scholarly journals German Transplants in Estonian Tort Law: General Duties to Maintain Safety

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. 132-139
Author(s):  
Janno Lahe

The jurisprudence and case-law approach of German tort law – and, more broadly, German-school legal thinking in general – has found its way into Estonian case law on torts and into Estonia’s scholarly texts on jurisprudence. From among the catalogue of transplants from German tort law that have reached Estonian law or legal practice, the paper focuses on one whose importance cannot be overestimated: the concept of tort liability based on breach of the general duty to maintain safety. This domain has witnessed remarkable change since the beginning of the 2000s, when an analogous concept of liability was still unfamiliar to many Estonian lawyers. The article examines whether and to what extent the concept of liability based on the general duty to maintain safety has become recognised in Estonian legal practice in the years since. Also assessed is the relevant case law to date, for ascertainment of whether any adoption of an equivalent concept of liability has been successful and, in either event, what problems remain to be resolved. The importance of this issue extends far beyond that of individual questions: the recognition of general duties to maintain safety affects our understanding of the very structure of tort law, of that of the general composition of tort, and of the connections that link the individual prerequisites for tort liability. Furthermore, this constellation influences our thought in the field of tort law more generally and our approach to the cases emerging in real-world legal practice.

Japanese Law ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 191-211
Author(s):  
Hiroshi Oda

Tort is part of the Law of Obligations. Provisions on tort liability are found in Book Three, the Law of Obligations, of the Civil Code. There is only a single general provision on tort. The legislature expected rules to develop out of case law. A person who intentionally or negligently infringes upon others’ right or interests protected There is a body of case law which sets out details of tort law such as causation and fault. There have been cases where the shift of the burden of proof was at issue. 


2019 ◽  
Vol 78 (02) ◽  
pp. 355-382
Author(s):  
John Murphy

AbstractThis article is concerned with the question of whether malice is an appropriate touchstone of liability in tort law. It begins by identifying four torts in which malice may properly be regarded as an ingredient of liability (distinguishing various other torts, such as private nuisance and defamation, in which malice plays a merely secondary and contingent role). Having identified these four torts – namely malicious prosecution, abuse of process, misfeasance in a public office and lawful means conspiracy – the article then seeks to identify a common juridical thread which links them together. So doing serves to rebut the allegation, often made in respect of all them, namely, that they are anomalous actions. It then concludes by considering the individual worth of these torts, bearing in mind the important difference between not being anomalous on the one hand, and being positively meritorious on the other. It concludes that a respectable defence of each of the four torts can be made even though malice is an atypical touchstone of liability.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter A. Windel

OMG – German Legal Dogmatics! Whoever listens closely to presentations by German legal scholars at international conferences will inevitably hear someone uttering this quiet but distinct sigh. Is it really that dire for us and our peculiar legal thinking? No: This collection of speeches given abroad proves how much we can still contribute to scholarly collaboration and systematic analyses of fundamental legal questions. The individual topics covered in this book range from a critical reflection of the school of legal dogmatics to general provisions of the pandect system, contract law, tort law, civil procedure, and bankruptcy law.


2020 ◽  
pp. 184-203
Author(s):  
Goran Georgijević

According to the general tort law of Mauritius (articles 1382 through 1384 of the Mauritian Civil Code), three conditions must be met before tort liability may be implemented, namely the existence of harm, the existence of a causal link, and the existence of a harmful event. This paper contains an analysis of the fundamentals of the tort law of Mauritius, which is based on Mauritian case law and French case law and French doctrine, which are considered a persuasive authority in Mauritian Civil Law.


Legal Theory ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 210-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego M. Papayannis

In this paper I argue that economic theories have never been able to provide a coherent explanation of the causation requirement in tort law. The economic characterization of this requirement faces insurmountable difficulties, because discourse on tort liability cannot be reduced to a cost-benefit analysis without a loss of meaning. More seriously, I try to show that by describing causation in economic terms, economic theories offer an image of the practice in which the participants incur in logical contradictions and develop patterns of inference that are far from intuitive. For this reason, efficiency cannot be the fundamental principle underlying tort law. Finally, I suggest that economic analysis of law can provide a genuine explanation of certain aspects of legal practice if it relinquishes its reductionist claims.


