Benjamin Musau 1

University of Nairobi, School of Law

Bachelor of Laws, Second Year (Regular)

GPR 212: Law of Torts

Second Semester Monday: 14:00 Hours – 17:00 Hours Friday: 14:00 Hours – 17:00 Hours (to discuss with Class and change as appropriate)

Instructor: Benjamin Musau E-Mail: Ben@bmmusau.co.ke

Overview Meaning and nature of tort; Tort and other forms of liability; Specific torts; General conditions and types; Intentional torts; Family torts Statutory torts; Customary torts; Tortuous liability; Causation; Defenses; Immunities; Remedies for breach; Types of tortuous liability; Vicarious liability; Government liability for torts; Limitation of actions in tort; Current issues on the law of tort in Kenya. Goal To expose the students to the existence of legal wrongs, which are not necessarily accompanied by physical damages and help students recognize civil wrongs, which lead to an action at common law for unliquidated damages. Modes of Delivery Lectures; Tutorials; Case Method; Seminar discussions; Individual Student and Group Presentations; Problem based learning Instructional Materials and Equipment Computers; Internet; Laws; Law Reports; Discussion Aids; Chalk/white boards and necessary accompaniments; Library; DVDs; Lexis-Nexis; HeinOnline; JSTOR Evaluation Type Weighting (%)

Core Reading Materials

1. W.V.H. Rogers (2006), Winfield and Jolowicz on Tort, 16thedition, Sweet and Maxwell.

2. Solomon, McInnes, Chamberlain and Pitel, Cases and Materials on the Law of Torts, 7th ed. (Carswell, 2009)

3. R.A.Buckley and R.F.V. Heuston (1996), Salmond and Heuston on the Law of Torts, 21stedition, Sweet and Maxwell.

4. John Murphy (2007), Street on Torts, 12thedition, Oxford University Press.

5. Jenny Steele (2007), Tort Law: Text, Cases and Materials, Oxford University Press.

Recommended Reference

Materials for decided Kenyan

Cases and Statutes: Kenya Law

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Select Resources

A. Statutes:

1. Civil Procedure Act, Chapter 21 of the Laws of Kenya

Examination 70 - Closed Book Examination Continuous Assessment 30 - Two Assignments @ 15 Marks each Total 100

Reports

http://www.kenyalaw.org

See overleaf for additional

select resources

Milestones By the end of this Course, students should be able to: 1. Understand the general principles of tortuous liability 2. Understand the objective of the law of tort 3. Distinguish and understand the different types of heads of torts; 4. Define the character of each specific tort and cite its main elements; 5. Understand and differentiate the General defenses and defenses

available to each specific tort; 6. Apply torts law to different legal contexts, such as motor accident liability,

environmental pollution, marine pollution, the environment; liability for premises, employers liability, property and goods.

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2. Constitution of Kenya, 2010

3. Defamation Act, Chapter 36 of the Laws of Kenya

4. Evidence Act, Chapter 80 of the Laws of Kenya

5. Government Proceedings Act, Chapter 4 of the Laws of Kenya

6. Limitation of Actions Act, Chapter 22 of the Laws of Kenya

7. Occupiers’ Liability Act, Chapter 34 of the Laws of Kenya

8. Privileges and Immunities Act, Chapter 179 of the Laws of Kenya

9. Public Authorities Limitation Act, Chapter 39 of the Laws of Kenya

B. Cases

1. Achola & Another v Hongo & Another [2004] 1 KLR 462

2. Akilano Molade Akiwumi v Andrew Morton & Another [2005] eKLR

3. Alliance and Leicester Building Society v Edgestop Ltd [1994] 2 All ER 38, [1993] 1

WLR 1462

4. Anns v Merton London Borough Council [1978] AC 728, [1977] 2 All ER 492

5. Armory v Delamirie (1721) 1 Strange 505; 93 E.R. 664

6. Arthur J S Hall & Co v Simons [2000] 3 All ER 673, HL

7. Ashby v White (1703) 2 Ld Raym 938

8. Baker v Willoughby [1970] A. C. 467

9. Barnett v Chelsea and Kensington Hospital Management Committee [1969] 1 Q.

B. 428, [1968] 1 All ER 1068

10. Beard v London General Omnibus Co [1900] 2 Q B 530, CA

11. Bird v Jones (1845) 7 Queen's Bench Reports 742; 115 E R 668

12. Blyth v Birmingham Waterworks Co (1856) 11 Exch 781

13. Bolam v Friern Hospital Management Committee [1957] 2 All ER 118

14. Bourhill v Young [1943] A. C. 92

15. Bradford Corporation v Pickles [1895] AC 587, HL

16. Burton v Islington Health Authority [1993] Q. B. 204

17. Caledonian Railway Co v Greenock Corporation [1917] AC 556, HL

18. Cambridge Water Co v Eastern Counties Leather Co Plc [1994] A. C. 264

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19. Caparo Industries plc v Dickman [1990] 2 A. C. 605

