03 THE LAW OF TORTS - sydney.edu.ausydney.edu.au/lec/subjects/torts/Summer 2016-17/LEC Torts...
Transcript of 03 THE LAW OF TORTS - sydney.edu.ausydney.edu.au/lec/subjects/torts/Summer 2016-17/LEC Torts...
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03 THE LAW OF TORTS WEEK 1
Introduction Intentional Torts
Professor Sam Blay
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THE LECTURE STRUCTURE
§ Texts§ Defini+on,aimsandscopeoflawoftorts§ Inten+onaltorts
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TEXT BOOKS DominicVillaAnnotatedCivilLiabilityAct
LawbookCo.(2016)
BalkinandDavisTheLawofTorts5thEdLexisNexis
Luntz&Hambly,Torts-CasesandCommentary,7thed.LexisNexis,
StewartandStuhmcke,AustralianPrinciplesofTortsLawFedera+onPress,3rdEd
Blay,TortsinaNutshellLBC
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ClassRules
• hUps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUkEq0taWg0
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DEFINITION: THE NATURE OF TORTS
INTRODUCTION
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TortsinEverydayLife
• CrouchervCachia[2016]NSWCA132(9June2016)
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WHAT IS A TORT?
� A tort is a civil wrong � That (wrong) is based a breach of a
duty imposed by law � Which (breach) gives rise to a
(personal) civil right of action for for a remedy not exclusive to another area of law
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TortsandCrime
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THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A TORT AND A CRIME
� A crime is a public /community wrong that gives rise to sanctions usually designated in a specified code. A tort is a civil ‘private’ wrong.
� An action in criminal law is usually brought by the state or the Crown. Tort actions are usually brought by the victims of the tort.
� The principal objective in criminal law is punishment. In torts, it is compensation
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THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A TORT AND A CRIME
• Differences in Procedure:
– Standard of Proof
• Criminal law: beyond reasonable doubt • Torts: on the balance of probabilities
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TORTAcivilac+on
Broughtbythevic+m
Remedy:compensa+on
Proof:balanceofprobabili+es
CRIMEAcriminalac+on
BroughtbytheCrown
Remedy:punishment
Proof:beyondreasonabledoubt
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TORTS DISTINGUISHED FROM BREACH OF CONTRACT
• A breach of contract arises from breach of promise(s) made by the parties themselves.
CIVILOBLIGATIONS
TORT BREACHOFCONTRACT
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TORTS CONTRACT
Dutytoothercontrac+ngparty
Dutyarisesfrompar+es’promises
Protectsexpecta+onoffuturebenefits
Damagesocenliquidated
Duty owed generally
Duty imposed by law
Protects what is already owned or possessed
Damages unliquidated
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SIMILARITIES BETWEEN TORT AND CONTRACT
• Both tort and breach of contract give rise to civil suits • In some instances, a breach of
contract may also be a tort: eg an employer’s failure to provide safe working conditions
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Questions
• What are the objectives of tort law?
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THE OBJECTIVES OF TORT LAW
Lossdistribu+on/adjustment:shicinglossesfromvic+mstoperpetrators
Compensa+on:Throughtheawardof(pecuniary)damages• Theobjectofcompensa+onistoplacethevic+mintheposi+onhe/shewasbeforethetortwascommiUed.
Punishment:throughexemplaryorpuni+vedamages.Thisisasecondaryaim.
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Question
• What interests are protected by the Law of Torts, and how are these interests protected?
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INTERESTS PROTECTED IN TORT LAW
Personalsecurity• Trespass• Negligence
Reputa+on• Defama+on
Property• Trespass• Conversion Economic
andfinancialinterests
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SOURCES OF TORT LAW
• Common Law: – The development of torts by precedent through the
courts • Donoghue v Stevenson
• Statute: – Thematic statutes: eg Motor Accidents legislation • Motor Accidents Compensation Act 1999
– General statutes: eg Civil Liability legislation • The Civil Liability Act (NSW) 2002
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ACTIONS IN TORT LAW
Trespass• Directlycausedinjuries• Requiresnoproofofdamage(ac+onableperse)
Ac+onontheCase/Negligence• Indirectinjuries• Requiresproofofdamage
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LIABILITY IN TORTS
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LIABILITY IN TORT LAW
• Liability = responsibility • Liability may be based on fault or it
may be strict • Fault liability: the failure to live up to a
standard through an act or omission .
