Seminar 3, Tort Law - Notes to questions on the policy considerations of duty of care and the different PDF

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Notes to questions on the policy considerations of duty of care and the different judges approaches. ...

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Seminar(3,(Tort(Law( a)(What(are('policy(considerations'(and(what(role(do(they(play(in(decisions(about( the(existence(of(a(duty(of(care?( -(Compare(judgments(of(Lord(Reed,(Lord(Mance(&(Lord(Hughes.(( -"In%luence"the"long-term"development"of"case"law." -"Policy"considerations"arise"in"novel"cases."" -"Effect"on"scope"of"duty"of"care?" " -"Floodgates"issue"restricts"scope"of"duty"of"care." " -"But;"lack"of"an"appropriate"remedy"can"widen"the"scope"of"duty"of"care."" -"Non-legal"principle"that"a"judge"may"incorporate"to"decide"an"outcome"of"a"case;" economic,"moral"or"ethical."" -"Floodgate"issue"="Police"consideration."" " -"Judges"may"look"at"whether"an"af%irmative"decision"would"bring"a"%lood"of" further"similar"claims,"which"would"overwhelm"courts"or"devalue"legal"credibility."" -"Ripple"effect"-"Similar"claims"being"brought"all"the"time." " -"E.g."C"is"a"member"of"an"indeterminately"large"class"of"persons." " " -"Goodwill"v"British"Pregnancy"Advisory"Service"1996."" " " " -"Doctor"didn't"owe"duty"of"care."" -"Psychiatric"injury." -"Pure"economic"loss."" -"Potential"impact"that"a"decision"might"have"on"insurance"industry"in"future."" -"Recently"judges"have"begun"voicing"concerns"about"impact"of"negligence"liability"on" socially"bene%icial"activities;"e.g."school"trips."" "" -"Policy"considerations"for"denying"a"duty"of"care"="other"appropriate"remedies."" " -"Effective"remedy"in"contract." " -"Judicial"review." -"Lack"of"appropriate"remedies?"" " -"Good"reason"why"a"duty"of"care"might"be"imposed."" -"Spring"v"Guardian"Assurance"1994" " -"C"couldn't"sue"in"defamation,"duty"of"care"on"employer."" -"White"v"Jones"1995" " -"Didn't"have"a"claim"in"contract"as"weren't"privy"to"the"contract."" -"When"a"public"authority"should"be"liable;"Impact"on"the"function"of"the"public" authority.""

Lord(Reed:( -"Incremental"approach;"means"they"use"legal"principles;"common"law,"precedent"&" reasoning"by"analogy."" -"Reason"by"analogy"-"Have"these"facts"been"seen"before"in"a"previous"case?"" -"Novel"case:"Legal"principles"have"run"out"&"cannot"be"applied"so"have"to"use"'fair,"just" and"reasonable'."" -"Constructs"argument"by"numbering"the"issues."" -"Disagrees"with"Hallett"LJ"from"COA." -"Wrong"to"just"look"at"'fair,"just"and"reasonable'"element;"must"look"at"policy" considerations."" -"Says"it"was"an"act,"not"an"omission;"Police"had"caused"the"damage"by"their"actions."" -"Case"should"be"decided"on"legal"principles." -"Says"there"was"proximity"&"reasonably"foreseeable"risk."" -"Caparo"should"be"used"by"looking"at"3"elements"equally."" -"Policy"considerations"are"to"come"after"legal"principles."" Lord(Mance:( -"'Courts"are"not"a"Law"Commission,"but,"in"recognising"the"existence"of"any"generalised" duty"in"particular"circumstances"they"are"making"policy"choices'."" -"Looked"at"policy"factors"in"Elguzouli-Daf"regarding"liability"of"CPS;"Steyn"LJ;"'the" interests"of"the"whole"community"are"better"served"by"not"imposing"a"duty"of"care"on" the"CPS'."" -"Agrees"that"it"is"an"act,"not"an"omission."" -"Looks"at"Lord"Reid;"'There"was"a"time"when"it"was"thought"almost"indecent"to"suggest" that"judges"make"law"-"they"only"declare"it..."But"we"do"not"believe"in"fairy"tales"any" more'."" -"Unsure"whether"there"is"evidence"of"the"damaging"effect"on"police"of%icers"practice"if" there"were"a"duty"of"care,"but"it"is"a"held"view."" Lord(Hughes:(Para(98( -"'Foreseeability"of"harm"is"a"necessary"but"not"suf%icient"condition"for"liability'." -'Where"the"law"is"clear"that"a"particular"relationship,"or"recurrent"factual"situation," gives"rise"to"a"duty"of"care,"there"is"no"occasion"to"resort"to"Caparo,"at"least"unless"the" court"is"being"invited"to"depart"from"previous"authority'."" -"Interests"of"the"whole"community;"para"107" -"Looks"at"police"cases." -"Policy"consideration;"Police"of%icers"would"become"defensive;"damaging"effect"on"their" practice."" b)(What(role(should(policy(considerations(play(in(decisions(about(the(existence(of( a(duty(of(care?((

