Case Summaries
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Northern Ireland v Lynch – 1975
Example case summary. Last modified: July 16, 2019
The defendant was charged with aiding and abetting a second degree murder. He drove members of the Irish terrorist group the IRA into town where they had……
Overseas Tankship v Miller Steamship (Wagon Mound Case)
Example case summary. Last modified: October 5, 2021
The defendant’s ship, ‘The Wagon Mound’, negligently released oil into the sea near a wharf close to Sydney Harbour. An unfortunate chain of events led to the oil becoming mixed with cotton debris, which was subsequently ignited by the sparks coming off some nearby welding works….
Necessity Law Law Case Summaries
Example case summary. Last modified: September 6, 2021
Necessity Law. Necessity law arises where a defendant is forced by circumstances to transgress the criminal law. The generally accepted position is that necessity cannot be a defence to a criminal charge. The leading case is……
Overseas Tankship v Morts Dock – 1961
Example case summary. Last modified: October 5, 2021
The court held that Overseas Tankship (UK) Ltd could not be held liable to pay compensation for the damage to the wharf. This case disapproved the direct consequence test in Re Polemis and established the test of remoteness of damage….
R v Allen
Example case summary. Last modified: October 28, 2021
Mr Allen consumed homemade wine that unknowingly to him was much stronger than he initially thought. As such, it had a much stronger effect on him than he anticipated….
McCutheon v David MacBrayne Ltd – 1964
Example case summary. Last modified: October 28, 2021
McCutheon delivered his car to the defendant shipping company for carriage from the Hebrides to the mainland. The car was destroyed when the ship sank because of the company’s negligence. …
Mansfield v Weetabix – 1998
Example case summary. Last modified: July 18, 2019
D appealed against a judgment holding them liable in negligence following an incident in which a lorry belonging to D, and driven by one of their……
McFarlane v EE Caledonia Ltd
Example case summary. Last modified: July 18, 2019
The claimant (C) was on board a vessel which was called upon to attend to the serious fire that had broken out on the oil rig……
Moeliker v A Reyolle – 1977
Example case summary. Last modified: July 16, 2019
The claimant had been apprenticed to the defendant company when he was a teenager and had been employed by them ever since….
Partridge v Crittenden – 1968
Example case summary. Last modified: August 26, 2025
Facts in Partridge v Crittenden. The defendant advertised for sale a number of Bramblefinch cocks and hens, stating that the price was to be 25 shillings for each. Under the Protection of Birds Act 1954, it was unlawful to offer for sale any wild live bird….
R v A (No.2)
Example case summary. Last modified: September 28, 2021
In dismissing the appeal, the Court held that s.41(3)(c) of the 1999 Act should be construed, where necessary, by having regard to the interpretative obligation under s.3 of the 1998 Act and by giving adequate consideration to the need to protect a complainant from indignity and the possibility of humiliating questioning…
Parents and Children Case Notes | Family Law Study Area | Law Teacher
Example case summary. Last modified: July 16, 2019
Parents and Children Case Notes. The relationships between children and parents are complex. In different contexts, the word 'parent' can include biological parents (married or unmarried), step-parents, adoptive parents, foster……
McInerny v Lloyds Bank Ltd – 1974
Example case summary. Last modified: October 6, 2021
The defendant bank made arrangements for one party’s (T) commercial credit to facilitate the purchase of companies belonging to another party (P). P was to take bills of exchange in instalments over six years to pay for the price of the purchase….
Platform Funding Ltd v Bank of Scotland
Example case summary. Last modified: July 16, 2019
A surveyor was instructed by a mortgage lender to inspect and value property on 1 Bakers Yard offered by a borrower as the security for a loan….
Lonrho v Fayed
Example case summary. Last modified: March 7, 2018
Lonrho were acquiring a company, and were awaiting permission from the Monopolies and Mergers Commission. Fayed and three other defendants……
Parker v South Eastern Railway
Example case summary. Last modified: September 29, 2021
Deposit of bag in railway cloak room; effect of exclusion clause on ticket and on notice. Parker paid to leave his bag in the cloakroom of South Eastern Railway (SER). There was a notice within the cloakroom stating that SER would not be responsible for any deposits exceeding £10. in value….