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TYPES OF FAULT LIABILITY
Inten+onal
Negligence
Fault
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Intention in Torts
Deliberateorwilfulconduct
‘Construc+ve’intent:wheretheconsequencesofanactare
substan+allycertain:t
Whereconductisreckless
Transferredintent:whereDintendstohit‘B’butmisses
andhits‘P’
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Negligence in Torts
• When D is careless in his/her conduct • When D fails to take reasonable care
to avoid a reasonably foreseeable injury to another and that party suffers damage.
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STRICT LIABILITY
• No fault is required for strict liability
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INTENTIONALTORTSTOTHEPERSON
BATTERYASSAULT
FALSEIMPRSONMENT
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Trespass
Conversion
Defama+on
Misrepresenta=on
Deceit
Inten+onalTorts
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WHAT IS TRESPASS?
• Intentional act of D which directly causes an injury to the P or his /her property without lawful justification
• The Elements of Trespass: – fault: intentional act – injury* caused directly – injury* to the P or to his/her property – No lawful justification
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*INJURY IN TRESPASS
• Injury = a breach of right, not necessarily actual damage
• Trespass requires only proof of injury not actual damage
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Inten=onalAct
Direct
Absenceoflawfuljus=fica=on
Interferencewithpersonortheirproperty
TheElementsofTrespass
TRESPASS
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SPECIFIC FORMS OF TRESPASS
PERSON PROPERTY
BATTERY
ASSAULT
FALSE IMPRISONMENT
TREAPASS
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The Nature of the tort
Battery :
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BATTERY
• The intentional act of D which directly causes a physical interference with the body of P without lawful justification
• The distinguishing element: physical interference with P’s body
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THE INTENTIONAL ACT IN BATTERY
• No liability without intention • The intentional act = basic willful act +
the consequences.
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THE ACT MUST CAUSE PHYSICAL INTERFERENCE
• The essence of the tort is the protection of the person of P. D’s act short of physical contact is therefore not a battery
• The least touching of another could be battery – Cole v Turner (dicta per Holt CJ)
• ‘The fundamental principle, plain and incontestable, is that every person’s body is inviolate’ ( per Goff LJ, Collins v Wilcock)
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CrouchervCachia[2016]NSWCA132
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UguzcuvMacquarieHotelLiverpoolPtyLtd[2016]NSWSC843
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WhitevJohnston[2015]NSWCA18
Theissuesonappeal:
Whetherapa+ent'sconsentisinvalidifthesolepurposeoftreatmentisnon-therapeu+c;
WhethertheabsenceofconsentformsthegistofassaultandbaUery;and
Whethertheonusofprovingconsentlieswiththepa+entortheprac++oner.
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RixonvStarCityCasino
• D places hand on P’s shoulder to attract his attention; no battery
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CollinsvWilcock
• Police officer holds D’s arm with a view to restraining her when D declines to answer questions and begins to walk away; battery
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SHOULD THE PHYSICAL INTERFERENCE BE HOSTILE?
• Hostility may establish a presumption of battery; but
• Hostility is not material to proving battery
• The issue may revolve on how one defines ‘hostility’
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THE INJURY MUST BE CAUSED DIRECTLY
• Injury should be the immediate The Case Law: – Scott v Shepherd ( Lit squib/fireworks in market
place)
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THE ACT MUST BE WITHOUT LAWFUL JUSTIFICATION
• Consent is Lawful justification • Consent must be freely given by the P if P is able
to understand the nature of the act – Allen v New Mount Sinai Hospital
• Lawful justification includes the lawful act of law enforcement officers
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ASSAULT
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WHAT IS ASSAULT
• The intentional act or threat of D which directly places P in reasonable apprehension of an imminent physical interference with his or her person or of someone under his or her control
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ASSAULT
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TRESPASS:ASSAULT
• The intentional act or threat of D which directly places P in reasonable apprehension of an imminent physical interference with his or her person or of someone under his or her control
• It is any act — and not a mere omission to act — by which a person intentionally — or recklessly — causes another to apprehend immediate and unlawful violence:
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The Gist of the Action
• …Assault necessarily involves the apprehension of injury or the instillation of fear or fright. It does not necessarily involve physical contact with the person assaulted: nor is such physical contact, if it occurs, an element of the assault. (Barwick CJ in The Queen v Phillips (1971) 45 ALJR 467 at 472
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THE ELEMENTS OF ASSAULT
• There must be a direct threat: – StateofNewSouthWalesvMcMaster[2015]NSWCA228;328ALR309,
– StateofNewSouthWalesvIbbeJ[2005]NSWCA445
•
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D’actmustinduce
apprehensioninP
Itmustbea‘reasonable’
apprehensionofimminentunlawfulphysicalinterference
Whatisimminent
dependsonthecircumstance
Police v Greaves Barton v Armstrong Zanka v Vartzokas
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Zanker v Vartzokas and the issue of
imminence/immediacy
• The Facts: – Accused gives a lift to victim and offers money
for sex; victim refuses. – Accused responds by accelerating car, Victim
tries to open door, but accused increases acceleration
– Accused says to victim: I will take you to my mates house. He will really fix you up
– Victim jumps from car then travelling 60km/h
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ZankervVartzokas:TheIssues
• Was the victim’s fear of sexual assault in the future reasonable? • Was the feared harm immediate
enough to constitute assault?