20. Carslogie Steamship Co Ltd v Royal Norwegian Government [1952] A. C. 292

21. Carstairs v Taylor [1871] L. R. 217

22. Cassidy v Daily Mirror Newspapers Ltd [1929] K B 331 CA

23. Chatterton v Secretary of State for India [1895] 2 Q B 189

24. Cleghorn v Sadler [1945] K. B. 325

25. Cope v Sharpe [1912] 1 KB 496

26. Corporacion Nacional del Cobre de Chile v Sogemin Metals Ltd [1997] 2 All ER 917

27. Crédit Lyonnais Bank Nederland NV (now known as Generale Bank Nederland NV)

v Export Credits Guarantee Department [1999] 1 All ER 929, [1999] 2 WLR 540, HL

28. D v East Berkshire Community Health NHS Trust [2005] UKHL 23

29. Dann v Hamilton [1939] 1 K B 509

30. Day v Brownrigg (1878) 10 Chancery Division 294

31. Derbyshire County Council v Times Newspapers Ltd [1993] AC 534, [1993] 1 All ER

1011, HL

32. Donoghue v Stevenson [1932] AC 562

33. Dulieu v White & Sons [1901] 2 KB 669

34. E Hulton & Co v Jones [1910] A C 20

35. Eastwood v Holmes (1858) 1 Foster and Finlason 347

36. Fairchild v Glenhaven Funeral Services Ltd [2002] UKHL 22, [2003] 1 AC 32, [2002]

3 All ER 305

37. Fowler v Lanning [1959] Q. B. 426

38. Glasgow Corporation v Muir [1943] A. C. 448

39. Gloucester Grammar School Case (1410) YB 11 Hen 4

40. Habib Bank Ltd v Habib Bank AG Zurich [1981] 2 All ER 650

41. Hale v London Electricity Board [1965] A. C. 778

42. Hambrook v Stokes Bros [1925] 1 KB 141, CA

43. Harrison v Duke of Rutland [1893] 1 Q B 142

44. Haynes v Harwood [1935] 1 K. B. 146 CA

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45. Hedley Byrne & Co Ltd v Heller & Partners Ltd [1964] AC 465, [1963] 2 All ER 575,

HL

46. Hellwig v Mitchell [1910] 1 K. B. 609

47. Hill v Chief Constable of West Yorkshire [1989] A. C. 53

48. Hollins v Fowler [1874-75] L R 7 H L 757

49. Holmes v Wilson (1839) 10 Adolphus and Ellis 503; 113 E R 190

50. Home Office v Dorset Yacht Co Ltd [1970] AC 1004, [1970] 2 All ER 294

51. Huth v Huth [1915] 3 K. B. 32

52. Jobling v Associated Dairies Ltd [1982] A. C. 794

53. Johnson Evan Gicheru v Andrew Morton & Another [2005] eKLR

54. Jones v Stones [1999] 1 WLR 1739, CA

55. Kenya Ports Authority V East African Power & Lighting Company Ltd [1982] 1 KLR

(E&L) 82

56. Kerr v Kennedy [1942] K B 409

57. Kinyatti v Attorney General [1988] KLR 96

58. Knupffer v London Express Newspapers [1944] A C 116

59. Letang v Cooper [1965] Q. B. 232

60. Lewis v Daily Telegraph Ltd [1964] A. C. 234

61. Limpus v London General Omnibus Co (1862) 1 H & C 526, ExCh

62. McGhee v National Coal Board [1972] 3 All ER 1008, [1973] 1 WLR 1, HL

63. Medcalf v Mardell [2002] UKHL 27, [2003] 1 A. C. 120, [2002] 3 All ER 721

64. Mogul Steamship Co Ltd v McGregor, Gow & Co (1889) 23 Q B D 598

65. Monson v Tussauds Ltd [1894] 1 Q. B. 671

66. Morgan v Odhams Pres Ltd [1971] 1 W L R 1239

67. Mount Carmel Investments Ltd v Thurlow Ltd [1988] 1 W L R 1078

68. Newstead v London Express Newspaper Limited [1940] 1 K B 377

69. Newton v Edgerley [1959] 3 All ER 337, [1959] 1 WLR 1031

70. Nichols v Marsland [1876] 2 Ex. Div. 1

71. Nyali v Attorney General [1957] A C 253

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72. Ocean Estates Ltd v Pinder [19697] P C 19

