LAW1111 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Exchequer Of Pleas, Michaelmas Term, Winterbottom V Wright
TOPIC&3:&PRECEDENT&IN&ACTION&
!
1. The&changing&nature&of&ratio&decidendi&in&cases&
!
WHAT!IS!CASE!LAW!(COMMON!LAW)?!
!
• Law!developed!by!judges!(usually!by!those!in!superior!courts):!Major!source!of!law!
o Decisions!made!by!judges!to!resolve!disputes,!rather!than!to!prevent!them!
Many!important!determinations!of!legal!rights!and!responsibilities!are!made!by!various!tribunals!
that!are!established!by!statute!(e.g.!Commonwealth!Administrative!Appeals!Tribunal)!
Ø Precedents!play!a!crucial!role!in!guiding!decision-makers!!
!
WHAT!ARE!CASES?!
!
• Series!of!decisions!made!by!judges!dealing!with!the!same!general!topic!has!the!effect!of!creating!a!
legal!framework!(i.e.!cases!acts!as!separate!building!blocks!to!create!a!framework)!
o Laws!expounded!in!a!case!should!be!followed!in!later!similar!cases!
♣ Donoghue!v!Stevenson![1932]!AC!562!(pg.243):!Suing!for!decomposed!snail!in!drink!causing!her!to!
be!in!shock!and!suffer!gastro-enteritis!!
ð Helped!build!the!neighbour!principle!in!the!law!of!negligence!(pg.!244)!
!
HOW!TO!READ!A!CASE!CITATION?!
!
• Civil!case!citation:!Plaintiff’s!name!appears!first!and!then!the!defendant’s!name!
♠ Plaintiff:!Party!who!brings!the!action!
♠ Defendant:!Party!against!whom!the!action!is!brought!
• Appeal!citation:!Appellant!appears!first!and!then!the!respondent!
♠ Appellant:!Person!bringing!the!appeal!
♠ Respondent:!Other!party!that!is!opposing!the!appellant!!
• Criminal!trial!citation:!Prosecution!and!then!the!defendant’s!name!
♠ Prosecution:!Considered!to!be!acting!on!behalf!of!the!Crown!(i.e.!signified!by!the!abbreviation!of!
R!for!Regina!or!Rex),!but!in!some!jurisdictions!it!is!on!behalf!of!the!relevant!state!(e.g.!The!State!
of!Western!Australia!would!be!used!in!Western!Australia)!
♠ Defendant:!Party!against!whom!the!action!is!brought!
Cases!needing!anonymity!or!those!involving!children!may!conceal!the!party’s!identity!by!only!
showing!their!initials!!
!
HOW!TO!ANALYSE!A!CASE?!
!
• For!class!preparation:!
(a) Citation!
(b) Brief!statement!of!material!facts!
(c) Ground(s)!of!appeal!and/or!issue(s)!to!be!decided!
(d) Reason(s)!for!decision!
(e) Decision!
Shortcut:!Use!headnotes!
Ø Are!often!unreliable,!because!the!may!be!neither!comprehensible!nor!accurate,!
Ø !Not!written!by!judges,!but!by!independent!law!reporters!
♠ Headnote:!Summary!of!the!facts!of!the!case!and!the!decision!reached!by!the!court!
!
LEVEL!OF!GENERALITY!IN!PRECEDENTS!
!
• Rationes!from!the!case!in!which!precedents!are!derived!from!must!have!greater!level!of!generality,!
so!that!they!are!applicable!to!later!cases!that!are!not!identical!
o In!cases!of!unilateral!offer!notice!of!the!acceptance!separate!from!the!notice!of!the!performance!
of!the!condition!is!not!required!
o In!cases!of!unilateral!offer,!the!inconvenience!that!the!offeree!experiences!in!performing!the!
condition!is!consideration!for!the!offeror’s!promise!!
