Law of Torts Syllabus

(July- October 2022)

Module I: Conceptual Foundations of the Law of Torts - (14 lectures)

• Whether Law of Tort or Law of Torts?: Winfield Salmond and Prof Glanville Williams
• Maxims: Ubi Jus ibi remedium, Ubi remedium ibi jus
• Torts and other wrongs: Contracts, Quasi-Contracts, Crimes and Breach of Trust
• Omission and commission; Damnum sine injuria and Injuria sine damno- Ashby v White (1703) 2
Ld Raym 938, Gloucester Grammer School Case (1410) YB 11 Hen IV- Tomlivson v Congbton Borough
Council (2003) 3 All 1122

Elements of Torts-
• Duty of Care- Donogue v. Stevenson (1932) AC 562; Anns v. Merton LBC (1997) 2 All ER 492;
Caparo's (1990) 1 All ER 568 Test-Modern approach of duty of care; Incremental approach
endorsed by UK through Australian authority in Sutherland Shire Council v. Heyman [1985] 50
ALR 1, (1985) 157 CLR 424 ; Cases covered as examples- MPRTC v Basanti Bai (1971) IILLJ
273 MP, Mclouglin v O’Brain [1983] 1 AC 410, [1982] 2 All ER 298, Jocob Mathew v State of Punjab
(2005) 6 SCC 1, Roshwell v Chemical co [2008] 1 AC 281; Home office v Dorset Yatch co [1970] UKHL
2, [1970] AC 1004.

• Breach of Duty- objective test- standard of a reasonable man- factors relevant to establishing
standard of care –
• a) Factors Extraneous to the Defendant eg. likelihood of harm Bolton v. Stone; seriousness of
harm; social utility of defendant's activity; cost of avoiding the harm; hurly-burly of life; general
practice of community
• b) Factors dependent upon the defendant- eg. Child defendants Mullin v. Richards, intelligence
and skill; special knowledge about the claimant; informality-disability Roberts v. Ramsbottom and
Mansfield v. Weetabix Ltd.
• Res ipsa loquitor

• Causation- a) Causation in fact - the 'but-for' test; loss of chance- Hotson v. East Berkshire Area
Health Authority; Gregg v. Scott; hypothetical conduct of the claimant; material contribution to
the harm- Bonnington Casting Ltd. v. Wardlaw, McGee v. National Coal Board
• b) causation in law- Novus Actus Interveniens-break in the chain of causation- Natural Cause,
Claimant's own conduct, Third Party Baker v. Willioughby and Jobling v. Associated Dairies
compared and contrasted
• c) Remoteness of Damages- Re Polemis; Wagon Mound case

• Damage and Damages- McKay v. Essex Area Health Authority

Module II: Negligent invasions of interests in person, property and economic interest -
(12 lectures)
• Duty to the unborn person - Economic Loss-Hedley Byrne & co. Ltd. Heller & Partners Ltd.,
Dobson v Dobson [1997]2SCR 753, Zepede v Zepeda 190 NE 2d 849 (1963), Williams v State of New
York 18 NY 2d 481 (1966), Gleiman v Cosgrove 49 NJ 22, 227 A 2d 689 (1967), Mckay v Essex
Area Health Authority [1982] 2 ALL E R 771,
Discussion on - Liability for fetal injuries runs contrary to liberty and equality.
• Duty to rescuers - Psychiatric injury-nervous shock-McLoughlin v. O’Brian, Alock v. Chief
Constable of South Yorkshire-fear for relatives and friends, impact theory, the area of shock
theory, rescuers, Page v Smith (1995) 2 ALL E R 736, White sub nom Frost v. Chief Constable of
South Yorkshire (1997) 3 WLR 1194, Hicks v Chief Constable of South Yorkshire(1992).
• Occupier’s Liability Act, 1957- Sec. 1(3)(a) Applicability of the Act, Protected Damage, Lawful
visitors, Invitees sec. 1(2), Licensees sec. 1(2), entrants pursuant to contract sec. 5(1), child
visitor sec.2(3)(a) and (b), Common duty of care sec. 2(2), Liability of independent contractors
sec.2(4)(b) Ferguson v. Welsh, British Railway Board v. Herington, Subhagwanti v. Municipal Corporation,
Caminerse v. Northern & London Investment Trust Ltd.
Occupier’s Liability Act, 1984, Occupier’s Liability under Factories Act, 1948, in 1987 as a
spin-off, the Bhopal Gas Tragedy and other industrial disasters led to new responsibilities. JK
Industries ltd v Chief Inspector Factories and Boilers (1996), Wheat v Lacon, Defences