2001 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 599
Author(s):  
W R Atkin

This article is a book review of Mark Lunney and Ken Oliphant, Tort Law Text and Materials Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2000, 819 + lix pages (Reg Retail NZ$95). Lunney and Oliphant's book is a book of materials and cases of English tort law developments, although the authors have both done research in New Zealand as well. Atkin reviews the tort law developments in England covered in the book and then compares it to that of New Zealand, including the torts of invasion of privacy and negligence. Atkin commends the book for its innovative writing and style. The frequent pattern of the book is to include critique and commentary after the relevant case law, which Atkin states are memorable and of high quality. 


2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-16
Author(s):  
Joel Weddington ◽  
Charles N. Brooks ◽  
Mark Melhorn ◽  
Christopher R. Brigham

Abstract In most cases of shoulder injury at work, causation analysis is not clear-cut and requires detailed, thoughtful, and time-consuming causation analysis; traditionally, physicians have approached this in a cursory manner, often presenting their findings as an opinion. An established method of causation analysis using six steps is outlined in the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine Guidelines and in the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Disease and Injury Causation, Second Edition, as follows: 1) collect evidence of disease; 2) collect epidemiological data; 3) collect evidence of exposure; 4) collect other relevant factors; 5) evaluate the validity of the evidence; and 6) write a report with evaluation and conclusions. Evaluators also should recognize that thresholds for causation vary by state and are based on specific statutes or case law. Three cases illustrate evidence-based causation analysis using the six steps and illustrate how examiners can form well-founded opinions about whether a given condition is work related, nonoccupational, or some combination of these. An evaluator's causal conclusions should be rational, should be consistent with the facts of the individual case and medical literature, and should cite pertinent references. The opinion should be stated “to a reasonable degree of medical probability,” on a “more-probable-than-not” basis, or using a suitable phrase that meets the legal threshold in the applicable jurisdiction.


2012 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosmawani Che Hashim ◽  
Ahmad Azam Othman ◽  
Akhtarzaite Abdul Aziz

The term letter of credit (LC) is not uncommon in international trade as it is the most frequently used method of payment by seller and buyer in their sales contract. LC serves its significant role by facilitating payment between buyer and seller from different countries, who are always prejudiced towards each other on the issue of payment, especially when the deal involves a huge amount of money. By using LC, the seller and buyer will be represented by their own bankers whose function, among others is to issue an LC for the buyer and pay on presentation of seller’s documents which strictly comply to LC requirements. It is well-known that LC is governed by the principle of autonomy or also referred to as the principle of independence1 which indicates LC, being a contract of payment is totally separate from the underlying sales contract. Banks are concerned with documents only and not with the goods. LC transaction can be governed by the Uniform Custom and Practice for Documentary Credit, known as the UCP through express incorporation which provides the rules relating to LC matters and is adopted in almost all LC transactions. This paper discusses the nature, background and significance of principle of autonomy in LC transaction. In elaborating the provisions on the principle of autonomy in the UCP 600, comparisons between relevant articles in the UCP 500 are highlighted. The discussion also focuses on relevant case law and on the application of the autonomy principle in conventional and Islamic LC. The paper concludes with the finding that Malaysian bankers fully subscribe to the principle of autonomy as outlined by the UCP 600.


Author(s):  
Lisa Waddington

This chapter reflects on jurisdiction-specific approaches to the domestication of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), considering in particular the domestic legal status of the CRPD and the relevance of that legal status for case law. The chapter explores four dimensions of the CRPD’s legal status: direct effect; indirect interpretative effect (where the CRPD influences the interpretation given to domestic law); use of the CRPD because of commitments to another international treaty; and absence of domestic legal status. With the exception of the first category, all dimensions can potentially present themselves in legal systems which tend towards the monist approach as well as in those which tend towards the dualist approach. The chapter discusses examples of relevant case law and reflects on similarities and differences emerging from a comparison of that case law.


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