A novel development of tort law: Robinson v Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police [2018] UKSC 4

Author

Wei Yao, Kenny CHNG, Singapore Management UniversityFollow
Gary Kok Yew CHAN, Singapore Management UniversityFollow
Yihan GOH, Singapore Management UniversityFollow

Publication Type

Transcript

Publication Date

2-2019

Abstract

This note evaluates the impact of the UK Supreme Courtdecision in Robinson v Chief Constable ofWest Yorkshire Police on tort law. It suggests that while the Supreme Courtclarified that the tripartite test to determine the existence of a duty of carein negligence laid out in CaparoIndustries plc v Dickman applied only to ‘novel’ cases, there is noprincipled ground why a single test cannot be utilised for both establishedcategories and novel cases. The note also argues that the decision hasimportant implications for the act-omission distinction in police cases, andmore broadly, the distinction between principle and policy and the relationshipbetween tort and public law.

Keywords

Tort, Negligence

Discipline

Torts

Research Areas

Private Law

Publication

Torts Law Journal

ISSN

1038-5967

Publisher

LexisNexis Australia

Citation

CHNG, Wei Yao, Kenny; CHAN, Gary Kok Yew; and GOH, Yihan. A novel development of tort law: Robinson v Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police [2018] UKSC 4. (2019). Torts Law Journal.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/sol_research/2900