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ZankervVartzokas:TheReasoning
• Where the victim is held in place and unable to escape the immediacy element may be fulfilled.
• The essential factor is imminence not contemporaneity
• The exact moment of physical harm injury is known to the aggressor
• It remains an assault where victim is powerless to stop the aggressor from carrying out the threat
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MereWordsandSilence
• In general, mere words are may not actionable – Barton v Armstrong
• But silence as in silent telephone calls, may constitute an assault: R v Burstow; R v Ireland [1998] AC 147.
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Condi+onalThreats
• In general, conditional threats are not actionable – Tuberville v Savage – Police v Greaves
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03 THE LAW OF TORTS WEEK 2
False Imprisonment Trespass to Land
Professor Sam Blay
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FALSEIMPRISONMENT
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SPECIFIC FORMS OF TRESPASS
PERSON PROPERTY
BATTERY
ASSAULT
FALSE IMPRISONMENT
TREAPASS
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FALSE IMPRISONMENT
• The intentional act of D which directly causes the total restraint of P and thereby confines him/her to a delimited area without lawful justification
• The essential distinctive element is the total restraint
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THE ELEMENTS OF THE TORT
Itrequiresallthebasicelementsoftrespass:
Inten+onalact
Directness
Absenceoflawfuljus+fica+on
Totalrestraint
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RESTRAINT IN FALSE IMPRISONMENT
• The restraint must be total – Bird v Jones (passage over bridge) – Rudduck v Vadarlis – The Balmain New Ferry Co v Robertson
• Total restraint implies the absence of a reasonable means of escape – Zanker v Vartzokas (D refuses to allow P out of car)
• Restraint may be total where D subjects P to his/her authority with no option to leave – Symes v Mahon (police officer arrests P by mistake)
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KNOWLEDGE IN FALSE IMPRISONMENT
• The knowledge of the P at the moment of restraint is not essential. – Merring v Graham White Aviation – Murray v Ministry of Defense
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StateofSouthAustraliavLampard-Trevorrow(2010)106SASR331
• WhenPwasaboutayearold,hewastakenfromhospitalbyanofficeroftheAboriginesProtec+onBoardandlaterplacedinlong-termfostercarewithouthisparentsknowingoftheremovalorthefostering.IssuewhethertherewasFI.
• TheFullCourtunanimouslyheldthat,whileneithertheplain+ffnorhisparentshadconsentedtohisfosterplacement,hewasnotfalselyimprisonedduringtheperiodofhisfostercare.Thefactthattheplain+ffwasaninfantandneededcareandnurturespokeagainstanyfindingofrestraint.Anyelementofrestraint,whilsthegrewasayoungchild,wassolelyaUributabletotheobliga+onofhisfosterparentstocareforhimandalsoaUributabletohisimmaturity.
• Howeverthattheplain+ff’sclaimofnegligenceagainsttheStatewasupheldbytheappealcourt.
