The torts of assault and battery are very similar in a lot of respects. They are both direct physical trespass to the person of another. For instance when a battery is committed against the complainant, it also includes the tort of assault. This is due to the fact that before the actual infliction of unlawful force, the claimant was put in apprehension(assault). This would not occur only Read More…
According to Salmond & Heuston p.125, battery is defined as
“the application of force to the person of another without lawful justification”.
Goff LJ in Collins vs Wilcock states that: Read More…
There have been various definition proferred for the tort of assault. According to Winfield and Jolowicz p.71, assault is defined as
“an act of the defendant which causes the claimant reasonable apprehension of the infliction of battery on him.”
Gold LJ in Collins vs Wilcock 1984 All ER 374 defines assault as Read More…
Trespass to persons can be broadly classified into three:
Trespass is Read More…
The rule of reasonable forseeability means that a defendant would only be liable for damages which are a direct and foreseeable result from his actions. It must be possible to be able to draw a causal link between the action of the defendant and the loss suffered by the plaintiff. Thus, if damage cannot be proved to have been as a forseeable direct consequence of the defendant’s act, he would not be liable.
In the case Read More…
For a defendant to be held liable for a tort, the plaintiff must have suffered injury that results from the acts of the defendant. The rule of reasonable forseeability would be applied in order to determine the extent of compensation to which a claimant is entitled.
However, it is not in all situations in which the defendant would be liable due to injury suffered by the plaintiff. Thus, there are three rules that are used to determine damage and liability in the law of torts: Read More…
Generally, each tort has its own principles in relation to liability. However, there are general rules to liability in the law of torts. They are: Read More…
Sources of the Nigerian law of Torts are several. However, the most prominent among them include:
The above would be further elaborated below Read More…
The law of torts is constantly undergoing evolution till the present day. A very good example of this is the fact that till 1932, the tort of nuisance was not recognised by the house of Lords. However today, the vast majority of cases brought under the law of torts lie under the tort of nuisance. To understand how the law of torts is evolving, it would be best to understand how it came to Nigeria. Read More…
Forms of action in the law of Torts go back a long way to the early days of the common law. There is no other branch of English law (apart from land law) that is as old as the law of torts. The law of torts were developed in the thirteenth century in the king’s court. Read More…
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