73. Ochieng & 8 Others v Standard Limited [2004] 1 KLR 225

74. Parmiter v Coupland and Another (1840) 6 Meeson and Welsby 105

75. Peter Wambugu Kariuki v Justus Weru Ngaruchi & 2 Others High Court Civil Case

No 513 of 1999

76. Peters v Prince of Wales Theatre (Birmingham) Ltd [1943] K. B. 73

77. Pickering v Rudd [1815] E R 400

78. Ponting v Noakes [1894] 2 QB 281

79. Read v Lyons [1947] A. C. 156

80. Rickards v Lothian [1913] A. C. 263

81. Roberts v Ramsbottom [1980] 1 All ER 7

82. Robson v Hallett [1967] 2 Q B 939

83. Rondel v Worsley [1969] 1 AC 191

84. Rose v Plenty [1976] 1 All ER 97, [1976] 1 WLR 141, CA

85. Rylands v Fletcher (1868) L R 3 HL 330

86. Shaw v Applegate [1978] 1 All ER 123

87. Simmons v Mitchell [1880] J. C. 156

88. Smith v Littlewoods Organisation Ltd [1987] AC 241

89. Stovin v Wise (Norfolk County Council, third party) [1996] AC 923, [1996] 3 All ER

801, HL

90. The Duke of Brunswick and Luneberg v Harmer [1849] 14 Q. B. 185

91. The Wagon Mound (No 2) [1967] 1 AC 617 at 642, [1966] 2 All ER 709

92. Theaker v Richardson [1962] 1 W. L. R. 151

93. Tolley v Fry & Sons [1931] A. C. 333

94. Transco Plc v Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council [2003] UKHL 61

95. Van Colle v Chief Constable of Hertfordshire Police [2008] 3 All ER 977

96. Vaughan v Taff Vale Rly Co (1860) 5 H & N 679

97. Videan v British Transport Commission [1963] 2 Q. B. 650, [1963] 2 All ER 860, CA

98. Wandsworth London Borough Council v Railtrack pic [2002] QB 756

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99. Wilkinson v Dowton [1897] 2 Q B 57

100. Wilson v Donaldson [2004] EWCA Civ 972

101. Wilson v Lombank Ltd [1963] 1 W. L. R. 1294

102. X v Bedfordshire County Council [1995] 2 AC 633, [1995] 3 All ER 353, HL

COURSE OUTLINE

1. Negligence (a) Introduction (b) Elements of Negligence (c) Duty of Care

(i) General

(1) Introduction to the Duty of Care (2) Classical Neighbour Principle (3) Donogue v. Stevenson (4) Evolution to Modern Duty of Care (5) Foreseeable Risk (6) Foreseeable Plaintiff

(ii) Special Duties of Care

(1) Duties of Affirmative Action

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(d) Standard of Care (i) Reasonable person test (ii) Special Standards of Care

(1) Likelihood of exceptional risk (2) In relation to children (3) Profession of special skill (4) Importance of objective to be achieved (5) Burden of taking precautions against risk (6) The ‘Three-Stage’ Test:

(a) Foreseeability (b) Proximity (c) Fair, just and reasonable

(7) Degrees of Negligence (e) Causation and Remoteness of Damage

(f) The “but for” test (g) Multiple causes (h) Loss of chance (i) Multiple successive causes

(i) Novus actus interveniens (ii) Remoteness of damage

(j) The “thin skull” rule

(k) Res ipsa loquitur

(l) Nervous Shock

(m) Negligent Misstatements

2. Defenses (a) Volenti non fit injuria (b) Agreement (c) Knowledge (d) Voluntariness (e) Rescue cases (f) Ex turpi cause (g) Contributory negligence

(i) The common law approach (ii) The statutory regime (iii) Fault of the claimant (iv) Causation (v) Apportionment