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INTENTIONALTORTSTOPROPERTY
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SPECIFIC FORMS OF TRESPASS
PERSON PROPERTY
BATTERY
ASSAULT
FALSE IMPRISONMENT
TREAPASS
CHATTELS LAND
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TRESPASSTOPROPERTY:LAND
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TRESPASS TO LAND
• The intentional of D which directly interferes with the plaintiff’s exclusive possession of land
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SCOPE OF THE TORT
• Land includes the actual soil/dirt, the structures/plants on it and the airspace above it • Cujus esft solum ejus est usque
ad coelum et inferos – Bernstein of Leigh v Skyways & General
Ltd – Kelson v Imperial Tobacco
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THE NATURE OF D’S ACT
• The act must constitute some physical interference which disturbs P’s exclusive possession of the land – Victoria Racing Co. v Taylor – Bathurst City Council v Saban
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THE NATURE OF THE PLAINTIFF’S INTEREST IN THE LAND
• P must have exclusive possession of the land at the time of the interference exclusion of all others
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THE NATURE OF EXCLUSIVE POSSESSION
• Exclusive possession is distinct from ownership.
• Ownership refers to title in the land. Exclusive possession refers to physical holding of the land
• The nature of possession depends on the material possessed
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EXCLUSIVE POSSESSION: CO-OWNERS
• In general, a co-owner cannot be liable in trespass in respect of the land he/she owns; but this is debatable where the ’trespassing’ co-owner is not in possession.
• A co-possessor can maintain an action against a trespasser (Coles Smith v Smith and Ors)¯
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THE POSITION OF TRESPASSERS AND SQUATTERS
• A trespasser/squatter in exclusive possession can maintain an action against any other trespasser – Newington v Windeyer (1985) 3 NSWLR
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THE POSITION OF LICENSEES • A licensee is one who has the
permission of P to enter or use land (belonging to P)
• A licensee is a party not in possession, and can therefore not sue in trespass
• A licensee for value however may be entitled to sue(E.R. Investments v Hugh)
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THE TRESPASSORY ACT
• Preventing P’s access Waters v Maynard)
• The continuation of the initial trespassory act is a trespass continuing trespass – Where D enters land for purposes
different from that for which P gave a license, D’s conduct may constitute trespass ab initio/pro tanto
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CaseLaw
– SinghvSmithenbecker:Denteredlandtotakesheeplawfullypurchased.ButbecametrespasseronceheremovedP’sgateandtookcertainsheepwithoutpermission.
– BondvKelly:Dbecametrespasserwhenhecutmore+mberfromP’slandthanpermiUedamount.
– Howeversee:Healing(Sales)vInglicElectrix:DwenttoP’shousetotakesomeoftheirproperty,butalsotookP’s.Held:BarwickCJandMenziesJ-Dwasnotliableaspartofpurposewaslawful.KiUoJsaidtakingP’sstuffmadethemliable.Thus,thereissomedoubtastothetrespassprotantodoctrine.
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THE POSITION OF POLICE OFFICERS
• Unless authorized by law, police officers have no special right of entry into any premises without consent of P. (Halliday v Neville)
• A police officer charged with the duty of serving a summons must obtain the consent of the party in possession (Plenty v. Dillion )
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Police Officers; The Common Law Position
• The poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all forces of the Crown. It may be frail- its roof may shake- the wind may blow through it- the rain may enter- but the King of England cannot enter- all his force dares not cross the threshold of the ruined tenement. So be it- unless he has justification by law’. ( Southam v Smout [1964] 1QB 308, 320.
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03 THE LAW OF TORTS WEEK 3
Interference with Goods Action on the case for willful injury
Defences Professor Sam Blay
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TRESPASSTOCHATTELS
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TRESPASS TO GOODS/CHATTEL
• The intentional/negligent act of D which directly interferes with the plaintiff’s possession of a chattel without lawful justification
• The P must have actual or constructive possession at the time of interference.
•
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DAMAGES
• Itmaynotbeac+onableperse(EveriJvMarSn)
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CONVERSION
• The act of D in relation to another’s chattel which constitutes an unjustifiable denial of his/her title
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CONVERSION: Who Can Sue?
