Damage in the English Law of Negligence[*]
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Donal Nolan
Abstract
Although foundational to the tort law of both common law and civil law countries, the concept of damage has been the object of surprisingly little analysis by academics in the common law world. The aim of this article is to redress the balance somewhat by looking more closely at the meaning of damage in the English law of negligence. The first part of the article consists of general observations on the damage concept. It is argued that it is impossible to devise a meaningful general definition of damage, that damage is not the same thing as loss, and that the damage concept is compatible with rights-based analysis of negligence law. The remainder of the article is devoted to consideration of the two most common forms of damage, personal injury and physical damage to property. It is argued that a central idea underpinning both these routine forms of damage is that of ‘impairment’ and that both forms of damage are subject to de minimis principles. As regards personal injury, particular attention is paid to the forms of psychiatric injury which ground a negligence claim. Finally, it is argued that for property to be damaged there must be a physical change in the property which impairs its utility or value, and that merely to incapacitate property is not to damage it. Although the primary focus is on English law (and the common law more generally), some comparative observations are made.
About the author
© 2013 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Masthead
- How Judges Think: Judicial Reasoning in Tort Cases from a Comparative Perspective
- Damage in the English Law of Negligence
- False Privacy and Information Games
- Vicarious Liability ‘On the Move’: The English Supreme Court and Enterprise Liability
- Loss of a Chance in Medical Malpractice: A Double Application
- D Dobbs/P Hayden/E Bublick,The Law of Torts, Practitioner Treatise Series (West, Minneapolis 2nd edn 2011). Vol 1, iii + 912 pp; Cum Supp 32 pp (2012); Vol 2, iii + 1015 pp; Cum Supp 43 pp (2012); Vol 3, iii + 826 pp; Cum Supp 17 pp (2012); Vol 4, iii + 122 pp, Tbl of L&R 36 pp, Tbl of Cases 377 pp, Index 84 pp; Cum Supp 4 pp, Tbl of L&R 2 pp, Tbl of Cases 9 pp (2012). ISBN 978-0-314-60462-0. $ 437.00 (hardback).
- G Meessen, Der Anspruch auf Schadenersatz bei Verstößen gegen EU-Kartellrecht (Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen 2011). xxxii + 626 pp. ISBN 978-3161507373. € 99.00 (paperback).
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- A Fenyes/E Karner/H Koziol/E Steiner (eds), Tort Law in the Jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights (De Gruyter, Berlin/Boston 2011). xxiv + 906 pp. ISBN 978-3-11-025966-7. € 199.95 (hardback).
- R Goldberg (ed), Perspectives on Causation (Hart Publishing, 2011). xxx + 447 pp. ISBN 9781849460866. £ 75.00 (hardback).
- Peter North, Civil Liability for Animals (Oxford University Press, 2012). xxix + 240 pp. ISBN 978-0-19-960081-6. £ 49.95 (paperback).
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Masthead
- How Judges Think: Judicial Reasoning in Tort Cases from a Comparative Perspective
- Damage in the English Law of Negligence
- False Privacy and Information Games
- Vicarious Liability ‘On the Move’: The English Supreme Court and Enterprise Liability
- Loss of a Chance in Medical Malpractice: A Double Application
- D Dobbs/P Hayden/E Bublick,The Law of Torts, Practitioner Treatise Series (West, Minneapolis 2nd edn 2011). Vol 1, iii + 912 pp; Cum Supp 32 pp (2012); Vol 2, iii + 1015 pp; Cum Supp 43 pp (2012); Vol 3, iii + 826 pp; Cum Supp 17 pp (2012); Vol 4, iii + 122 pp, Tbl of L&R 36 pp, Tbl of Cases 377 pp, Index 84 pp; Cum Supp 4 pp, Tbl of L&R 2 pp, Tbl of Cases 9 pp (2012). ISBN 978-0-314-60462-0. $ 437.00 (hardback).
- G Meessen, Der Anspruch auf Schadenersatz bei Verstößen gegen EU-Kartellrecht (Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen 2011). xxxii + 626 pp. ISBN 978-3161507373. € 99.00 (paperback).
- François Terré (ed), Pour une réforme du droit de la responsabilité civile, Collection: Thèmes & commentaires (Dalloz, 2011). xiv +224 pp. ISBN 978-2-247-10685-1. € 38.56 (paperback).
- A Fenyes/E Karner/H Koziol/E Steiner (eds), Tort Law in the Jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights (De Gruyter, Berlin/Boston 2011). xxiv + 906 pp. ISBN 978-3-11-025966-7. € 199.95 (hardback).
- R Goldberg (ed), Perspectives on Causation (Hart Publishing, 2011). xxx + 447 pp. ISBN 9781849460866. £ 75.00 (hardback).
- Peter North, Civil Liability for Animals (Oxford University Press, 2012). xxix + 240 pp. ISBN 978-0-19-960081-6. £ 49.95 (paperback).
