header-logo header-logo

Rule of thumb

17 January 2014 / Keith Patten
Issue: 7590 / Categories: Features , Personal injury
printer mail-detail
web_patten

Keith Patten welcomes useful guidance about the role of foreseeability in the determination of breach of duty of care

When a nine-year-old boy attempted to punch his younger brother in a play fight and missed, it can hardly have seemed likely that the events would end up being considered by the Court of Appeal. But such was the outcome in the recent decision of West Sussex County Council v Pierce (A Child) [2013] EWCA Civ 1230, [2013] All ER (D) 166 (Oct). The attempted punch took place on the premises of a school, run and occupied by the defendant, to which the claimant was a lawful visitor. When his attempt to punch his brother went astray, what the claimant appears to have hit instead was the underside of a drinking water fountain, attached to an exterior wall of the school. The underside of the fountain was said to have had a sharp edge, as a result of which, it was alleged, the claimant sustained a laceration of his thumb, resulting in tendon damage which

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Birketts—trainee cohort

Birketts—trainee cohort

Firm welcomes new cohort of 29 trainee solicitors for 2025

Keoghs—four appointments

Keoghs—four appointments

Four partner hires expand legal expertise in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Real estate team in Yorkshire welcomes new partner

NEWS
Robert Taylor of 360 Law Services warns in this week's NLJ that adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) risks entrenching disadvantage for SME law firms, unless tools are tailored to their needs
From oligarchs to cosmetic clinics, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) target journalists, activists and ordinary citizens with intimidating legal tactics. Writing in NLJ this week, Sadie Whittam of Lancaster University explores the weaponisation of litigation to silence critics
Delays and dysfunction continue to mount in the county court, as revealed in a scathing Justice Committee report and under discussion this week by NLJ columnist Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School. Bulk claims—especially from private parking firms—are overwhelming the system, with 8,000 cases filed weekly
Writing in NLJ this week, Thomas Rothwell and Kavish Shah of Falcon Chambers unpack the surprise inclusion of a ban on upwards-only rent reviews in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve charts the turbulent progress of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords, in this week's NLJ
back-to-top-scroll