft wokidswer eki
lledbythenegli
genceoft he
defendant
.Fol
lowingthedeath,t
heirgrandmothertookthem toher
homeandt ookcar eofthem asamot her.Thedefendantadmi t
ted
l
iabil
it
yanddamageswer eassessed.Theplai
ntif
fclai
medt hatthe
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
j
udgeerredinnoti ncl
udinginthedamagest heserv
iceswhichthe
gr
andmot herhadbeenr ender
ingasamot her
.
Held:Theservicesthegrandmot herr
ender
edwer enotser
vicesto
betakenintoaccountinassessingdamages.
Andatp.354:"Why,onemaywellask,shoul
dthedef
endants'
bur
denbeli
ghtenedbythegener
osi
tyofthepubl
ic?
'It
hink461
•
thatonecansayinthesamewayi nthiscase:whyshoul d
the burden on the defendants be l i
ghtened by t he
generosit
yofthestepchi
ldren?Ireal
i
ze,ofcour se,thata
defendantmay find his orherbur den light
ened,f or
i
nstance,byt
hefactthatthedeceased, usuall
yahusband,
hassav edmoneywhichgoest ohiswifeasar esultofthe
death.
"Toretur
nt othewayi
nwhi chthej
udgeputi
t,Iwoul
dhave
sai
dt hatthispay
mentwasnotmadeast heresul
tofthe
deceased'
sdeath.Ofcour
se,itwoul
dnothavebeenmade
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
unlessthewi fehaddi ed,butIwoul dhav esaidthatitwasthe
result of the st epchil
dren's considerat
ion,and per haps
affecti
on fort heirstepfather.Also,i tis notaccur ateto
describeitaspar tofthewi dow'sestate.Thereisnoev i
dence
ast owhatot herresourcesi fany,t
hest epchil
drenhad.Itwas
at hir
doft heamountwhi cht heygotast heresultofthe
mot her'
swill
."
Will
iamsvWel shAmbul ance[
2008]EWCACi v71
Facts:Thedeceased,asuccessf ulentrepreneur,wasIdll
edwhen
thedefendant'
sambul anceranintohi scar .Theplai
nti
ffwast he
wifeandapar t
neri
nt hedeceasedper son'sbusinesstogetherwi
th
hischil
drenbut
PerSmit
hLJatpars.49— 53:49."
Thusiti
splai
n,i
nmy
vi
ew,t
hatMrsWil
li
amsandt hechil
drenwer
edependant
s
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
ofMrWi ll
iamsatt hetimeofhi sdeat h.Thef actthateach
ofthem wasaswel lof
faf t
ert hedeat hasbef ore,because
DavidandSar aht ookov erresponsi bili
tyf ormanagi ngt he
businessanddi dsosuccessf ul l
yisnot hi ngt othepoi nt.As
thejudgeobser v ed,adependantcannotbyhi sorherown
conductaf tert hedeat haffectt hev alueoft hedependency
atthet i
meoft hedeat h.Tot akeMr sO' Loughl i
nasan
exampl e,herdependencywast hesamewhet hershet ri
ed
torunt hepr oper t ybusinessbutf ailed, ortri
edt oruni tand
succeededorr ef usedt otryatal l
.Inr efusingt ot r
y ,she
mighthav edeci dedt osellallt hepr oper ti
es,orshemi ght
haveempl oy edsomeonet or uni tasamanagerorshe
mightsi mpl yhav edonenot hingandl eti tr undownhi l
l.
What evershedi dandwi thwhat everr esult,goodorbad,
shecoul dnotaf fectthev alueofherdependencyonher
husbandatt hedat eofhisdeat h.
50." Accordi
ngly,i
nmyj udgment ,JudgeHicki
nbot t
om was
ri
ghtwhenhey el
dthatitwasi rrel
ev antt
hatDavidandSar ah
hadmadeasuccessoft hebusi ness.Thatwasnotbecause
thef i
nancialbenefi
twhicht heyhadbr oughttot hefami ly
wasa' benefi
taccrui
ngasar esultofthedeath'whichhad
tobei gnoredundersection4. .I
twasbecauset hatfinancial
benefitwasirrel
evanttotheassessmentoft hedependency
undersect i
on3.Hewascor rectwhenhesai dthatnothing
thatadependant( orfort hatmat teranyoneelse)coulddo
afterthedeathcould
463"
eit
herincreaseordecr easet hedependency .Thedependencyi s
fi
xedatt hemomentofdeat h;i tiswhatt hedependantswoul d
probabl
yhav er eceived asbenef i
tf r
om thedeceased,had t he
deceased notdi ed.Whatdeci sionspeopl emakeaf t
erwardsi s
i
rrel
evant.Theonl ypostdeat hevent swhicharerelev
antaret hose
whichaffecttheconti
nuanceoft hedependency( suchasthedeat h
ofadependantbef oretrial)andt herise(orfall
)inearningst o
refl
ectt
heef f
ectsofinfl
ation.
51. "Oncei
thasbeenestabl
ishedthatt
hesurvi
vi
ngmember sof
thef
ami
lywer
eindeeddependantsofMrWi l
l
iams,thej
udge'
stask
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
wast oassesst hev alueoft hedependency .Hewasaskedt odo
thatonagl obalbasis.Itwasappar enttothej udgethatt hemet hod
ofassessmentwhi chhadbeenadopt edinWoodandO' Loughli
n
was much t he mostconv enientwayofdoi ng this.Thatwas
because,byf ocussingont hev al
ueoft hedeceased' sser v
ices,it
waspossi bletoexcludeanybenef i
twhi chhadcomet othef amily
byi nheri
tanceundert hedeceased' swi ll
.Anyot hermet hod of
assessmentwoul dhav ebeendi ff
icultandcompl i
cat edbecauseof
theneedt oseparateouti ncomewhi chwasder ivedf rom capital
from thatwhichwasder i
vedf r
om l abour.Themet hodadopt edby
thejudgewentst raighttot hev al
ueoft hedeceased' slabour.The
j
udgewasr ightt
ochooset hi smet hodofassessment .
PerJudgeAnthonyThornt
on(si
tt
ingasaDeputyJudge
oftheHighCourt
)atpp.69and70,par
s.31and32:[
31]
"
Iti
snowcl
ear
lyest
abl
i
shedt
hatacl
aimantsuf
fer
ingi
njur
ies
465•
ordiseaset hathav
er esultedfrom adefendant'stort
iousact smay
recov erthecostofbei ngcar edf orornursedbyaf amilymember
whet herornott hecar erhadcont ract
edtopr ovidethoseser vi
ces.
Ifthecar ewassubj ectt oacont ract
ual
lyenforceableagr eement,
theagr eedcost,orar easonablecostwher enosum orr at ewas
agreed,may be r ecov erabl
e.I ft he servi
ces wer e provi
ded
gratuitously
, t
hecourtassessesandawar dsar easonablesum.
[32]"Thisheadofcl ai
mi stheheadunderwhi chaclaim wasadvancedand
acceptedf ortheservi
cesofMrWi lson'
st wodaughtersandgranddaughter
whohel pedt onur seandcar eforhim athomebet weenSept ember2006
andFebr uar
y2007.I nor dertoascer tainwhetheritcanbeext endedt o
cover t he r esi
denti
al and non- resident
ial pal
li
ati
ve care provi
ded
gratuit
ouslybyachar i
tablehospicef oundationinv
olvesascert
aini
ngthe
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
princi
ple upon which the cour
ts acceptthi
s head ofclai
m as bei
ng
recoverabl
e.Unfor
tunately
,iti
sdif
fi
culttodi
scernacl
earpr
inci
ple.