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(h) Inevitable accident 3. Damages

(a) Personal Injury (b) Survivor and Dependent Claims (c) Property Loss (d) Collateral Benefits

4. Special Categories of Negligence

(a) Negligence of Public Authorities (b) Misfeasance in Public Office (c) Negligent Misrepresentation

5. Intentional Torts

(a) Intention and Related Concepts (b) Trespass to the Person (c) Battery (d) Assault (e) False Imprisonment (f) Intentional Interference with the Person

(i) Malicious prosecution (ii) Intentional Infliction of Nervous Shock (iii) Inorminate Intentional Torts (iv) Privacy and Breach of Confidence (v) Discrimination

(g) Defenses: Trespass to the Person (h) Consent (i) Ex turpi cause (j) Self Defense (k) Defense of Third Party (l) Intentional Interference with Chattels (m) Trespass to Chattels (n) Conversion (o) Defenses (p) Trespass to Land

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(q) Trespass to Land (r) Defenses

6. Nuisance

(a) Introduction

(i) Public and private nuisance (ii) Nuisance to servitudes

(b) Reasonableness

(i) Extent of harm and the nature of the locality (ii) Utility of the Defendant’s conduct (iii) Abnormal sensitivity (iv) Limits to protection (v) Temporary injury (vi) Malice

(c) Locus Standi

(i) Private nuisance (ii) Public nuisance

(d) Who can be sued

(i) Author of the nuisance (ii) Occupier (iii) Landlord (iv) Damage (v) Defenses

(1) Coming to nuisance no defense (2) Usefulness in itself no defense (3) Jus Tertii (4) Statutory Authority

(vi) Highways (vii) Actionable obstructions (viii) Access to and from highway (ix) Damage on the highway from adjoining property (x) Condition on the highway

7. Defamation

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(a) Introduction

(i) Function of the law of defamation (ii) Meaning of defamatory statement (iii) Falsity and Malice (iv) Libel and slander

(1) distinctions (2) effects of distinction

(v) When damage must be proved (vi) Slander actionable per se

(b) Founding a cause of action in defamation (i) Publication

(1) Single publication (2) Repetition of a defamatory publication (3) Unauthorized snooping and other unforeseeable publication

(ii) Reference to Plaintiff (1) Direct reference (2) Reference to a group

(iii) Defamatory Meaning (1) Right thinking members of society (2) Natural meaning (3) Innuendo

(c) Defamation of certain categories of persons (i) Deceased persons (ii) Corporations (iii) Foreign princes and dignitaries (iv) Local authorities and public agencies (v) Slander of title to goods and malicious falsehood

(d) Defenses to a Defamation Action

(e) Consent/Assent (Express, implied) (f) Truth/justification (g) Privilege (Absolute, Qualified) (h) Fair Comment on a matter of public interest (i) Offer of Amends (j) Innocent Dissemination (i) Apology and Payment into Court

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(k) Remedies for Defamation

(i) Damages (1) Nominal (2) Compensatory (3) Aggravated (4) Exemplary

(ii) Apology (iii) Injunction

(1) Mandatory (2) Prohibitory (3) Anticipatory

8. Strict and Vicarious Liability

(a) The Rule in Rylands vs Fletcher (i) Genesis and nature of the principle (ii) Elements of the Cause of Action

(1) Dangerous things (2) Escape (3) Land (4) Injury (5) Non-natural user

(b) Vicarious Liability (i) Master and Servant (ii) Employer and Independent Contractor (iii) Employer and Agent (iv) Defenses to the Rule in Rylands v Fletcher

(1) Consent (2) Common benefit (3) Act of God (4) Act of stranger (5) Statutory authority (6) Default of the Defendant

(v) Remoteness of damage (c) Liability for Animals

(i) Liability for dangerous animals (1) Animals belonging to a dangerous species (2) Other animals

(ii) Defenses (iii) Liability for straying livestock

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(iv) Defenses to strict liability for staying livestock (v) Detention and sale of straying livestock

9. Joint Tortfeasors and Vicarious Liability

(a) Nature and basis of vicarious liability (b) Contract of service relationship (c) Scope of employment

(i) Carelessness of servant (ii) Mistake of servant (iii) Wilful wrong of servant (iv) Theft by servant (v) Damage to goods bailed (vi) Fraud of Servant

(d) Indemnity of employer (e) Employer and Independent contractor