• Owners • Those in possession or entitled to immediate
possession – Bailees* – Bailors* – Mortgagors* and Mortgagees*(Citicorp
Australia v B.S. Stillwell) – Finders (Parker v British Airways; Armory v
Delmirie)
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ACTS OF CONVERSION
• Mere asportation is no conversion – Fouldes v Willoughby
• The D’s conduct must constitute an unjustifiable denial of P’s rights to the property – Howard E Perry v British Railways Board
• Finders of lost property – Parker v British Airways
• The position of the auctioneer – Willis v British Car Auctions
• Destruction of the chattel is conversion – Atkinson v Richardson;)
• Taking possession • Withholding possession – Clayton v Le Roy
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ACTS OF CONVERSION
• Misdelivery ( Ashby v Tolhurst (1937 2KB); Sydney City Council v West)
• Unauthorized dispositions in any manner that interferes with P’s title constitutes conversion (Penfolds Wines v Elliott)
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DETINUE
• De+nue:ThewrongfulrefusaltotendergoodsupondemandbyP,whoisen+tledtopossessionItrequiresademandcoupledwithsubsequentrefusal(GeneralandFinanceFaciliSesvCooksCars(Romford)
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DAMAGES IN CONVERSION AND DETINUE
• In conversion, damages usually take the form of pecuniary compensation
• In detinue, the court may in appropriate circumstances order the return of the chattel
• Damages in conversion are calculated as at the time of conversion; in detinue it is as at the time of judgment – The Mediana – Butler v The Egg and Pulp Marketing Board – The Winkfield – General and Finance Facilities v Cooks Cars (Romford)
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ACTION ON THE CASE FOR INDIRECT INJURIES
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INDIRECT INTENTIONAL INJURIES: CASE LAW
• Bird v Holbrook (trap set in garden) – D is liable in an action on the case for
damages for intentional acts which are meant to cause damage to P and which in fact cause damage (to P)
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THE INTENTIONAL ACT
• Theinten+onalmaybedeliberateandpreconceived(BirdvHolbrook)• Itmayalsobeinferredorimplied;thetestfortheinferenceisobjec+ve
• WilkinsonvDownton• JanviervSweeney• NaSonwideNewsvNaidu
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Action on the Case for Indirect Intentional Harm: Elements
• D is liable in an action on the case for damages for intentional acts which are meant to cause damage to P and which in fact cause damage to P
• The elements of this tort: – The act must be intentional – It must be one calculated to cause harm/damage – It must in fact cause harm/actual damage
• Where D intends no harm from his act but the harm caused is one that is reasonably foreseeable, D’s intention to cause the resulting harm can be imputed/implied
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THE SCOPE OF THE RULE
• The rule does not cover ‘pure’ mental stress or mere fright – Wainright v Home Office
• The act must be reasonably capable of causing mental distress to a normal* person: – Bunyan v Jordan – Stevenson v Basham
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The Future of the Wilkinson v Downtown
• The High Court obiter dicta Magill v Magill – Subsequent developments in Anglo-Australian law
recognise these cases as early examples of recovery by reference to imputed intention to cause physical harm ; a cause of action later subsumed under the unintentional tort of negligence ( Per Gummow, Kirby and Crennan JJ)
– Wilkinson v Downton, decided in 1987 and Janvier v Sweeney decided in 1919, which were cases of deception causing nervous shock, would probably now be explained either on the basis of negligence or intentional infliction of personal injury ( per Gleeson CJ)
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ONUS OF PROOF • In Common Law, he who asserts proves • Traditionally, in trespass D was required to disprove
fault once P proved injury. Depending on whether the injury occurred on or off the highway ( McHale v Watson; Venning v Chin)
• The current Australian position is contentious but seems to support the view that in off highway cases D is required to prove all the elements of the tort once P proves injury – Hackshaw v Shaw – Platt v Nutt – See Blay; ‘Onus of Proof of Consent in an Action for Trespass
to the Person’ Vol. 61 ALJ (1987) 25 – But see McHugh J in See Secretary DHCS v JWB and SMB
(Marion’s Case) 1992 175 CLR 218
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IMPACT OF THE CIVIL LIABILITY ACT
• Section 3B Civil liability excluded from Act (1) The provisions of this Act do not apply to or in respect of civil liability (and awards of damages in those proceedings) as follows: (a) civil liability in respect of an intentional act that is done with intent to cause injury or death or that is sexual assault or other sexual misconduct – the whole Act except Part 7 (Self-defence and recovery by criminals) in respect of civil liability in respect of an intentional act that is done with intent to cause injury or death
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DEFENCESTOINTENTIONALTORTS
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INTRODUCTION: The Concept of Defence