Andatpp.71and72, par.37:"Thi
sheadofcl ai
m concer nedwi th
carepr ov i
dedi nt hehomeshoul dbecompar edwi thar elated
headofcl ai
mf ort
her ecoveryformedicalandinst i
tutionalcar i
ng
servicesout sidethehomeandwi ththewayt hatt h&cour tstreat
charitabl egiftsandser vi
cespr ovi
dedtoacl aimant .Ther elevant
pri
nci plesgr oundingr ecoveryinsuchcasemaybesummar ised
asf ollows:' (1)Acl ai
mantmaynotr ecoverforf aci
lit
iespr ovided
wit
houtchar gebyt heNat ionalHeal
thServi
ce( NHS)si ncehei s
entit
ledt or eceivetheseser v i
cesonthatbasis.Howev er,hemay
recovert hecostofpay i
ngf orsuchservi
cesanddoesnothav et o
provet hatt he deci si
on t o optf orpr i
vate heal th care was
reasonabl e.10
'
(2)A cl ai
mantmaynotr ecoverforinsti
tut
ionalcar e
provi
dedbyal ocalauthori
tywherethatcarei
srequiredas
adi r
ectandf oreseeableconsequenceoft hei nj
uryf or
which compensat ion is being cl
aimed ifthatcar ei s
provi
ded free ofchar ge.Howev er,tothe extentt hat
l
l
paymentisr equir
ed,thatorcostmayber ecover
ed.
'
(3)At ort
feasormustcompensat etheNHSf ort hecostof
treat
menti nNHShospi tal
sf ortr
eat mentf
ori njur
iesand
diseasecausedbyat ort
feasorandf orambulancecharges
i
ncur redinconnectionwi t
hsucht reatment.Thescheme
forsuch compensat ion ist he Injur
y Costs Recov ery
Scheme ( ICR Scheme)whi ch was setup undert he
provisionsoft heHeal t
handSoci alCare( Communi ties
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
Healt
handSt andar
ds)Act2003.Thi
sschemecamei nto
f
orceon29Januar y2007anditrequi
respaymentofa
f
ixedsum perdayoft r
eat
mentorambulancej
our
neythat
i
sf i
xedf
orbyast at
utoryt
ari
ff
.
'
(4)A cl ai
mantmaykeep,wi thoutdeduct ion from t he
damagest hatwouldotherwisebeawar ded,anysum pai d
tohi m byapr i
vateindi
vidual,companyorchar ityasa
mar kofsympathyandassistanceort ocov ermedi caland
rel
atedexpenses.Wherethedonorexpect s,whet herasa
resultofa conditi
on oft he donat i
on oras a mor al
obli
gati
on,thedonati
ontober efundedifitisr ecoveredas
damagesf rom thetortf
easor,t hecourtwi llawar dt hat
sum butwilli
mposeat r
ustofitinfavouroft hedonor ."
'
Wol
fevDel
Innocent
i[2006]EWHC2694
Facts:Theplainti
ff'
shusbanddi edinamot oraccidentowi ngt othe
negli
genceoft hedef endant.Att heti
meofhi sdeat h,her ana
garagebusinesswi t
ht heplaint
if
fbutt hepl ainti
ffdidnotpl ayan
acti
veroleinthebusi nessbutshecont inuedt hebusi nessafterthe
deathoft hehusband.Thedeceasedmai ntainedt hef amilywith
profi
tsfrom thebusi ness.Inanact ionundert heFat alAccidents
Act,sheclai
medf orl
ossofdependency .Thedef endantar guedthat
si
nceshecont inuedt hebusiness,anypotential
467•
benef i
tfr
om t hebusinessmustbeconsi deredtoreducedamages.
Held:Sincet hepl ai
nti
ffwoul dhavecont i
nuedtobenef itf
rom the
businesswi thoutwor kinghadt hehusbandl i
ved,anybenef i
tshe
deri
v esbyv i
rtueofwor kingcouldnotbeconsi deredt oreduce
damages.
Pri
nci pl
e:Wher easpouseofadeceasedi snotwor ki
ngatt hetime
ofthedeat hoft heotherspouse,butt hereisev i
dencet hatshe
wouldhav ewor kedeveni ftheotherspousehadlived,thebenefit
s
deri
v edfrom wor kmustbeconsi deredtoreducedamages.
PerOwenJatpar .23:Inassessi
ngadependencyclai
m underthe
FatalAcci
dentsActt hetaskoft hecourt,si
mplystated,isto
assesswhether,andi fsot owhatextentandforwhatdur ati
on
thoseonwhosebehal ftheclai
mt oadependencyi sbrought,
wouldhavebeenf i
nancial
lydependentuponthe deceased.I
tis
now commonpl acef orbothhusbandandwi f
etowor kandt o
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
cont r
ibutet othef ami lypool .Int hecaseofacl aim br oughton
behal fofawi dow i twi llf requent lybenecessar yt oconsi der
whet hershewoul dinanyev enthav ewor kedaftert hedeat hof
herhusband,al thoughshemi ghtnothav ebeenwor kingatt he
dateofdeat h.Manywi vesst opwor kf oraper iodwhi lsttheir
childrenar eyoung,i ntendi ngt or eturntowor katal aterst age.If
thecour tissat i
sfiedont heev idencet hatawi dow i ntendedt o
returntowor khadherhusbandsur vi
ved,andt hatherear ni
ngs
woul dhav econtributedt ot hef ami lypool ,thenherpr ospective
earningswi l
lbet akeni ntoaccounti nassessi ngthedependency .
Allwillturnont hef actsoft hei ndi vidualcase.Butt hepr oposition
derivedbyCummi ng-Br uceJf rom t heAust r
ali
ancases,namel y
thatanyadv antaget hatt hewi f
emayder ivef r
om remuner ationas
aconsequenceofherowni ntent iont or eturntowor kmustbe
disregarded,doesnoti nmyj udgmentr epresentt hel aw int his
j
ur i
sdiction."
c. Damagesar
erecov
erabl
eforl
osty
ear
s
ShanksvSwanHunt
erGr
oupPl
c[2007]Al
lER(
D)427
Fact
s:Theplaint
if
fdev el
opedmesothel
iomaowi ngt oexposur
eto
asbestoswhil
eintheempl oymentoft
hedef endant
.Hebecamev ery
weak,t aki
ngdrugseveryhourandhi sli
feexpectancywassai dto
havereducedtoonl yfouryearsandhet huswasl ikel
ytodieearl
y
2009.Hesuccessfull
ysuedt hedef
endantandont heassessmentof
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
damages,i tfel
ltobedet erminedt hequant um tobedeductedf rom
thedamagesawar dedforhisl ostyears.Atthetimeoft heact
ion,he
wast akingcar
eoftwogr andchil
drenofhi sdeceasedson.
Held:Theamountt hepl ai
ntiffwaslikelytoexpendonhi mselfand
hi
sf amilymustbecal culatedanddeduct edfrom thequantum of
generaldamagesawar dedf orthelostyears.
Pri
ncipl
e:Damagesf orlosty earsarer ecover
ablebyal i
vi
ngv icti
m
butmustbe r educed by t he amountt he vi
cti
m woul d hav e
expendedhadhel iv
ed.
469•
•
f
utur
e.
39. " Wi
thregardt oMrShanks:( i)Alt
houghhewor kedaway
fr
om homeandAKpai dmanyofhi sexpenses,
her et
ained( e.
g.)hi
s
home i n. Adel
aide,and a carwhi ch his wife dr
ov e:and he
maint ai
nedagoodl ifest
yleuponwhi chhe( reasonably)spenta
si
gnificantand conv enti
onalamountofhi sincome.Ther ewas
nothing inthe evidence to suggestthathe spenton hi mself
anythingmuchlesst hanat ypi
calmanofsuchmeans.