• These!more!general!statements!has!made!it!unnecessary!for!judges!in!subsequent!‘unilateral’!cases!
to!work!out!the!correct!decisions!from!first!principles!
o Due!to!the!ratio!being!worked!over!time,!parameters!of!the!principle!will!become!set!and!there!
will!no!longer!be!a!need!for!people!to!resort!to!litigation!to!determine!the!effect!of!a!particular!
principle!
A!judge!will!be!forced!to!reject!any!doctrine!which!appears!too!broad,!in!order!to!avoid!it!becoming!
a!rule!of!law!and!thereby!encompassing!situations!for!which!it!would!be!inappropriate!!
!
WHAT!IS!A!RATIO!DECIDENDI?!
!
• Proposition!with!which!a!majority!of!the!court!has!agreed!
• May!be!a!result!if!different!arguments!and!applying!different!principles!
o Court!bound!by!such!a!decision!may!conclude!that!all!that!is!binding!is!a!narrow!proposition!
constructed!from!material!facts!of!the!earlier!case!together!with!the!conclusion!of!the!court!
o Unnecessary!to!resolve!disputes!in!argument!in!the!appellate!court:!
(1) The!court!is!not!necessary!bound!by!its!previous!decisions:!!
v A!difference!in!reasoning!between!the!justices!constituting!the!majority!in!justices!in!an!
earlier!decision!may!constitute!departure!from!that!decision!
v If!there!be!difficulty!in!detecting!and!isolating!the!propositions!of!law!which!provided!
grounds!for!a!decision,!the!court!should!not!strain!to!construct!a!precedent!from!which!
it!may!then!be!asked!to!depart!
(2) There!is!a!force!in!the!statement!that!‘from!the!realistic!point!of!view,!we!are!not!sure!of!the!
ratio!of!a!decision!until!we!can!discover!its!reception!and!its!treatment!by!subsequent!cases’!
!
♣ Northern!Sandblasting!Pty!Ltd!v!Harris!(1997)!188!CLR!313!(pg.!267):!Judges!had!different!
reasoning,!so!they!chose!the!majority!ruling!
ð A!decision!of!this!court!is!‘authority!only!in!relation!to!the!statutory!and!factual!situation!it!
resolved!and!in!relation!to!a!case!which!has,!if!not!precisely,!at!least!substantially!and!
indistinguishably!the!same!statutory!situation’!
ð May!be!interpreted!as!that!there!is!no!discernable!ratio!decidendi,!so!the!later!court!is!free!
to!decide!the!legal!issues!for!itself!and!to!adopt!any!reasoning!which!appears!to!be!correct!
as!long!as!that!reasoning!supports!the!‘actual!decision!in!the!earlier!case!(e.g.%Re%Harper%v%
National%Coal%Board)!
$ Stare!decisis!is!still!applicable!
!
2. Case&study:&Manufacturer’s&liability&
!
LANGRIDGE!V.!LEVY!
2!MEESON!&!WELSBY!519!(1837)!
EXCHEQUER!OF!PLEAS!
!
• Brief!statement!of!material!facts:!
o Langridge,!for!the!plaintiff!
o Levy,!for!the!defendant!
o George!Langridge!(father!of!the!plaintiff)!bargained!with!the!defendant!to!purchase!a!gun!for!
the!use!of!him!and!his!sons!for!a!certain!sum,!but!the!defendant!fraudulently!warranted!that!the!
said!gun!was!made!by!Nock,!and!therefore!safe!and!secure.!!
o On!the!10th!of!December!1835,!whilst!the!said!gun!was!in!use!by!the!plaintiff,!it!burst!and!
exploded,!became!shattered,!and!went!to!pieces;!whereby!and!by!reason!whereof!the!plaintiff!
was!greatly!cut,!wounded,!maimed,!&c.!&c.,!and!wholly!by!means!of!the!premises,!breach!of!duty,!
and!improper!conduct!of!the!defendant,!lost,!and!is!for!ever!deprived!of!the!use!of!his!hand.!
