Chapter 3 - Breach of Duty Flashcards

1
Q

What two questions of law are asked when establishing if there was a breach of a duty of care?

A

1 - what is the standard of care

2 - has the defendant met the standard of care

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2
Q

What are the four key facts (not 4 tests!) of the test for breach of duty from Blyth v Birmingham Waterworks Co [1856]?

A

1 - the test is objective (judged against reasonable person)
2 - negligence is unintentional
3 - a reasonable person can decide by experience if harm is foreseeable
4 - it’s not negligent to fail to protect against an unlikely event

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3
Q

What is the reason for comparing a defendant against a ‘reasonable person’?

A

To stop defendants using their own low standards

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4
Q

What may be taken into account when deciding the standard of care of a reasonable person?

A

A defendant’s age. Children are often judged by reasonable person of the same age (Orchard v Lee)

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5
Q

What happens when a defendant has particular skills or expertise?

A

The standard expected will be higher, the reasonable person is expected to have the same skill level as the defendant (Bolam v Friern Hospital Management Committee [1957])

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6
Q

What happens where there are two conflicting bodies of professional opinion?

A

A professional defendant will not be liable providing they can show they acted in accordance with one of the opinions.

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7
Q

Which case allows courts to decide if a particular medical opinion could reasonably be held?

A

Bolitho v City and Hackney Health Authority [1997]

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8
Q

What rule relating to medical duty of care is shown in Chester v Afshar [2004]?

A

A surgeon’s duty of care requires them to warn a patient where there is a small unavoidable risk of an adverse result from an operation

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9
Q

What did the Supreme Court say was the default position in relation to informed consent in Montgomery v Lanarkshire Health Board [2015]?

A

That patients should be allowed to give informed consent and so should be informed of material risks.

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10
Q

What is the principle from Roe v Minister of Health [1954] regarding the standard of a professional person?

A

That the standard should be judged on the knowledge available at the time of the incident - “We must not look at the 1941 incident with 1954 spectacles” Lord Denning

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11
Q

What is the test regarding likelihood of risk and how does it affect the foreseeability and standard of care? Add case law

A

The magnitude of risk test - the greater the chance of the accident, the more care should be taken. The smaller chance, the less obligation there is to guard against it. Bolton v Stone

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12
Q

Give a case law example of a case where the risk was so significant that it should not have been disregarded?

A

Haley v London Electricity Board [1964]

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13
Q

Other than if the harm was reasonably foreseeable, what three factors may help to determine if there was a breach?

A

1 - the vulnerability of the claimant
2 - the importance of the defendant’s objective when the tort occurred
3 - the cost of avoiding the harm

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14
Q

How does the vulnerability of the claimant affect the standard of care, and give a case law example?

A

If the claimant is particularly likely to be harmed, the standard of care is higher. Paris v Stepney Borough Council [1951] or Watson v British Boxing Board of Control [2001].

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15
Q

How does the importance of the defendant’s objective affect the standard of care, and give a case law example?

A

If the defendant is engaged in a socially desirable activity at the time of the act likely to cause harm, then it may be justifiable. Watt v Hertfordshire County Council [1954]. Court must balance the potential harm against the potential utility of the objective.

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16
Q

How does the cost of avoiding the harm affect the standard of care, and give a case law example?

A

The court must determine how reasonable possible precautions and responses are in certain circumstances - are the lengths a defendant must go to to protect against a risk reasonable? Latimer v AEC [1953]

17
Q

Who must prove the breach of duty?

A

The claimant, who must prove the defendant was negligent on the balance of probabilities.

18
Q

In which two situations is the burden of proof reversed and placed on to the other party?

A

1 - if the defendant has been criminally convicted in relation to the alleged negligence (uner s11(1) Civil Evidence Act 1968)
2 - if res ispa loquitur appplies (the thing speaks for itself)