"(i
i)Wit
hregardtohisgrandchil
dren,
Iacceptthatther
ewouldhave
beenabout10-13y ear
sf r
om ear l
y2009,beforethesechi
ldr
enlef
t
theirmother
'shomeandhi ghereducat
ion:andi tisli
kel
ythatMr
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
Shankswoul dhav espenti ncr
easingamount sofmoneyont hem,
ast hei rfi
nanci alneedsgr ew.Hi sf i
nanci alcommi tmentt ot he
chil
drenbef ore2005wasmai nl
ybywayofcomf or t
.Iacceptt hat,
ast hechi ldrenmov edt hr
oughschoolandpossi blybey ond,itis
l
ikel
yt hatthecal lsonMrShanks'f i
nanci alr esour ceswoul dhav e
subst anti
allyincreased.Bymycal culati
ont hechi ldrenwoul dpass
thr
oughhi ghereducat ionbyabout2018- 21.MrShankswoul dbe70
i
n2018.Thi scommi t mentwoul dtherefor ehav er unf r
om 2009
thr
oughouthi s wor king li
fe.Given the financi alposi ti
on ofMr
Shanks'daught er-
in-l
aw,and t he fi
nanci alposi ti
on MrShanks
wouldhav ebeeni nhadhecont inuedt owor k,Ihav enodoubtt hat
thi
sf inancialcommi tmentwoul dhavebeenav eryr ealone-butnot
asgr eatasi fthechi l
dr enhadbeenl i
vingwi thMrShankshi mself.
"(i
i
i)Iacceptt hat,inr el
ati
ont odeduct i
onsi nrespectofl iv
ing
expenses,starting pointsof50% deduct i
on foramar r
ied man
withoutchi
ldrenand33%deduct i
onformar ri
edmanwi t
hchi l
dren
aresensibl
eandappr opri
ate."Thisproposit
ionwassuppor tedby
bothparti
es.Int hecir
cumst ancesoft hi
scase,MrShankscl earl
y
fal
lsbetweent hesefigures.
I
qbal vWhi ppsCrossUni v ersit
yNHSTr ust[2007]EWCACi v1190
Facts:Theni ne-
year-oldplainti
ffsuff
eredf r
om acer ebraldisease
owingt othenegligenceoft hedef endantwhi chreducedhi slif
e
expectancyto41y ears.Thedef endantadmi t
tedli
abil
it
ybutont he
quest i
onofdamages, itfell
t obedeterminedwhet herhewas
enti
tledtodamagesf orthel ossofhisear ningsforthelosty ears.
Hel
d: Theplai
nti
ffwasent
it
ledt
odamagesf
orthel
ossofhi
s
ear
ningsfrom age41toage65whenhewoul
dhaveret
ir
ed.
ASSESSMENTOFTHEPECUNI
ARYLOSS
DaviesvPowel lDuffr
ynAssoci
atedColl
i
eriesLtd[ 1942]AC601
Facts:The pl
ainti
ff
s sued f
ordamages fort he death ofthei
r
husbandsresult
ingfrom anexpl
osionatthedef endant'
smining
si
te.Theyclai
meddamagesundert heFatalAccidentsActandfor
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
shortenedexpectati
onofl if
eundert heLawRef orm Act.Thecour t
granted the r
eli
efs butr educed t he damages undert he Fatal
AccidentsActbythedar nagesawar dedundertheLawRef orm Act.
Held:Thecour twasr i
ghtinr educi
ngt hedamagesundert heFat al
AccidentsActbythedamagesawar dedundertheLawRef orm Act.
Princi
ple:Damagest oadeceasedper son'sdependantmustbe
determinedbybal anci
ngt hel ossofanyf ut
urepecuniarybenef it
withanypecuniaryadvantagewhi chaccruesbyv i
rt
ueoft hedeat h.
471.
bel egiti
mat elypl eaded i ndi mi nuti
onoft hedamagesmustbe
considered:Gr andTr unkBy .Co.ofCanadavJenni ngs.Theact ual
pecuniaryl oss ofeach i ndividualent i
tl
ed t o sue can onl ybe
ascertainedbybal ancing,ont heonehand,t helosst ohim oft he
fut
urepecuni arybenef it,and, ont heot her,anypecuni aryadvant age
whichf rom what eversour cecomest ohi m byreasonoft hedeat h.
Anear lyandst rikingstat ementoft heprinciplei
saf f
or dedbyPy mv
GreatNor t
her n19.Co. ,int heExchequerChamber ,i nwhi cht he
dir
ection oft he j ury
,gi ven byLor d Campbel lC. J.,in Hi cks v
Newpor t,Aber gav ennyandHer efordRy .Co.wasappr oved.Lor d
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
Campbel ltheredir
ectedt hejurythatfrom theaggr egateamountof
compensat i
onwhichtheywoul dbeot herwisepreparedt ogive,
they
shouldmakeadeduct i
oni nrespectof( e.g.)aninsuranceof1000/
againstrail
wayaccident s.Thatwasabenef itwhi
chwentt or educe
thepecuni arylosstothepl ainti
ffconsequentont hedeat h.Inthe
Grand Tr unk case ot heri l
lustr
ati
ons ar e gi v
en ofa gener al
character,butt he pri
nciplei st oo wellknown t o need furt
her
i
nstances."
Amakom Sawmi
l
l&Co.vMansah[
1963]1GLR368
Facts:Thedeceasedper son,afarmerandt imberv endor
,wasa
passengeri nav ehicl
eownedbyt hef i
rstdefendantanddr i
venby
theseconddef endant,t hef i
rstdefendant'sservant.Thev ehi
cle
wasi nvolvedinanacci dentandat imberl ogwhi chwasbei ng
carri
edint hev ehi cl
efellont hedeceasedandki l
ledhim.Thet ri
al
courtfoundf ort heplaintif
fsandt hedef endantappealed,among
others,thatthedamageswer eexcessiveandt hatt heywerenot
basedont heact ualearningsofthedeceased.
Held:Sincet hedeceasedwasaf ar merwhoseear ni
ngscouldnot
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
beexactl
yestabl
ished,t
heassessmentofthedamagesshoul
dbe
based on t
heext entofthef ar
m and t
henat ur
eoft hecrops
cul
ti
vatedandt heamountt hathewasr easonabl
yexpect
edt o
spendonhimself.
473•
•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
ofspecul
ati
ont
hegr
eat
er,
Ithi
nk,
wil
lbet
her
esul
tantj
ust
ice.
"I
tisev enst il
llesseasyf orawi dow andherchi l
drent opr oduceany
fi
guresi nf espectofamount sexpendedont hem byt hedeceased
husband and f ather.Int hiscount r
yt he overwhel ming maj ori
tyof
husbands,bot hi ll
iter
ateandeducat ed,(incl
udingsal ariedhusbands)
donotdi scl
oset heirincomest ot hei
rwi v
esandchi ldren,and,li
ket he
deceased husband i nt he Roughead case,t heydo notmake any
specif
ic per i
odic pay ment st ot heirwi ves and chi ldren fortheir
maintenance;t hey pay ev er
ything themselves—t heir own pr ivate
outgoings,rent,t hewi ves'dressesandot hernecessar ies,f
oodand
dri
nks, chil
dren'
sschool feesandcl ot
hing,etc.
"Inmyv i
ewi ti
smucheasiertoest
imateareasonableproport
ionofthe
earni
ngswhi chadeceasedperson,havi
ngr egar
dt ohismodeofl i
fe
andst at
us,mightbeexpectedtospendonhi mselfthaniti
seitherto
requi
reoft hedependanttosubmitfi
guresofamount sexpendedon
them oreventomakeanest i
mateofsuchamount s.
"Whil
eIdonotquar r
elessenti
all
ywit
hthemanneri nwhicht helearned
j
udgepr oceededwi ththeassessmentofthedamagesIwoul dliketo
say,i
nt hef i
rstplace,thatheshouldhav eendeavour
edt oobt ai
na
fi
gurefort heeducat i
onalexpensesoft hechil
drenthreeofwhom
accordi
ngt otheev i
dencewer eatschoolatthedeathoft heirfather
,
oneoft het hreeatasecondar yschool.Inthesecondpl aceast he
l
earnedjudgeadopt edt hel
eastnumberofy ear
s(thati
s,ten)t hatthe
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
475EE
Held:Si
ncetheamountofdamagesawar
dedwasnotext
remel
yhi
gh,
the
appealmustbedismi
ssed.
