Providing a detailed analysis of the legal principles in England & Wales, this book looks at governing compensation claims for the lasting trauma caused by child abuse. Its pages discuss the merits and demerits of different forms of action as mechanisms for imposing liability for abuse, how compensable psychiatric damage can be proved and how the law deals with complex issues of duty of care, causation and extending limitation periods in the context of abuse cases. Whilst a substantial portion of the book deals with civil claims by the abused for the psychological harm caused by the abuse, coverage also extends to litigation by other parties involved directly or indirectly in abuse allegations. Also included is a significant comparative element, drawing upon jurisdictions such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand, as a means of speculating how our own legal system might develop.
Author(s): Paula Case
Year: 2007
Language: English
Pages: 336
Cover......Page 1
Half-title......Page 3
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Contents......Page 7
Table of Cases......Page 11
Table of Statutes and Statutory Instruments......Page 24
Evolving constructions of child abuse......Page 27
Categorisations of abuse......Page 29
Corporal punishment......Page 31
Abuse by fabrication or induction of illness......Page 34
Bullying at school......Page 36
2. Childhood sexual abuse......Page 38
4. Neglect......Page 40
1. Psychiatric injury and dysfunction caused by sexual abuse......Page 42
2. Other types of abuse and psychological injury......Page 45
3. The law and psychiatry interface: psychological morbidity and disincentives to litigation......Page 46
Repressed memory/dissociative amnesia......Page 47
Distorted perceptions......Page 49
1. Prevalence of abuse in childhood......Page 50
Abuse in the home......Page 51
Abuse in child care institutions......Page 52
3. The law and society interface: the impact of media reporting and public inquiries – from hyperbole to understatement......Page 53
4. The onslaught of regulatory reforms......Page 57
Tort litigation and abuse......Page 60
1. Proliferation of claims pertaining to abuse......Page 61
Compensation......Page 62
Setting standards and incident prevention......Page 66
The public forum function – accountability and arbitration......Page 69
The therapeutic function of tort litigation......Page 71
3. Trivialising, pejorative and demeaning language and the courts......Page 73
4. A comparative dimension......Page 75
Conclusion......Page 76
The current state of civil litigation relating to abuse......Page 78
1. Trespass to the person (assault/battery)......Page 80
The human rights challenges......Page 85
Other post-Stubbings developments......Page 86
2. An action under the principle of Wilkinson v. Downton......Page 87
Will recklessness suffice?......Page 88
The type of harm......Page 90
3. Breach of fiduciary duty......Page 92
4. Claims by bystander family members......Page 95
The non-perpetrator as defendant......Page 97
1. Litigation under the Human Rights Act 1998......Page 98
2. Breach of statutory duty......Page 101
3. The tort of negligence......Page 102
Employer liability in negligence for child abuse......Page 103
Vetting mechanisms and the standard of care......Page 105
Cases of iatrogenic abuse or neglect......Page 110
Abuse in the foster home......Page 116
Witness immunity......Page 118
Liability for bullying beyond school premises......Page 121
Standard of carethe professional parent?......Page 122
Other non-perpetrators as defendants in negligence actions......Page 125
4. Breach of fiduciary duty......Page 130
5. Non-delegable duties......Page 131
6. The tort of misfeasance......Page 133
7. Vicarious liability and childhood abuse......Page 134
Establishing an employment relationship......Page 135
Other relationships to which vicarious liability might apply......Page 136
Sexual abuse and the course of employment......Page 138
Vicarious liability for abuse in non-residential settings......Page 149
Adult victims of abuse......Page 150
Public policy objections to vicarious liability......Page 151
‘Bodily injury’......Page 152
‘Accidental’......Page 153
2. The insured perpetrator......Page 154
3. The insured non-perpetrator......Page 155
Alternative routes to compensation: criminal injuries compensation......Page 157
1. Awards for non-parasitic mental injury......Page 160