• Broader Concept: The content of the Statement of Defence- The response to the P’s Statement of Claim-The basis for non-liability
• Statement of Defence may contain: – Denial – Objection to a point of law
– Confession and avoidance:
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MISTAKE
• An intentional conduct done under a misapprehension
• Mistake is thus not the same as inevitable accident
• Mistake is generally not a defence in tort law ( Rendell v Associated Finance Ltd, Symes v Mahon)
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CONSENT
• In a strict sense, consent is not a defence as such because in trespass, the absence of consent is an element of the tort – See: Blay; ‘Onus of Proof of Consent in an
Action for Trespass to the Person’ Vol. 61 ALJ (1987) 25
– But McHugh J in See Secretary DHCS v JWB and SMB (Marion’s Case) 1992 175 CLR 218
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VALID CONSENT
• To be valid, consent must be informed and procured without fraud or coercion: ( R vWilliams;)
• To invalidate consent, fraud must relate directly to the agreement itself, and not to an incidental issue: (Papadimitropoulos v R (1957) 98 CLR 249; R v Linekar (the Times, 1994)
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CONSENT IN SPORTS
• hUp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgtKW5PLso4
• Incontactsports,consentisnotnecessarilyadefencetofoulplay(McNamaravDuncan;HiltonvWallace)
• Tosucceedinanac+onfortrespassincontactsportshowever,thePmustofcourseprovetherelevantelementsofthetort.– GiumellivJohnston
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Self-DefenceCLAS52
• 1.Apersoncarriesoutconductinself-defenceifandonlyifthepersonbelievestheconductisnecessary:– (a)todefendhimselforherselforanotherperson,or– (b)topreventorterminatetheunlawfuldepriva+onofhisorherlibertyorthelibertyofanotherperson,or
– (c)toprotectpropertyfromunlawfultaking,destruc+on,damageorinterference,or
– (d)topreventcriminaltrespasstoanylandorpremisesortoremoveapersoncommitnganysuchcriminaltrespass,
• andtheconductisareasonableresponseinthecircumstancesasheorsheperceivesthem.
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CrouchervCachia[2016]NSWCA132
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StateofNewSouthWalesvMcMaster;StateofNewSouthWalesvKarakizos;StateofNewSouthWalesv
McMaster[2015]NSWCA228
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TheIssueofReasonableResponse:CLAs53
Wheres52couldapplybutforthefactthattheconductwasnotareasonableresponseinthecircumstancesasDperceivedthem,acourtisneverthelessnottoawarddamagesagainstthepersoninrespectoftheconductunlessthecourtissa+sfiedthat:
• (a)thecircumstancesofthecaseareexcep+onal,and• (b)inthecircumstancesofthecase,afailuretoawarddamageswouldbeharshandunjust.
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SahadevBischoff[2015]NSWCA418
• Analterca+onoccurredwhentherespondentcaughttheappellantbreakingaparthisstaircasewithasledgehammer.
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THE DEFENCE OF PROPERTY
• D may use reasonable force to defend his/her property if he/she reasonably believes that the property is under attack or threatened
• What is reasonable force will depend on the facts of each case, but it is debatable whether reasonable force includes ‘deadly force’
• But see S52(3) CLA: – S52 provisions on self defence does not protect D if
D’s conduct involves the intentional or reckless infliction of death only: • (a) to protect property, or • (b) to prevent criminal trespass or to remove a person
committing criminal trespass.
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PROVOCATION
• Provocation is not a defence in tort law. • It can only be used to avoid the award of
exemplary damages: Fontin v Katapodis; Downham Ballett and Others
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NECESSITY
• The defence is allowed where an act which is otherwise a tort is done to save life or property: urgent situations of imminent peril
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Urgent Situations of Imminent Peril
• The situation must pose a threat to life or property to warrant the act: Southwark London B. Council v Williams
• The defence is available in very strict circumstances R v Dudley and Stephens
• D’s act must be reasonably necessary and not just convenient Murray v McMurchy – In re F – Cope v Sharp
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INSANITY
• Insanity is not a defence as such to an intentional tort.
• What is essential is whether D by reason of insanity was capable of forming the intent to commit the tort. (White v Pile; Morris v Marsden)
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INFANTS
• Minority is not a defence as such in torts. • What is essential is whether the D
understood the nature of his/her conduct (Smith v Leurs; Hart v AG of Tasmania)
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DISCIPLINE
• PARENTS – A parent may use reasonable and
moderate force to discipline a child. What is reasonable will depend on the age, mentality, and physique of the child and on the means and instrument used. (R v Terry)
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ILLEGALITY:Ex turpi causa non oritur actio
• Persons who join in committing an illegal act have no legal rights inter se in relation to torts arising directly from that act. – GollanvNugent(1988)166CLR18