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
Pri
ncipl
e: Fai
l
ure to use the ari
thmet
ic cal
cul
ati
ons does not
necessar
il
yimplyawrongassessment.
"Wil
l
imerL. J.alsosai d:Idonott hinkthatinacaseoft his
char
act eranappel lantcansucceedi nt hi
scour tmer el
yby
showing( assumingt hathecanshow)t hatthi
sort hatfi
gure
i
serroneous, orthisorthatcalculat
ionisinaccurat
e.Inwhat
i
sessent i
all
yaj uryquestiont heov er-
allpict
urei swhat
matters.Itisthewoodt hathast obelookedat ,andnott he
i
ndivi
dual tr
ees.'
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
.
476
"Thelear
nedtri
alj
udgeinthi
spresentcasemadenoact uari
al
calcul
ati
onsofthelosssuff
eredbyeachoft hedependant
s,
butheappearstohaveadoptedthemet hodrecommendedi n
Daniel
svJonesandwast heref
oreabletoreachacommon-
sensedecisi
on.
"Gi
venthebestconsiderati
onIcant othef act
soft hi
scaseI
havecomet otheconcl
usionthattheawardbyt helear
nedtr
ial
j
udgeoft hesum ofLG2,300wasf airandreasonableandIdo
notfeel
incl
inedtoi
nter
ferewithit
."
Lar
yeavAgy
ei[
see(
1971)8UGLJ145perDat
eBaah]
Facts:Thepl ainti
ff
ssuccessf ul
lysuedthedefendantfordamagesf or
thedeat hofthedeceasedcausedbyt henegl
igenceoft hedefendants.
On appeal ,t he defendantar gued t
hatthe quantum ofdamages
awardedt othechi l
drenwer eexcessiveasnosat isf
actoryev i
dence
wasl edtoshowhowmucht hedeceasedspentoneachchi ld.
Held:Thef ai
l
ur etoleadevidenceonhowmuchadeceasedspenton
hischildrenwasnotf atalt
oacl ai
mf ordamagesbyt hechildr
enas
dependant s.
PerAr cherJA:"I
nt hiscountryt heoverwhelmingmaj or i
tyof
husbands,bothi ll
it
erate and educat ed,( i
ncluding salari
ed
husbands)donotdi scl
oset heiri ncomest otheirwi vesand
chil
dren,and ...they do notmake any speci f i
c periodi
c
payment stotheirwivesandchi ldr
enfort hei
rmai nt
enance;
theypayev ery
thi
ngt hemsel v
es—t hei
rownpr i
vateout goings,
rent
,thewives'dr
essesandot hernecessaries,f
oodanddr inks,
chil
dren'
sschoolf eesandcl ot hing,etcitismucheasi erto
esti
mat ear easonable proportion ofthe earnings whi ch a
deceasedperson,hav i
ngregar dt ohismodeofl i
feandst atus,
mightbeexpect edt ospendonhi mselfthani ti seitherto
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
t nGh
si ana
requi
re ofthe dependant
st o submi
tfigures ofamounts
expended on t
hem orev en t
o make an esti
mate ofsuch
amounts."
477•
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
(
Dat
e-Bahdescri
bedt hi
sappr
oachbyt
hel
ear
nedj
udgeasbei
ng
t
ool
enientanapproach.
)
DeGr af
tJohnsonvGhanaCommer ci
alBank[ 197711GLR179
Fact s:Thedeceasedwasanempl oyeeoft hedefendantwho
diedwhi let ravel
li
ngont hedefendant'svehicl
e.Thetrialj
udge
foundt hatt hedeceasedper sonwaski ll
edwhi l
eworkinginthe
cour seofhi sempl oymentandt husthedef endant
swer eli
able.
Att hetimeofhi sdeath,
thedeceasedwas40y ear
soldandhad
fi
fteenmor ey earstoworkbefor
er et
ir
ing.
Held:Thef i
ft eenyear
sthedeceasedhadt owor kwouldbet he
year spurchased.
"Iwi l
ldot hesamei nthiscase.Thedeceasedwasear ning
4,040.00,i.e.about€336. 61permont hwhi chwassubj ect
tot axwhi chi s$21. 40.Heownedacarwhi chIthinkhe
alsousedf orhisownsoci alact i
vi
ti
esandt hi
sentailedthe
pur chase of pet rol and i t
s mai ntenance. In t he
circumst ancesImakeal l
owanceofabout€155. 21 per
mont hforhispersonalandl ivingexpenses.Thebalanceof
VI60. 00permont his,I think,whatthedependant shav e
l
ostandt hiswor ksoutat$1, 920perannum.It aket he
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
year
s'purchasetobef
if
teensi
ncehewoul
dhav
eret
ir
edat
55years.Thisgi
vesal
ump
sum of$28,
800.
00whichItaxdownbyone-
thi
rdl
eav
ingaf
igur
eof
#19,
200.00fort
hedependant
s.
Benham vGambl
i
ng[
19411AC157
Fact s:Thepl ai
ntif
f'st wo-and-hal
f-year -ol
dsonwaski l
ledbythe
negligenceoft hedef endant.Intheassessmentofdamages, t
he
j
udger ef er
redt oat ablepr eparedbyt heRegi st
rarGener alwhi
ch
fi
xedt hel i
feex pectancyofanewl ybor nchi
ldat58y earsbuthe
disregar dedi tandawar ded1200poundsasaf airassessment
ofdamagesf orthel ossofexpect ationofl if
e.
Held:Si nce t he chi ld was y oung and t here wer eal otof
uncer tai
nt i
es sur rounding hi sl i
fe,t he amountofdamages
shoul dber educedt o200pounds.
Principle:Thel ifeexpect ancyt obev aluedisnott heprospectof
l
engt hofday sbutt hepr ospectofapr edomi nantl
yhappyl if
e.
PerVi scountSimonLCatpp.165and166:" I
nt hefir
st
place,Iam ofopi ni
ont hatt her i
ghtconcl usi
oni snotto
be r eached by appl ying what may be cal l
ed the
stati
sticalOf act uari
alt est. Figures calculated to
representt heexpect at
ionofhumanl i
featv ari
ousages
are av erages arriv
ed atf rom a v astmass ofv ital
stati
stics;thefi
gur eisnotnecessar il
yonewhi chcanhe
properlyattri
butedt oagi veni ndivi
dual .Andinanycase
thet hi
ngt obev aluedi snott hepr ospectofl engt
hof
days,butt hepr ospectofapr edomi nantl
yhappyl ife.
Theageoft hei ndivi
dualmay ,insomecases,bea
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
rel
evantfactor.Forexample,inext
remeold aget he
brevi
tyofwhatl i
femaybeleftmayberel
evant
,but,asit
seems to me,ar it
hmeti
calcalcul
ati
ons aret o be
avoi
ded,ifonlyfort
hereasonthati
tisofnoassist
ance
toknow how manyy ear
smayhav ebeenlost,unless
oneknowshowt oputavalue
479•
•
Nay
lorvYor
kshi
reEl
ect
ri
cit
y[196712Al
lER1
Facts:The pl aint
if
f'
s 20-year-
old son died instant
lyf rom an
el
ectricshockwhi l
ewor kingforthedef endant .Thedef endant
admi t
tedli
abil
ityandt hejudgeassesseddamagesi nr espectof
l
ossofexpect at i
onoflif
eat500poundsbutt heCour tofAppeal
i
ncreaseditto1000pounds.
Held:Inawar dingdamagesf orlossofexpect at i
onofl if
e,very
moder at
ef igures mustbe used and t hus t he t
rialjudge's
assessmentmustst and.Pr i
ncipl
e:Inawar ding damagesf or
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
l
ossofexpect
ati
onofl
i
fe,
ver
ymoder
atef
igur
esmustbeused.