-"They"should"take"into"account"insurance"to"acknowledge"who"will"take"the"burden"of" paying." " -"E.g."in"some"car"accident"cases,"it"will"be"the"insurer"paying"instead"of"D."" -"Some"%loodgate"issues"may"be"unfair"on"C." -"But;"necessary"to"not"make"an"af%irmative"decision"due"to"workload"of"the"courts," resources"&"costs."" -"McLoughlin"-"What"role"should"policy"take?" -"Moral"considerations."" -"Alcock"-"Psychiatric"harm"cases."" -"Child"welfare"cases." -"McKay"v"Essex"AHA"1982.""

c)((‘There%is%generally%no%liability%for%omissions%in%the%law%of%negligence’.(Discuss.((

-"Courts"reluctant"to"impose"liability"for"omissions"unless"there"is"an"exception." -"Generally"no"duty"to"perform"actions"to"help"someone"or"prevent"their"injury."" -"Why?"-"Discussed"by"Lord"Hoffmann"in"Stovin"v"Wise"1996." " -"Invasion"of"freedom." " -"'Why"pick"on"me?'" " " -"Duty"may"apply"to"large"&"indeterminate"class"of"people." " " -"Why"should"one"be"held"liable"rather"than"the"other?" -"Where"D"has"control"of"the"situation,"foreseeability"of"damage"&"AOR."" -"Statutory"power"but"not"obligation;"omission"doesn't"make"a"duty"of"care." " -"Gorringe"v"Calderdale"2004" " " -"No"duty"of"care"where"council"failed"to"replace"warning"sign"on" dangerous"stretch"of"road."" Lord"Hughes"in"Robinson:" -"'Rule"against"liability"for"omissions"is"by"no"means"general'." -"Smith"v"Littlewoods"Organisation"Ltd"-"Lord"Goff"stated"several"situations"where" liability"is"imposed"for"omissions,"e.g."AOR." " " -"Employment,"teaching,"healthcare"&"care"of"children." -"'It"could"equally"readily"do"so"in"the"case"of"police"of%icers"with"a"general"public"duty"to" protect"the"peace,"but"it"does"not'."" -"Michael.""

d)(An(unknown(individual((X)(sends(written(threats(of(violence(to(a(local( newspaper.(The(threats(are(directed(at(employees(of(the(Local(Town(council((LTC).( The(motives(of(X(are(unclear(but(they(appear(to(relate(to(a(statutory(decision(to( allow(building(development(in(part(of(the(Town.(LTC(and(the(police(do(not(take(the threats(seriously(but(X(subsequently(attacks(2(members(of(LTC(Staff(who(work(in( the(Planning(Department(causing(various(physical(injuries(to(them.(Consider( whether(the(injured(staff(were(owed(a(duty(of(care(in(negligence(and(if(so,(what( was(that(duty(and(who(owed(it?((