Module III: Intentional Invasions in person, property and economic interests - (12
lectures)
• Trespass to the person - battery, assault, false imprisonment- effects on safety and liberty,
remedies as writ, criminal law, criminal and civil law and overlapping areas, difference
between compensation and fine, when trespass to person takes place, principle of directness
and harm, difficulty in deciding the matter, Wagon Mound cases, Latest principle, how law
of negligence overlaps with trespass to person, Wainwright v Home Office, Bavisetti Venkata
Surya Rao v Nandipati Muttayya, R v Governor of Brockhill Prison, Bird v Jones
• Trespass to land - Difference between trespass and occupier’s liability and nuisance,
continuing trespass, horizontal trespass, defenses- license, right to entry, remedies, Gregory v
Piper, British waterways Board v Severn Trent water Ltd, Minister of Health v Bellotti, Robert v Hallett,
Konskier v B Goodman Ltd, Watson v Murray, Basely v Clarson, Kelsen v Imperial, Smith v Stone
• Wrongful interference with goods- conversion, human dead body- Dobson case, Fowler v
Lanning.
• Defamation- distinction between Libel and slander, Yousoupoff v Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer- Pictures
limited, Reynolds defense, Defamation Act 2013
 • Defenses

Module IV: Strict liability - (14 lectures)

• Nuisance-public nuisance-remedies for public nuisance-damages, injunctions-private
nuisance-bases of liability- substantial interference-location, sensitivity, material damage to the
land, unreasonableness- duration of the harm, extent of the harm, character of the harm,
social value, reasonable user, defendant’s motive defenses private nuisance-prescription,
statutory authority-remedies for private-damages, injunction, abatement of nuisance,
Difference between trespass and nuisance. Campbell v Paddington Corp, Kennaway v Thompson,
Miller v Jackson, Hunter v Canary Wharf, London Borough of South work v Mills, Mullin v Richards,
Wagon Mound No 2, Bradford v Pickles, Cambridge Water co.
• The rule in Rylands v. Fletcher – Lord Blackburn on liability and Lord Cairn on Judgement of Blackburn
J., Read v J Lyons, Rickards v Lothian, AG v Corke, Tranco v Stockport MBC (2003), Cambridge Water
co., Defenses- Act of stranger Perry v. Kendricks Transport Ltd., Ribee v. Norrie, Act of God, Act
of a third party, statutory authority, consent benefit of the claimant
• Absolute Liability - M C. Mehta v. UOI, UCC v UOI (1990), Indian Council for Enviro legal Action
v UOI (1996), Klaus Mittelbachert v East India Hotels Ltd AIR 1997 Del 201
• Vicarious Liability - Qui facit per alium facit per se, Respondeat Superior, Lord Thankerton in Short v
JU&W Henduson, employers liability for the tortious act of employees, justification, contract
of service and contract for service, control test, personal investment in the enterprise, intention
of the parties, borrowed employees, Mercy Docks &Harbour Board v. Coggins& Griffiths Liverpool
Ltd., Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation Kailash Nath Kothari, In the course of
employment, impact of express prohibition- sphere of employment and mode of doing an act
within sphere of employment, close connection test- Lister v. Hesley Hall, sexual assault by
employee, fraud by employee, State bank of India v. Shyama Devi, Lloyd v. Grace Smith & Co.
employer’s vicarious liability for independent contractor-delegable duty and non-delegable
duty, Govindarajulu v MLA Govindaraja, Devinder Singh v Mangal Singh, VN Rao v Ghanshyam Das,
Anandan v Gomathi, Ramu Tularam v Amichand, KL Mishra v Biharilal,
• State Liability - Sir Barnes Peacock CJ’s observations on the doctrine of King can do no
wrong- Pre- Constitutional Judgments- Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co. v. Secretary of
State for India,Nobin Chander Dey v Secretary of state, Secretary of state v Hari Bhanji, Post-
Constitutional Judgments- State of Rajasthan v Vidyawati , Kasturi Lal v State of UP, N Nagendra
Rao v State of AP, Distinction between Sovereign and non-sovereign functions, Ubi jus incertum
ibi jus ullum welfare state, Why the ratio in Kasturi lal not overruled?
• Constitutional Torts – difference between torts and constitutional torts, doctrine of res ipsa
loquitur, as exception to sovereign immunity, Rudul Shah v. State of Bihar, Sebastian . M. Hongray
v UOI, Bhim Singh v. State of J & K, Saheli – a women’s resource centre v comm of police Delhi, Challa
Ramakrishna reddy v State of AP, Nilabati Behra v. State of Orissa.