Hemul ti
pli
edt hisbyt wentyy ear
s'pur chaseandar r
ivedatt he
resultantf igureofNC7, 200.00.Ift hel earnedjudgehadbeen
awar dingdamagesf orlossofdependency ,ther
ecanhar dl
ybe
anycompl aintaboutthismet hodofascer taini
ngi t.Indeedthis
met hod wasr ecommended byt hef ormerSupr emeCour tin
Amakom Sawmi l
l&Co.vMansah[ 1963]1G. L.
R.368,S. C.But
we t hink i ta wr ong basist o award damages f orl oss of
expect ati
onofl i
fe.Alt
hought helearnedj udgeawar dedt hesum
of f
orlossofdependency ,heinnowayi ndicatedhow
hear rivedatt hi
sf i
gure.Thereisclearlynoev identi
albasi sforit
.
Wet hinkt hereforethatthi
ssum mustgobutweconsi derthe
sum ofNC7, 200 as a fairand r easonabl e sum f orl oss of
dependency .
"Thequesti
oni s,whatwoul dbef aircompensati
ontoawar dt o
thepersonalr epresentat
ivesoft hedeceasedwhoat35was
saidtobeingoodheal th,wasact i
veinthetext
il
etradeandwas
earni
ngenought osupportaf amilyofsevenandanagedmot her
?
Thereishardlyanyev idenceoft hedeceased'
spersonalli
fe,her
habit
sormodeofl ivi
ng.Insof arast heevi
dencepr ov
idesany
i
nformati
onabouther ,shehai l
edf r
om KopehenearBar l
ekpoi n
theAdadistri
ctbutseemedt ohav e
l
ivedi nAccraforaconsi derabl
et ime.Shel ostherhusband
ay earbeforeherdeat hbutt heev idencedoesnotsuggest
thatshehadgi ventodespondencyont hisaccount.Thereis
nothingint heevidencet osuggestt hatherl if
ewasot her
thanhappyandwet hi
nk,bar r
ingunf oreseenmi shaps,the
deceased had bef ore her,the prospectofa r easonably
happyl i
fewhi chwascutshor tbyt heacci dent.Inallthe
cir
cumst ances, and bear ing in mi nd t he diminished
purchasingpoweroft heGhanai ancedi ,wewoul dawar d
compensat i
onofNC1, 000.00undert hishead."
Haxt
onvPhi
l
ipsEl
ect
roni
cUKLt
d[2014]2Al
lER225
Facts: The pl aint
if
f and her husband bot h dev el
oped
mesot heli
omaduet oexposur et oasbest osbyt hedef endant
when t he husband was i nt heirempl oyment.The husband
eventuall
ydied.Thepl ai
ntif
fbr oughtt wosepar ateactions,one
undert heFatalAcci dentsActandanot herfortheinjuri
esshe
suffer
edher self.Duet ot hemesot heliomashedev el
oped,her
remaininglif
eexpect ancywasest i
mat edat0. 7yearsandt hat
j
udgeusedt hist oassesst hedamagesf orlossofdependency
i
nt hef ir
stacti
on.Thepl ainti
ffcont entedi nthesecondact ion
thatsincether eductioninherl if
eexpect ancyhadbeencaused
byt hedef endant'snegligencer esul t
ingi nar educti
oni nt he
amountofdamagesr ecoverablef orl ossofdependency ,t he
defendantwasl iableforthatloss.
Held:Si
ncethel
ossintheassessmentoft
hedamageshadbeen
causedbythedefendant
'
snegli
gence,hewasl
iabl
etot
heplai
nti
ff
.
PerEl
i
asLJatp.231,par
s.13—15:[
13]"
Thecr
it
ical
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
questioni nthi
scasei swhetherthereisanyreasonof
princi
pleorpoli
cywhi chshoulddepri
vetheappel
lantf
rom
recoveri
ngdamageswhi chrepr
esentthelossshehasi n
factsufferedasar esul
tofthecurt
ail
mentofherl
ifebythe
admi t
tedlynegl
igentacti
onofthedefendant
.
[
14] "
Iam notper suaded t
hatt herei s.The1976 Act
conf ers a statutor yri
ghtt or ecoverf ort he loss of
dependencyandi nhercl ai
m undert hatActshecannot
recov ermor ethanheract ualloss.ButIseenor eason
whyt hedimi nut i
oni nthev alueoft hatrightr esulti
ng
from t he negl igence oft he r espondentcannotbe
recov er
edasaheadofl ossi nthecl aimant 'sper sonal
act i
on. This does not ,i n my v i
ew, i nv ol
ve any
i
nt erfer
encewi t
ht hepri
nciplesgov erningt hepay ment
ofcompensat ionunder
483•
t
hel
egi
slat
ion.Theyar
elef
twhol
l
yunaf
fect
ed.
[
15] "I
nmyv iew,thereisnot hi
ngi nt hel egislati
onwhi ch
j
ust ifies t he i nf
erence t hat Par li
ament must hav e
i
nt endedt hatthecl ai
mantshoul dbedeni edt hef i
ghtt o
recov er the r educt i
on i nt he v alue of t hi
s cl aim,
not wi thstanding thati ti s whol l
y at t
ributablet ot he
negl igenceoft her espondent.Itisacommonl awcl aim
fordamagesf orlossofdependency ;iti sacl aimf or
dimi nut ioni nthev alueofav aluablechosei naction,a
stat utoryr ight.Ther eisnothingi nt hel anguageoft he
1976Actort heaut horit
iesont hatActwhi chsuggest s
thatt her ei sanyspeci alat tr
ibutedi stinguishing this
par ticularchosei nact ionfrom anyot her.Itfoll
owst hat
MsFost er'srelat
edsubmi ssion,thatt hisisnotahead
ofl osswhi choughtt ober ecoverablei nlaw, fai
lsalso."
HvS[
20031QB965
Facts:Thedeceasedwasadi vorcedmot heroff our,ofwhom
threeweremi nors.Shel i
vedwi ththechi l
drenandt ookcar eof
them wi t
hout any assi stance from t heirf ather,who had
remarri
ed.Fol l
owi ng herdeat h owi ng tot he deat h oft he
defendant,thef athertookthet woy oungestchildrentoli
v ewith
them togetherwi thhi snew wi f
e.Inassessi ngdamagesunder
the FatalAcci dent s Act
,t he courtdisregarded the serv i
ces
provi
dedbyt hef atherandst epmotherpur suantt otheAct .The
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
defendantappeal ed.
Held:Si nce t he supportr eceiv
ed from t he f at
herand the
stepmot herwasabenef itaccrui
ngasar esul tofthedeath,it
oughtt obedi sregardedpursuanttotheAct .
Princi
ple:Wher easi ngl
epar entcateredf ort hechi l
drenand
otherpar enttakesupt hatresponsi
bili
tyf ol
lowi ngthedeathof
thef i
rstparent ,t
hatsupportisabenef i
taccr uingasar esul
tof
the deat h and t hus oughtt o be disregar ded in cal
cul
ati
ng
damages.
(
NB:Thisdeci
sionispur
suanttoast
atut
e.Sect
ion4of
t
heFatalAcci
dentsActrequi
rest
hecourtt
odisregar
d
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
benefit
st hataccrue as a r esul
toft he deathi n
assessingdamages.Int heabsenceofanyexpr ess
provi
sioni ntheGhanaianst atutetherefor
e,theol d
posit
ioni nHayvHughes( supr a)whichenj oi
nst he
courttotakeint
oconsi
derat
ionanybenef i
taccrui
ngas
aresultofthedeat
hmayst i
l
l apply.