Pioneer Container Case
Example case summary. Last modified: July 16, 2019
The claimant was a cargo owner who contracted with a carrier to ship the cargo. Per the bills of lading, the claimant granted the carrier authority to……
Massey v Boulden – 2002
Example case summary. Last modified: July 16, 2019
The case revolved around an open green space close to a public highway between Bilsington and Hythe, known as the Pinn, as well as adjacent land……
Morales v Eccleston
Example case summary. Last modified: July 16, 2019
The defendant, Ecclestone, was driving at 20 mph along in a traffic stream along a road that was 30 feet wide. The plaintiff, Morales, who as……
Cases on Mens Rea 2
Example case summary. Last modified: October 6, 2021
Cases on Mens Rea 2. The defendant struck a blow with his belt at Horace Chapple which recoiled off him, severely injuring an innocent bystander. The defendant was convicted of maliciously wounding the victim……
Nimmo v Alexander Cowan and Sons Ltd
Example case summary. Last modified: December 29, 2020
An employee of a factory was unloading railway wagons filled with bales of pulp for which he was required on some bales….
Murphy v Brentwood District Council
Example case summary. Last modified: September 28, 2021
The defendant local authority had negligently approved plans for the footings of a house (a task which fell within its responsibility in accordance with the provisions of the Public Health Act 1936). The claimant purchased the property, but some time afterwards it began to subside as a result of defects in the footings….
Pickstone v Freemans plc
Example case summary. Last modified: July 16, 2019
The claimant, Ms Pickstone, was an employee of the defendants, Freemans, where she worked as a warehouse operative and received a salary……
R v Ahluwalia – 1992
Example case summary. Last modified: September 28, 2021
The definition in R v Duffy [1949] 1 All ER 932 as “sudden and temporary loss of control” is still good law as it is a readily understandable phrase. However, in cases of abused wives, the harmful act is often a result of a “slowburn” reaction, rather than immediate loss of self-control. …
Port Jackson Stevedoring v Salmond & Spraggon
Example case summary. Last modified: July 16, 2019
Goods were unloaded from a ship at a wharf and stored in a near shed which was under the control of the wharf’s stevedore. Thieves dishonestly claimed that……
Poussard v Spiers
Example case summary. Last modified: September 30, 2021
Breach of condition of a contract. The Claimant (Poussard) was an opera singer. She was contracted by the defendant to perform in that capacity for a duration of three months. The issue in this case was whether failing to turn up to the first day of performance amounted to a breach of a condition of the contract….
Notting Hill Housing Trust v Brackley
Example case summary. Last modified: July 16, 2019
A married couple held a periodic tenancy on a property as joint tenants, which could be terminated with the provision of four months notice….
Purton v Kilker Projects
Example case summary. Last modified: July 16, 2019
When Mr Purton submitted his final bill for approximately £147,000, KPL failed to pay it. Mr Purton referred the matter for adjudication and the……
Overstone v Shipway
Example case summary. Last modified: July 16, 2019
A hirer of a vehicle paid no monthly rental fee as agreed by the parties, after having paid the deposit and taken delivery of the motor vehicle….
Osman v UK
Example case summary. Last modified: September 30, 2021
Case Summary of Osman v United Kingdom (UK) Case No: 87/1997/871/1083. Mrs Mulkiye Osman was born in Cyprus in 1948 and her son, Ahmet Osman, was born in England in 1972….
Othman v UK 2012 Case Summary | Abu Qatada
Example case summary. Last modified: July 16, 2019
Othman (Abu Qatada) v United Kingdom (UK) (2012) 55 EHRR 1, 189. Deportation and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)….
Ogwo v Taylor – Case Brief
Example case summary. Last modified: July 13, 2019
The defendant had negligently started a fire at his home by using a blow torch on the fascia boards whilst attempting DIY home improvements….
