Introduction to Torts 4

Function 4

Location in the law 5

Tort v Criminal 5

Tort v Public 5

Couch v Attorney General [2008] 3 NZLR 725 (SC) 5

Tort v Contract 6

Tort v Equity 7

Aims of Tort Law 7

Justice 8

McFarlane v Tayside Health Board [2000] 2 AC 59 8

Protecting interests/vindicating rights 10

Ashley v Chief Constable of Sussex 10

The Person 11

Property 11

Economic 11

Compensation 12

Efficiency 12

Insurance 12

Individual responsibility 12

Fault and Intention 13

Actions v Omissions 13

Degrees of fault 13

Relevance of intention 13

Development 14

Torts to the Person 16

Privacy 16

Mechanisms to protect privacy 16

Equity – Breach of Confidence 17

AB Consolidated Ltd v Europe Strength Food Co Pty Ltd [1978] 2 NZLR 515 17

Campbell v MGN Ltd 18

Impact on Third Party Recipients 19

Attorney-General v Guardian Newspapers Ltd [1990] 1 AC 109 (HL) 19

Douglas & Ors v Hello! Ltd [2005] 4 All ER 128 19

Public Disclosure of Embarrassing Private Facts 20

Bradley v Wingnut Films Ltd [1993] 1 NZLR 415 20

P v D [2000] 2 NZLR 591 20

Hosking v Runting [2005] 1 NZLR 1 (CA) 22

Facts 22

Issue 22

Rule 22

Application 23

Tucker v News Media Ownership Ltd [1986] 2 NZLR 716 24

Andrews v Television New Zealand Ltd [2009] 1 NZLR 220 (HC) 24

Campbell v MGN Ltd [2004] 2 AC 457 25

Peck v United Kingdom (2003) 13 BHRC 669 26

Brown v Attorney General [2006] DCR 630 27

TVNZ v Rogers [2008] 2 NZLR 277 (SC) 28

Henderson v Walker 28

Intrusion into Seclusion or Solitude 30

C v Holland [2012] 3 NZLR 672 (HC) 30

Facts 30

Issue 30

Rule 31

Defamation 32

Background 33

Opai v Culpan [2017] NZAR 1142 (HC) 33

Sellman v Slater [2018] 2 NZLR 218 34

Strict Liability 37

Elements of the Tort 39

Publication 40

Repetition rule 41

Limitation 42

Loutchansky v Times Newspapers Ltd (No 2) [2002] 1 All ER 652 43

Dow Jones & Co Inc v Glutnick [2002] CLR 575 43

Sellman v Slater 43

Third Party Publications (publication of omission or adoption) 44

Murray v Wishart [2014] NZCA 461 44

Internet publication 45

Reference to plaintiff 47

Morgan v Odhams Press Ltd [1971] 1 WLR 1239 (HL) 47

Determining the meaning 48

Fair minded reader 48

Stocker v Stocker [2019] 3 All ER 647 (UKSC) 50

Lewis v Daily Telegraph Ltd [1964] AC 234 (HL) 51

APN New Zealand Ltd v Simunovich Fisheries Ltd [2010] 1 NZLR 315 (SCNZ) 52

Context 53

Sellman v Slater [2018] 2 NZLR 218 53

Stocker v Stocker [2019] 3 All ER 647 (UKSC) 54

John v Guardian Newspapers and Media Ltd [2008] EWHC 3066 54

Bane and Antidote 55

Charleston v News Group Newspapers Ltd [1995] 2 AC 65 55

Truth (NZ) Ltd v Bowles [1966] NZLR 303 (CA) 56

Morosi v BroadcastingStation 2 GB Ptd Ltd [1980] 2 NSWLR 56

McGee v Independent Newspapers Ltd [2006] NZAR 24 56

Pleading Meanings 58

“False” or “popular” innuendo – s 37(2) 59

‘True’ or ‘legal’ innuendo – s 37(3) 63

Defamatory Meaning 65

Berkoff v Burchill [1996] 4 All ER 1008 65

New Zealand Magazines Ltd v Hadlee (No 2) [2005] NZAR 621 67

Defences to Defamation 69

Innocent Dissemination 69

Emmens v Pottle (1885) 16 QBD 354 69

Truth (or justification) 71

Television New Zealand Ltd v Haines [2006] 2 NZLR 433 72

Honest Opinion 75

Based on known (true) facts 78

Expression of value judgement or comment on facts 79

Privileges 80

Absolute privilege 80

Qualified privilege 81

Loss of privilege 81

Self-defence privilege 82

Responsible Communication on Matter of Public Interest 84

Durie v Gardiner [2018] 3 NZLR 131 (CA) 84

Political Discussion 86

Neutral reporting 87

Trespass to the person 88

Assault and Battery 88

False Imprisonment 89

Total restraint 89

Bird v Jones (1845) 7 QB 742 89

Robinson v Balmain New Ferry Co [1910] AC 295 89

Willms v Kaluza [2011] DCR 62 90

Collins v Wilcock [1984] 1 WLR 1172 at 1177 per Robert Goff LJ 90

Walker v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis [2015] 1 WLR 312 90

Coles Myer Limited v Webster [2009] NSWCA 299 91

Meering v Graham-White Aviation Co Ltd (1919) 122 LTR 44 91

Strict Liability 92

R v Governor of Brockhill Prison, Ex p Evans [2001] 2 AC 19 92

Unlawful Restraint (i.e. no lawful justification) 92

Blundell v Attorney-General [1968] NZLR 341 92

Intention to Restrain 94

R v Governor of Brockhill Prison, Ex p Evans [2001] 2 AC 19 94

Thompson v Attorney-General [2014] NZAR 1282 94

Coles Myer Limited v Webster [2009] NSWCA 299 96

Malicious Prosecution 98

Initiating a prosecution 98

Commonwealth Life Assurance Society Ltd v Brain (1935) 53 CLR 343 (HCA) 98

Watters v Pacific Delivery Services Ltd (1963) 42 DLR (2nd) 661 (SCC) 99

Identity of the prosecutor 99

Commercial Union Assurance Co of N.Z. Ltd v Lamont [1989] 3 NZLR 187 (CA) 99

Martin v Watson [1996] AC 74 (HL) 100

Favourable termination 101

Van Heeren v Cooper [1999] 1 NZLR 731 101

The Mental Elements 104

Maliciously Commenced Civil Proceedings 105

Crawford Adjusters v Sagicor General Insurance (Cayman) Ltd [2014] AC 366 (PC) 105

Introduction to Torts

Lecture 1: (25/02/20)

Function

“A tort is a wrongful act or omission, for which compensation or other remedy can be awarded to the claimant (or the person aggrieved) against the defendant (or tortfeasor).” – Rachael Mulheron Principles of Tort Law Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2016

• Torts define people’s rights by providing a mechanism for protecting rights and securing compensation for infringement of rights

• Wrongful – acts or omissions deemed wrongful by society

• Can be an action, but sometimes can be an omission (from a special relationship, duty of care)

• Compensatory role focused on negligence tort, but other remedies available to protect many interests against harmful conduct

• Claimant English, Plaintiff NZ

• 33 torts identified in England, more in NZ – England does not recognise privacy, but NZ does

“The law of torts hovers over virtually every activity of modern society. The driver of every automobile on our highways, the pilot of every aeroplane in the sky, and the captain of every ship plying our waters must abide by the standards of tort law… Tort law, therefore, is a subject of abiding concern not only to the...

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