)
Fl
etchervATr ain&SonsLt d[ 200814Al lER699
Facts:Thepl ainti
ffsuccessf ull
ysuedt hedefendantforlossof
dependency undert he Fat alAcci dents Act
.The t ri
aljudge
awar deddamagesf orpastl ossofdependencyf rom thedateof
deatht othedat eoft r
ial,furtherlossofdependencyupt othe
dateofr eti
rementandf uturel ossofdependencyaf t
erthedate
ofr etirement.He summed t he whole amountand awar ded
i
nterest .
Held:I nter
estinsuchact i
onscoul donlybeclai
medf orthepast
l
ossofdependencyandnott hesubsequentones.
Pri
nci ple:Post-
t r
ialf
inanci allossesarenotsubjecttoint
erest
.
485•
•
oftheawar doft hatpar toft hedamagescl aim whi ch
rel
atest opost -
tri
all ossesi sacl aimf orfuturel oss
upon whi ch an awar d of i nt erest is ther efore
i
nappr opr i
at e.Similarly,anawar dofmor ethanhal ft he
ful
lint er
estr at
eont het ot
alpr e-t
r i
all ossatmor et han
half t he shor t-term i nt erest r ate l eads t o
overcompensat i
on oft hecl ai mant .Fort hej udget o
makeanawar dofi nterestwhi chi gnor edorrancount er
tothosepr i
ncipleswasnott ot akeaccountofspeci al
cir
cumst ancesexi stingi nt hecase( therewerenone) ,
nort oadoptoneoft woal ternat i
v eway sofex ercising
thedi scretion;itwasnomor eorl esst hananexer cise
ofdi scretion cont rar yt o binding aut hori
tyast ot he
pri
ncipl e upon whi ch such di scr eti
on shoul d be
exercised."
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Hei
lvRanki
n[2001]QB272
Facts:Thepl ai nti
ffssuccessf ullysuedf ordamagesf orpain,
suffer
ingandl ossofameni ti
esowi ngt othenegl i
genceoft he
defendants.Theyappeal edthatt heassessmentwasl ow.
Held:Theawar dsneeded t o be i ncreased to prov i
de a fair
reasonableandj ustcompensat ion.
Princi
ple:Awar dsofdamagesf orpai n,sufferi
ngandl ossof
amenityincer tainpersonalinjurycasesneedt obei ncreasedin
ordertoprovideaf air
,reasonabl eandj ustcompensat ion, t
aki
ng
i
ntoaccountt hei nter
estsofcl aimant s,defendantsandsoci ety
asawhol e.
Aswehav esaid,iti
sconcernedwi thdet er
miningwhat
i
st hef ai
r,r
easonableandj ustequivalentinmonet ary
termsofani njur
yandt heresult
antPSLA.Thedeci sion
hast obetakenagainstthebackgroundoft hesocietyin
whi chthecourtmakest heawar d.Theposi ti
oniswel l
i
llustr
atedbythedecisi
onsoft hecourtsofHongKong. "
Ar
un KumarAgr
awalvNat
ionalI
nsur
ance Co.Lt
d
[
201111LRC
304
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
Facts:Thedeceasedwasahousewi f
ewhowaski ll
edbyt he
negli
gence of the def endant.The t ri
alcourtr educed the
darnages awarded tot he plaint
if
fs on the ground thatthe
deceasedwasahousewi f
eandanonear ni
ngmemberoft he
familyandt hust heawar dwoul dbet oomuchandt hatthe
deceasedshouldbeputi nthepositionofahousekeeper .
Held:Itwas unf airand unj usttot r
eatt he deceased as a
housekeeperforthepurposesofdamagest oherdependants.
487•
TransportCorporati
onvSusammaThomas,UP St at
e
Road TransportCor porat
ion vTri
/okChandra,Sar/
a
Verma vDel hiTr ansportCorpor
ati
on and al
so t
ake
guidance fr
om t he judgmentin Lat
a Wadhwa.The
approach adopted bydi f
fer
entBenchesoft heDelhi
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
HighCourttocomputethecompensationbyrelyi
ngupon
theminimum wagespayabl
etoaski l
l
edwor kerdoes
not commend our approval because iti s most
unreal
i
sti
ctocomparet hegrat
uitousservi
cesoft he
housewif
e/mot
herwit
htheworkofaski l
ledworker
."
CoxvHockenhul
l[199913Al
lER577
Fact s:Thepl ainti
ff'swi f
ewasdi sabledandhet ookcar eofher
fullt i
me.Thei rsour ceofi ncomewasent ir
elyst atebenef its;
somepai dt ot hewi feal one,somet ot hepl aintiffaloneand
somej ointl
yt obot h.Thewi fewaski lledinanacci dentowi ngt o
the negl igence oft he def endantand t he pl aintif
fsued f or
damages.Thedef endantcont endedt hatt hejudgewaswr ongi n
consi der i
ngst atebenef i
tsinassessi ngt hedamages.
Hel d:Thej udgewasr i
ghtinconsi deringthest atebenef it
s;fori t
mat ters notwher et he income comes f r
om,pr ov i
ded t he
dependantsuf f
eredal oss.Butt hebenef itthepl ai
ntif
fr ecei
v ed
fort akingcar eoft hewi fewasnott obei ncludedsi nceheact ed
asanempl oyeeoft hest ateint hatsenseandt hebenef i
tarose
from t hatbusi nessr elati
onship.
Pr i
ncipl e:Inassessi ngdamages, thecr i
ticalquest i
oni swhet her
thedependant shav esuf f
eredl ossandnott hesour ceoft he
i
ncomeoft hedeceased.
i
sbei ngsupport
ed.If,therefore,MrandMr sCoxhad
been dependent only on i ncome support,housing
benefi
tandcounciltaxbenef itbefor
eMr sCox'sdeath,
andMrCoxhadt hereaft
erbeeni nrecei
ptofthesame
benefi
ts(orthei
requi v
alent),therewouldbenol oss,
eventhoughtheamountoft heaf t
er-
deat
hbenefit
swas
l
owert orefl
ectthef actthatonl yMrCoxwasbei ng
support
ed."
Atp.284, par
.18:"I neffectthest ateempl oy edMrCox
tocar ef orasev erelydisabl edper son.I ft hatperson
hadbeenany oneothert hanhi swi fe,thef actt hatshe
diedandMrCoxt herebylosthi sincome, woul dnotgive
ri
se t o compensat able l oss. The f act t hat the
relati
onshipofmar ri
ageexi stedisasDev linJputi t
'
incidental'
.Accordingly
,i nmyopi nion,thej udgewas
wr ongtoi ncl
udethissum asbei ngpar toft hemakeup
oft hedependency .
"
CANAPARTYRECOVERFORTHESHORTENEDEXPECTATI
ON
OFLI
FE?
Fli
ntvLov ell[
193511KB354
Facts:Thepl aintiff
,a70-year-
oldener get
icmanofgoodheal th,
sustained serious i nj
uri
es owing t ot he negl i
gence oft he
defendantwher ebyhisli
feexpectancywasmat eri
all
yshor t
ened.
Inawar dingdamagesf orhisper sonalinjuri
es,thej udget ook
i
nto consi derat i
on his shortened expect ati
on of l i
fe.The
defendantappeal ed.
Held:The j udge wasent itl
ed tot ake into considerati
on the
shortenedexpect at i
onofli
fe.
Princi
ple:Damages f or shortened expect ation of l i
fe are
recoverable.
489"
AtsyorvDonkor[ 19801GLR273
Facts:Theplaint
iffwaskil
ledbythenegl
igenceoft
hedefendant
and the plainti
ffs as admini
strat
ors ofthe est
ate oft he
deceasedbroughtan
acti
on.The cour t had to decide t
he questi
on of
damages.Held:Damagesf orlossofexpect
ati
onofli
fe
wererecover
able.
Princi
ple:
Damagesf orlossofexpect
ati
onoflif
earer
ecover
abl
e
butmustbemoder at
e.