Old Gate Estates Ltd v Toplis
Example case summary. Last modified: July 16, 2019
A block of flats was to be purchased by the promoters of the claimant’s company. During the promotion of the company and……
Parkinson v College of Ambulance – Case Summary
Example case summary. Last modified: July 16, 2019
The defendant, Harrison, was secretary of the College of Ambulance, a charity. He told the plaintiff, Colonel Parkinson, that he could procure a……
Pursell v Horn – 1838
Example case summary. Last modified: July 16, 2019
In this case the defendant threw water on the claimant and got both the claimant and the claimant’s clothes, wet. The claimant started an action for……
Monarch Airlines v London Luton Airport
Example case summary. Last modified: July 16, 2019
The Claimant airline had one of its planes damaged by a loose paving stone, while taxing on the runway of the airport operated by the Defendant….
Orchard v Lee – 2009
Example case summary. Last modified: July 16, 2019
The claimant was a school dinner lady acting as a supervisor in a children’s playground. She sustained injuries when a 13-year-old boy ran backwards……
Mersey Docks and Harbour Board v Cameron
Example case summary. Last modified: July 16, 2019
Historically, municipal docks were immune from the rates typically payable by docks to the Crown as a result of their connection……
Nettleship v Weston 1971
Example case summary. Last modified: September 28, 2021
Case Summary of Nettleship v Weston [1971] 2 QB 691. The case of Nettleship v Weston1 concerned the concept of a duty of care which is a fundamental element of the tort of negligence….
Murder and Unlawful Killing Cases
Example case summary. Last modified: September 6, 2021
Murder is a crime of specific intent. Intention in this context includes direct or oblique intent. Direct intent covers the situation where the defendant desired the death. Oblique intent covers the situation where the death is foreseen by the defendant as virtually certain, although not desired for its own sake….
Morris v Murray – 1991
Example case summary. Last modified: July 16, 2019
After drinking alcohol the whole afternoon, the plaintiff and his friend decided to go on a flight in the friend’s light aircraft. The plaintiff drove a……
Melluish v BMI
Example case summary. Last modified: July 16, 2019
The appellant company provided equipment, such as central heating and crematoria equipment, for local authorities to use in their properties….
The Oropesa – 1943 – Case Summary
Example case summary. Last modified: July 13, 2019
There were storms out at sea and a collision happened between two ships, the Oropesa and the Manchester Regiment. In the incident, the Manchester……
Peekay Intermark v Australia and New Zealand
Example case summary. Last modified: July 13, 2019
B, the appellant, was a bank. P was a company that worked as an investment vehicle, operated by its shareholders and was the first respondent….
Mulcahy v Ministry of Defence – 1996
Example case summary. Last modified: July 16, 2019
The plaintiff was a soldier serving for the British Army in the Gulf War and was part of the team manning a howitzer. His unit was deployed in Saudi Arabia……
Luxmoore May v Messenger
Example case summary. Last modified: July 16, 2019
The Court of Appeal held that the standard of care owed by auctioneers was to give a considered opinion as to the value of the goods….
McGowan v Radio Buxton Case
Example case summary. Last modified: July 13, 2019
Ms. McGowan participated in a competition on a radio station for which the advertised prize was claimed to be a Renault Clio car….
R (Gentle) v Foreign Secretary
Example case summary. Last modified: July 16, 2019
The claimants were the mothers of two British servicemen killed serving in Iraq. Inquests were to be held into the circumstances……
Paris v Stepney Borough Council
Example case summary. Last modified: October 5, 2021
Paris v Stepney BC. Because the claimant had sight only in one eye, there was a strong potential that the harm would be particular great: more so than would be inflicted on a normally-sighted person. This meant that a reasonable person would take greater steps than usual to protect him….
Mariola v Lloyd’s Register of Shipping
Example case summary. Last modified: July 13, 2019
A ship known as the ‘Morning Watch’ had been issued a class certificate by the defendant, Lloyds Register of Shipping, despite the fact that it had a……
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