4. Direct attribution and bystander claims......Page 161
5. ‘A crime of violence’......Page 164
6. Abuse claims......Page 165
Conclusion......Page 167
Introduction......Page 170
1. The tort of negligence......Page 171
JD v. East Berkshire Community NHS Trust......Page 172
Comment on JD......Page 177
Standard of care as a control device......Page 180
2. An action for breach of statutory duty......Page 181
Violation of Article 8: the right to respect for family life......Page 183
Violation of Article 6: the right of access to court......Page 186
4. Misfeasance in public office......Page 188
5. Witness immunity......Page 189
1. Confidentiality obligations......Page 190
Conflicting duties: the duty of confidence and the duty to report suspected abuse......Page 192
Proximity considerations: the accused as non-patient......Page 194
Policy considerations: justice, fairness and reasonableness......Page 196
Standard of care......Page 197
Defendant liability for implantation of false memories in the US......Page 198
Other authorities denying a duty of care to the third-party accused......Page 200
Authorities supporting a duty of care to the third-party accused......Page 202
The merits and demerits of third-party liability......Page 203
4. Disciplinary proceedings......Page 204
1. Liability in Australia......Page 206
2. The Canadian position......Page 208
3. New Zealand......Page 209
General claims against the accusers......Page 210
1. Actions in defamation......Page 211
The qualified privilege defence......Page 214
Qualified privilege and publications to the world at large......Page 215
Malice: express or implied......Page 216
2. Malicious prosecution......Page 218
3. Intentional infliction of psychiatric harm......Page 220
Conclusion......Page 221
Introduction......Page 225
Burden of proof......Page 226
1. English law and repressed memories......Page 227
Reliability of repressed memory evidence......Page 229
The risk of therapeutic implantation of false memories......Page 230
2. Admissibility of recovered memory evidence in the US......Page 232
1. Physical damage......Page 234
2. Psychiatric damage......Page 235
3. Damages for ‘pure’ psychiatric harm in tort......Page 236
Actions against the perpetrator: intentional wrongs......Page 237
Actions under Wilkinson v. Downton and the recognised disorder requirement......Page 238
Claims against the non-perpetrator: negligence claims......Page 240
4. The recognised psychiatric disorder requirement......Page 242
6. Classifications of mental illness......Page 244
PTSD......Page 245
Borderline personality disorder......Page 248
Substance abuse (alcoholism/drug dependency)......Page 249
Other disorders......Page 250
1. Proving ‘causation in fact’......Page 251
2. Relaxation of the ‘material contribution’ test......Page 253
3. Future application of Fairchild......Page 254
Novus actus interveniens......Page 255
5. Remoteness of damage......Page 257
6. The thin skull (and crumbling skull) rules......Page 259
7. Breach of fiduciary duty......Page 260
1. Apportionment and the workings of the ‘material contribution’ test: divisible or non-divisible injury?......Page 261
2. Supervening traumatic events or incidents......Page 264
3. General and special damages......Page 265
4. Aggravating and exemplary damages......Page 266
Conclusion......Page 268
The limitation framework......Page 270
1. Limitation of actions and procedure......Page 272
2. Limitation Act 1980: a two-tier system......Page 273
Application of the Limitation Act to civil actions against perpetrators of abuse: Stubbings v. Webb......Page 274
1. Finding fault with Stubbings v. Webb......Page 275
Extension on the grounds of disability: s. 28......Page 278
Extension on the grounds of fraudulent concealment/estoppel: s. 32......Page 279
Breach of fiduciary duty......Page 281
1. Vicarious liability......Page 284
2. Non-battery claims......Page 285
The delayed discovery doctrine: s. 14......Page 286
Judicial discretion to extend time: s. 33......Page 302
1. Claims under the Limitation Act 1939......Page 306
2. Declaratory remedy......Page 307
3. Law Commission proposals for reform......Page 308
Conclusion......Page 310
Conclusion......Page 311
B......Page 315
F......Page 316
H......Page 317
M......Page 318
P......Page 319
T......Page 320
A......Page 321
G......Page 322
M......Page 323
Y......Page 324
Index......Page 325