"Lord Goddar
disquot ed byVi
scountSimon L.C.in
Denham vGambl i
ng( supr
a)atp.168,H.L.ashaving
point
edoutwhent hecasewasbef or
et heCourtof
Appeal t hat, '
stri
pped of t echni
cali
ti
es, the
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
compensat
ionisnotbei
nggiv
entothepersonwhowas
i
njur
edatal
l,f
orthepersonwhowasinj
uredisdead.
'
"Thegener alvi
ew inthelightofthedecidedcasesis
thatcompensationunderthisheadshouldbemoderate.
Thedeceasedatdeat hwasaged24y earsandowingto
thedecli
nei nthepurchasi
ngpoweroft hecedi
,Ithi
nk
i
nclusiv
e ofspeci aldamages pr oved shoul
dint he
cir
cumst ancesbeadequatecompensation."
Benham vGambl
i
ng(
supr
a)
491u
andproved,somef i
guret
or epr
esentthel osssuff
ered
bythedeceasedt hr
oughtheshorteni
ngofhi sli
femay
beincl
udedinthedamages,andsev eralofthejudges
concer
ned have dr awn at
tenti
on tot he need for
author
it
ati
veguidanceonthesubjectofhowt oarri
veat
i
t."
Shel
lCo.Lt
dvAy
imav
or(
supr
a)
THEEFFECTOFTHE1963CI
VILLI
ABI
LITYACTThe
cl
assofdependant
sisnowgr
eat
lyext
ended.
Swi
ftvSecr
etar
yof
Stat
eforJust
ice[
2014]QB373
Fact s:TheEngl ishFat alAccident sActincludedasdependant s
personsl ivingwi ththedeceasedi nt hesamehousehol dand
who hav eso l ived togetherf orami nimum of2 y ears.The
plainti
ffcohabi t
atedwi ththedeceasedf or6mont hsandhewas
kiHedbyt henegl i
genceofanot her
.Thei rchildwhowasbor n
afterthedeat hoft hedeceasedwasabl et orecov erforl
ossof
dependency butt he plainti
ffcoul d notdue t ot he 2-year
l
imi tati
on.Shebr oughtanact i
onagai nstthedef endantall
eging
thatt hepr ovi
sionoft heActr equi
ri
ngami nimum of2y ears
cohabi tat
ionbef orequal i
fyingf orbei
ngr egar dasadependant
wasdi scri
mi natoryandi nterferenceinherr ightt orespectfor
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
familyli
fe.
Held:Thatt hetwo-yearli
mitati
onwasnotar bi
tr
ar ybut
ensured per manence in respect of t he class of
dependantsandt huswasjustif
iabl
eint
erfer
ence.
Princi
ple:A realrel
ati
onshi
pofper manenceisr equi
redtobe
regardedasadependant .
Atpar
.25:
"Iacceptt
hat
,unl
i
ketheCar
son,
RJI
VIand
Humphrey
s
Andatpar .34:"AsMrCoppelsubmi t
s,thisapproachi sone
possible v i
ew as t o t he degr ee of const ancy and
permanence t hati sr equi red toj ustif
y conferri
ng on a
survi
vorar i
ghtofact ionagai nstat ort
feasor.Butbear ingin
mind ( i)t he br oad mar gi n ofdi screti
on thatshoul d be
accordedt ot hel egislatureand( i
i)thenumberofdi ff
erent
i
nterest st hathadt obet akeni ntoaccount ,Iconsi derthat
Parli
amentwasent itl
edt ot akeadi ff
erentview.Ther eisno
obviouslyr i
ghtanswer .Iti smat eri
althatnei t
hert heLaw
Commi ssion ( pr oposi ng a Bi ll
)nort he Just i
ce Sel ect
Commi ttee ( consi dering t he dr aft Bil
l) proposed t he
abolit
ionofsect i
on1( 3)(
b) .Theyseem t ohav ebeenoft he
vi
ew t hata t wo- yearr equirementwas an appr opri
ate
measur eofconst ancyorper manence,al thought heyal so
proposed a new cat egor y of cl aimantsf or loss of
dependencydamages,whowoul dnothav eanaut omat i
c
ri
ghtt ocl aim,butwoul dhav et oprov ethattheywer ebei ng
maintainedt oa' subst antial'extent
493•
i
mmedi atel
ybef or
et hedeath.Itisalsotobenot edthat
theypr oposedcohabi teesoft woy ears'st
andingasa
new cat egoryofcl aimant sf orbereavementdamages
undersect ionI Aoft heAct .Ido,howev er,acceptthat
there are obv iousdi f
ferencesbet ween damagesf or
l
ossofdependencyanddamagesf orbereavement .The
i
mpor tantpoi nt,howev er,ist hatithas nev erbeen
suggest edt hatmer elylivi
ngt oget
herashusbandand
wifef ora si ngle dayorweek woul d establi
sh the
necessar y degr ee of per manence or dependency
requi
redf orar ightofact i
on."
(
Alt
houghthedeci
sionwaspur
elybasedonstatut
e,i
tisrelev
ant
i
ntheli
ghtoftheGhanai
anActandt hecur
rentsoci
o-economic
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
relati
onships bet ween par ti
es.The Ghanai an Actexcl udes
husbandsf rom theclassofdependant s.I ti
spossi blet omakea
discriminati
oncaseunderar t
icle22oft heConst i
tuti
onwhi ch
guar anteesspousalr ights.Iti
sal soi mpor tantt onot ethatthe
Proper t
yRi ghtsofSpousesBi llhaspr oposedami ni mum of5
year scohabi t
ati
ont ober egardedashusbandandwi feforthe
pur posesofspousalpr opertyrights.Althought heEngl i
shCourt
ofAppealf oundt woy earsnott obedi scr
imi nator
y ,thesame
maynothol df or5year s.
)
Anact
ionmaybebr
oughtwi
thi
n3y
ear
sofdeat
h.
Hewi
ttvHeal
thSer
viceExecut
ive[
20141I
EHC300
Fact s:Thedeceasedwast reatedatahospi talmanagedbyt he
def endanti n2001.Whenshewentf orar ev iewi n2007,l esi
ons
wer ef ound i n herl i
verbutowi ng t ot he negl igence oft he
def endant ,nothingwasdoneabouti tunt ilsomef ivemont hs
l
at erwhenmor elesionswer efound.Shewast reatedbutdi edon
23June2010.On25thJanuar y2012,t hepl ainti
ff,husbandand
per sonalr epresentativeofthedeceased, commencedanact i
on.
Thest atuteofl imitati
onslimitsact i
onsi nt or ttotwoy earsfrom
thedat et hecauseofact ionar ose.Thedef endantobj ect
edt hat
thecauseofact i
onar osein2007whenshebecameawar eof
thenegl igentactoft hedef endantandt husbecamest atute
bar redin2009bef oreshedi ed;andt hatsi nceshecoul dnot
hav ecommencedanact i
onagai nstt hedef endanthadshenot
died,owi ngt othel imit
ati
onper i
od,t heact ionbyt heplai
nt i
ffis
notmai ntainable.
Hel d:Inr espectofact i
onsi nf atalaccident swher enoact ion
wascommencedbyt hedeceasedbef or
ehi sdeat h, t
hecauseof
act i
onaccr uedont hedeat hoft heper sonoront hedat et he
per sononwhosebenef i
ttheact ionwasbr oughtbecameawar e
oft hedeat h.
Principle:Thecauseofact i
oni nf atalacci dent saccr uesont he
deat hof
t
heper
son.
PerBakerJatpar s,37,39:[37]
"I
tseemst omet hatthecause
ofaction,
beingonethatcanonlyaccrueatt hedateofdeathof
the deceased,cannotbe one t hatbecomes st atute-
barred
beforethedateofdeath.Theactionandt hecauseofact i
oni n
s48i sonecr eat
edbyst atuteandi sanact i
onofadi ff
erent
typefrom onewhi chmaybemai nt
ainedbyaper sonafi ng
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
fr
om awr ongfulactduri
nghi sorherl i
fe.Theclaim uners48
i
sacl aimthatmaybemai ntainedbyt hedependant sofMr s
Hewittf
orsolati
um anddamagesi nsofarastheycanshowshe
wouldhavepr ovi
dedeitherdirectmonet afYorindi
r ectserv
ice
benef
itstot hem dur i
ng herl i
fe.Such an act i
on may be
maint
ained onlyift he person,maki ng the contr i
buti
on or
whosedeathhascausedt hement al anguish,
hasdi ed.