• Ground(s)!of!appeal!and/or!issue(s)!to!be!decided:!
o Breach!of!duty,!and!of!wilful!deceit,!negligence!and!improper!conduct!
• Reason(s)!for!decision:!
o No!privity!between!defendant!and!plaintiff,!so!it!cannot!be!supported!that!the!warranty!is!a!
contract!
o Indefinite!liability!may!arise!if!anyone!who!is!injured!by!a!violation!of!a!contract!may!have!a!
remedy!against!the!wrongdoer!
o Pasley!v.!Freeman,!3!T.!R.!51:!!
Ø If!it!had!been!delivered!by!the!defendant!to!the!plaintiff,!for!the!purpose!of!being!so!used!by%
him,%with!an!accompanying!representation!to!him!that!he!might!safely!so!use!it,!and!that!
representation!had!been!false!to!the!defendant's!knowledge,!and!the!plaintiff!had!acted!
upon!the!faith!of!its!being!true,!and!had!received!damage!thereby,!then!there!is!no!question!
but!that!an!action!would!have!lain!
• Decision:!
o Defendant!is!responsible!in!this!case!for!the!consequences!of!his!fraud!!
!
WINTERBOTTOM!V!WRIGHT!(1842)!
10!MEESON!&!WELSBY!109!(1842);!PAGES!109-116!
COURT!OF!EXECHEQUER!–!TRINITY!TERM,!JUNE!6,!1842!
!
• Brief!statement!of!material!facts:!
o Winterbottom,!for!the!plaintiff!
o Wright,!for!the!defendant!
o The!defendant,!under!and!by!virtue!of!the!contract,!had!agreed!with!the!Postmaster-General!
that!the!mail-coach,!during!the!contract,!would!be!kept!in!a!fit,!proper,!safe,!and!secure!state!and!
condition!for!its!said!purpose.!!However,!the!same!coach!provided!by!the!defendant!was!found!
to!be!frail,!weak,!infirm,!and!dangerous!in!state!and!condition!for!its!intended!purpose!and!use.!!
o On!the!8th!of!August!1840,!from!no!other!cause,!circumstance,!matter,!or!thing!whatsoever,!the!
coach!gave!way!and!broke!down,!whereby!the!plaintiff!was!thrown!from!his!seat,!and,!in!
consequence!of!injuries!then!received,!had!become!lamed!for!life!
• Ground(s)!of!appeal!and/or!issue(s)!to!be!decided:!
o Breach!of!duty,!and!of!wilful!deceit,!negligence!and!improper!conduct!
• Reason(s)!for!decision:!
o Levy!v.!Langridge:!There!is!no!proof!of!fraud!from!the!defendant!
o The!defendant!owes!a!duty!to!the!postmaster!whom!he!is!in!a!contractual!agreement!with!and!
not!the!plaintiff!
• Decision:!
o For!Defendant!
!
GEORGE!AND!WIFE!V.!SKIVINGTON.!(1869,!NOV.!15)!
LAW!REPORTS!VOL.!V.!COURT!OF!EXECHEQUER.!
MICHAELMAS!TERM,!XXXIII!VICTORIA!
COURT!OF!EXECHEQUER:!L.!R.!VOL.!V![PP.!1-5]!
!
Document Summary
Topic 3: precedent in action: the changing nature of ratio decidendi in cases. What is case law (common law): law developed by judges (usually by those in superior courts): major source of law, decisions made by judges to resolve disputes, rather than to prevent them. Many important determinations of legal rights and responsibilities are made by various tribunals that are established by statute (e. g. commonwealth administrative appeals tribunal) Precedents play a crucial role in guiding decision-makers. Donoghue v stevenson [1932] ac 562 (pg. 243): suing for decomposed snail in drink causing her to be in shock and suffer gastro-enteritis. Helped build the neighbour principle in the law of negligence (pg. How to read a case citation: civil case citation: plaintiff"s name appears first and then the defendant"s name. Defendant: party against whom the action is brought: appeal citation: appellant appears first and then the respondent.