C(=(2(members(of(LTC(Staff.( X(=(Third(party.( D(=(Employer(&(Police.(( Employer;(LTC( -"Employers"liability"-"Employer"owes"employee"duty"of"care."" Police( -"Omission"-"Reluctance"to"impose"duty"of"care"unless"an"exception."" " -"Did"D"have"control"over"situation?" " -"Foreseeable?" " -"Class"of"people"that"could"be"hurt?"="Large,"whole"of"LTC"staff"could"have"been" targeted."" -"Precedent"case"on"these"facts?" -"Courts"slow"to"impose"duties"of"care,"using"a"range"of"policy"reasons"to"justify"their" decisions." -"Hill"v"Chief"Constable"of"W"Yorkshire"1988" " -"Suggested"blanket"immunity"for"police?" " -"Lord"Keith;"Policy"reasons;"" " " -"Defending"negligence"actions"would"be"demanding"of"money,"time"&" manpower"&"divert"the"police"from"their"main"function." " " -"Lord"Templeman;"Internal"inquiry"would"be"more"appropriate?" " -"Very"large"class"of"people"that"could"have"been"targeted;"didn't"know"it"was"Hill" that"was"going"to"be"speci%ically"targeted."" " " -"Contrasted"with"Michael"v"The"Chief"Constable"of"South"Wales"2015."" -"Swinney"v"Chief"Constable"of"Northumbria"Police"(No.2)"1997" ( -"Reconsidered"validity"of"Hill"blanket"immunity." " -"Police's"immunity"balanced"against"need"to"protect"informants."

" -"&"was"at"least"arguable"that"police"voluntarily"assumed"responsibility"for" keeping"information"supplied"con%idential." " -"Duty"to"take"reasonable"care"in"preventing"con%idential"information"from"being" disclosed"to"the"public,"was"owed"by"police"to"informers,"but"on"facts"police"had"not" failed"in"that"duty." -"Had"the"police"failed"to"take"reasonable"care"by"not"taking"the"threats"seriously?" -"But"no"AOR?" -"Osman"v"UK;" " -"Police"would"be"under"a"duty"to"take"positive"steps"where"they"'know"or"ought" to"have"known"of"a"real"and"immediate"risk"to"life'."" -"Van"Colle"v"Chief"Constable"of"Hertfordshire"2009" " -"Police"didn't"know"he"was"an"imminent"threat.""

e)(Local(emergency(services((Xire,(ambulance(and(police)(respond(to(an( emergency(telephone(call(out(to(a(Xire(at(vacant(commercial(premises.(The(police( had(previously(been(warned(that(Xires(were(being(started(at(the(site(by(vagrants( and(others(but(had(done(little(by(way(of(response.(The(Fire(service(turns(up(to(the( Xire(in(good(time(but(does(not(spot(the(gas(cylinders(on(site(which(subsequently( explode(causing(extensive(damage(to(adjacent(premises.(The(Ambulance(service( accepts(the(telephone(call(out(to(attend,(but(goes(to(the(wrong(location(due(to( operator(error(and(is(very(late(on(the(scene.(A(night(security(guard(working(at( adjacent(premises(is(overwhelmed(by(fumes(from(the(Xire.(Whilst(waiting(for(the( ambulance(his(condition(worsened((this(would(probably(have(been(avoided(if(the( ambulance(crew(had(turned(up(in(good(time).(Consider(whether(the(emergency( services(owed(any(duty(of(care(to(the(security(guard?((

D(=(Emergency(services;(Fire,(ambulance(&(police.( C(=(Security(guard.( Omission( Police( -"Osman"v"UK;" " -"Police"would"be"under"a"duty"to"take"positive"steps"where"they"'know"or"ought" to"have"known"of"a"real"and"immediate"risk"to"life'."" " -"Not"an"immediate"threat"to"life"in"this"case." Fire(Service( -"Don't"owe"a"duty"of"care"to"individuals"unless"they"make"the"situation"worse"or"create" new"dangerous"situation." -"Capital"and"Countries"Bank"v"Hants"CC"1997."

" -"Positive"act"of"turning"the"sprinkler"system"off"="made"C's"position"worse"when" a"%ire"which"had"not"been"completely"extinguished"reignited." Ambulance(Service( -"Duty"of"care"to"person"who"calls." -"Kent"v"Grif%iths"2000" " -"Ambulance"took"too"long"to"arrive,"considering"short"distance"it"was"coming" from." " -"Liable"as"when"accepted"call"="creation"of"duty"of"care."" -"Contrast"Capital"and"Countries"Bank"v"Hants"CC"1997"&"Kent"v"Grif%iths"2000." -"Ambulance"service"accepting"call"="AOR." -"But,"%ire"service"accepting"call"isn't"AOR?"...