495.
af
terherdeat
h,andthatact
ion,hav
ingbeencommenced
wi
thi
nthestat
utor
yti
mel i
mit
, i
snotstat
ute-
bar
red.
"
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
(I
nGhana,t helimi
tati
onper i
odi sti
edtot hedateofdeath.In
otherjur
isdi
cti
onsl i
keBar bados,thecauseofact i
on i
st he
occurr
enceoft henegligentact
.Ther elev
antstat
ute,Acci
dent
Compensat i
onReform Act,pr
ovidesasfoll
ows:
'
7.
—(1)Notwi
thstandi
nganyenactmentorr
uleof
l
awtothecontr
ary,anact
ionmustbecommenced
wi
thi
n3y ear
sf r
om thetimethecauseofacti
on
ar
ose.
Lor
devTr
anspor
tBoar
d(1999)58WI
R51
Facts:Thedeceaseddi edin1990andl ettersofadministr
ati
on
wer egrantedt ot heplaint
if
fasadmi ni
str
at r
ixi
nApr i
l1994and
i
nMay1994, hecommencedt heacti
on.
Held:The cause ofact i
on accr
ued when t he negl
igentact
caused t hei njur
yt ot hedeceased and thust heaction was
statut
ebar redhav i
ngbeenbr oughtmoret hanthreeyearsaft
er
thedeat hoft hedeceased.
Princi
ple:Thecauseofact i
on i
nt hi
st ortist henegli
gence
causingt heinjurytothedeceased.
PerLewi sJ(deliveri
ngthej udgmenti nthecourtbel ow) :
"Thecauseofact i
onwast hedef endant
'scoll
isionwi th
thedeceased man,wher ebyt hedeceased man was
thrownf rom hi
sbi cycl
eandki l
led.Thecauseofact ion
wasnott hedeat h,butthenegl i
genceoft hedef endant
i
ncol l
idingwi t
ht hedeceasedmanonhi smot orcy cle.
Thathappenedbef orethedeat h,and,althought her e
mayhav ebeen onl ya spl i
tsecond,ora v er yshor t
i
ntervaloft i
me,bet weent hatcol l
isi
onandt heman' s
death,thecauseofact ionar osebef orehi
sdeat h.Ifi t
didar i
sebef orehi sdeath,t hent hatcauseofact ion
woulddescendt otheadmi nistr
ator.
(ThePr i
vyCounci lendorsedt hi
satp.58i nt hef ol
lowi ng
terms) :"Theirlor
dshipswi llhumbl yadvi
seHerMaj esty
thatt his appealoughtt o be di smissed.Despi te Mr
Connel l'
s and Mr St uar
t's attr
acti
ve and t enacious
argument s,t hei
rl ordships f i
nd themsel ves i nf ul
l
agreementwi tht
het rialj
udgeandt heCour tofAppeal
forther easonswhi cht heygav e.Thei
rlordshipscanadd
nothingofv al
uet othosejudgment sanddonotpr opose
i
nt he ci r
cumstances t o do mor et han associ ate
themsel veswi ththatreasoningandwi tht heout comeof
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
t
hose judgments. The appel
lant must pay t
he
r
espondent
'scost
softhi
sappeal
.
(Damages r
ecov
erable incl
ude mental suf
fer
ing but t
his
prov
isi
onwastol
astforonlyt
hreey
ears.)
Shel
lCo.Lt
dvAyimavor(supr
a)
Fact
sandHoldi
ng:(
supra)
Pri
nci
ple:Damagesf
orment
aldi
str
essar
enotr
ecov
erabl
eat
common
l
aw.
"TheActwaspassedon19Apr i
l1963andt heper i
od
l
imitedbyt hi
ssect i
onexpir
edon19Apr il1966.The
death which gaverisetothisaction occurred on 5
Nov ember1967,thatisaft
erthest at
utoryper i
od.We
agreethatasdamagesf ormentaldi
stressdidnotl i
eat
commonl aw,thi
sawar dmustgo.IndeedMr .Qui stfor
therespondentsconcedest
his.
"
McKenzi
evYeboah(
1970)CC103
Facts:Thedeceasedwasknockeddownbyacardr i
venbyt he
fi
rstdefendantandwassev eredintotwoi nstant
aneously.I
nt he
courseoft heproceedi ngs,thepl ai
nti
ffsamendedt heclaimt o
i
ncludedamagesf orment aldist
ress.Onappeal ,thedefendants
arguedthatthet r
ialjudgewaswr ongt oallowanamendmentat
alaterstagetoincludedamagesf orment al di
str
ess.
Held:Thegr uesomenat ureoft heacci dentjusti
fiedtheawar d
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
f
orment
aldi
str
ess.
497•
PerApalooJA:" It
hinkthewayi nwhichthedeceased
metherdeathandt henaturalf
eel
ingoftherespondent
and thedependantsatt hesightort houghtofi tis
enoughevidencetojust
ifytheaward.Iti
sunlikelyt
hat
themangledcorpseoft hedeceasedwoul dhav ebeen
shown to herchil
dren oftenderyears...buti nthe
ordi
narycourseofevents,t
heywouldbet oldhowt hei
r
mothermetherend."
Lar
yeavAdj
ei(
supr
a)
Hel
d:Damagesf orment
aldi
str
essar
erecov
erabl
eundert
he
Ghanai
anst
atut
e.
Dat
e-Bahi
nthear
ti
cl
eexpl
ainedasf
oll
ows:
"Ar
cher
J.A.expl ainedt hat,byv i
rtueofsect i
on18( 1)(b)oft heCi v i
l
LiabilityAct ,1963,damagesnotexceedi ngar er ecov erable
bydependant sagai nstadeceased' st ortf easorf orthement al
distress caused t o such dependant s by t he deat h.Thi s
Ghanai anst atutoryruleshowsar adicaldepar turef rom t he
traditionalEngl ishlaw appr oacht ot heassessmentoft he
dependant s'damages.Thet r
aditi
onalj udicialat t
itudehas
been t hat t he pur pose of awar ding damages t o t he
dependant si st ocompensat ethem f oronl yt hepecuni ar y
l
osscausedt hem byt hedeceased' sdeat h.Damageshav e
beendescr ibedasnoti ntendedt oser v easaso/ atzum f or
theiri njured f eeli
ngs.Consequent ly,atcommon l aw no
compensat ion is awarded f orthe ment aldi str
ess oft he
dependant s.TheGhanai anr ul
emayper hapsbesai dt obe
mor er esponsi vetot heneedsoft hel ocalcommuni t
y .The
value sy stem of t he localcommuni ty encour ages and
sy mpat hises wi th the ment al dist ress of dependant s
consequentupon a deceased' sdeat h.I ti st heref ore not
unr easonabl et hatinsuchasoci etyt hel aw shoul denabl e
compensat ion t o be soughti nr espectofsuch ment al
distress.Ar cherJ.A.expressed t hev iew t hatsuchment al
distressr esulti
ng from t he deceased' sdeat hr equi red no
proofandwoul dbepr esumedbyt hecour ts.Damagesf or
ment aldi stresst husseem t obeatl ar ge.Hecr i
ticizedt he
CaseBr
ief
s:TheLawofTor
tsi
nGhana
tr
ialj
udgeforawardi
ngnothi
ngundert
hisheadofdamages,
eventhoughther
ehadbeena
speci
fi
ccl
aim byt
hepl
aint
if
fsundert
hishead.
"