Disclaimer: This work was produced by one of our expert legal writers, as a learning aid to help law students with their studies.

Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not reflect the views of LawTeacher.net. Any information contained in this case summary does not constitute legal advice and should be treated as educational content only.

Janvier v Sweeney – Case Brief

248 words (1 pages) Case Summary

07 Mar 2018 Case Summary Reference this LawTeacher

Jurisdiction / Tag(s): UK Law

Janvier v Sweeney [1919] 2 KB 316

False statements – Psychiatric harm – Remoteness

Facts

Janvier (J) was a maid servant. Sweeny (S) and another man (D) were private detectives who wished to see certain letters which they believed J had access to. S instructed D to induce J to show him the letters in return for remuneration. D used false statements and threats against J which caused J to fall seriously ill from a nervous shock. J raised an action against S and D for damages for the injury suffered as a result of the false statements. On the basis of Wilkinson v Downton [1897] 2 QB 57 the trial judge awarded J damages, both detectives being liable as D was acting in the scope of his employment by S. S and D appealed.

Issues

S and D claimed that the false words and threats spoken by D were not actionable, and the illness which followed the words was too remote a consequence from the words spoken.

Decision/Outcome

Wilkinson v. Downtonwas upheld, as the false words and threats calculated to cause, with knowledge that they are likely to cause, and actually causing physical injury to the person to whom they are uttered are actionable. Indeed, Duke L.J. found the present case to be more serious than Wilkinson v. Downton which ‘merely’ involved a practical joke, and in the present case the intention of the false statements was to terrify J for the purpose of unlawfully gaining information from her. The appeal was dismissed.

LawTeacher

LawTeacher

LawTeacher.net is the UK's leading provider of academic legal support, offering both writing services and an extensive collection of law study resources for students in the UK and overseas.

Founded in 2003 by Grey's Inn graduate Barclay Littlewood, the Company was built on a commitment to excellence, with unique guarantees and a high standard of service from day one.

The team includes over 500 UK legally qualified writing experts, with many practising solicitors and barristers, and several former lecturers.

Areas of Legal Expertise

Contract Law Criminal Law Constitutional and Administrative Law EU Law Tort Law Property Law Equity and Trusts Jurisprudence Company Law Commercial Law Family Law Human Rights Law Employment Law Evidence Public International Law Legal Research and Methods Dispute Resolution Business Law and Practice Civil Litigation Criminal Litigation Professional Conduct Taxation Wills and Administration of Estates Solicitors’ Accounts

Cite This Work

To export a reference to this article please select a referencing stye below:

Reference Copied to Clipboard.
Reference Copied to Clipboard.
Reference Copied to Clipboard.
Reference Copied to Clipboard.
Reference Copied to Clipboard.
Reference Copied to Clipboard.
Reference Copied to Clipboard.

Related Services

View all

Related Content

Jurisdictions / Tags

Content relating to: "UK Law"

UK law covers the laws and legislation of England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Essays, case summaries, problem questions and dissertations here are relevant to law students from the United Kingdom and Great Britain, as well as students wishing to learn more about the UK legal system from overseas.

Related Articles

Prices from

£ 99

Estimated costs for: Undergraduate 2:2 • 1000 words • 7 day delivery

Place an order

Delivered on-time or your money back

Reviews.co.uk Logo (292 Reviews)

Rated 4.2 / 5

Give yourself the academic edge today

Each order includes

  • On-time delivery or your money back
  • A fully qualified writer in your subject
  • In-depth proofreading by our Quality Control Team
  • 100% confidentiality, the work is never re-sold or published
  • Standard 7-day amendment period
  • A paper written to the standard ordered
  • A detailed plagiarism report
  • A comprehensive quality report