Uncertainty and tort law: causation and damages

Recommended Prerequisites

Law of Obligations. Proficiency in French and English.    

Teaching Methods

Apresentation of themes, followed by discussion.

Presentation of reports resulting from personal research

Learning Outcomes

Our intent is to point out and discuss the variety of solutions that tort law has been providing regarding the problems that arise from uncertainty, specially those concerning causation and the scope of liability. Questions as necessary cumulative causation, non-necessary cumulative causation and alternative causation will be studied during the semninar, as well as problems facing the burden of proof of causation. There will also be analysis of some questions about damages (v.g. risk as damage; loss of chance damage). Finally, other specific domains of civil liability will be studied, such as:  medical malpractice and enviromental liability. Students are expected to be able to analyze and critically evaluate new problems.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

1.Causation

1.1.Haftungsbegründende Kausalität and Haftungsausfüllende Kausalität

1.2.Causation and Scope of Liability

1.3.Definition of criteria based on two lines: freedom and risk

1.4. Burden of the Proof´

1.5. Causation and conditio sine qua non (but-for test and Ness-test)

1.6. Cumulative causation, non-necessary cumulative causation and alternative causation

2. Damages

2.1. General criteria for the determination of the indemnity

2.2. Pecuniary and non-pecuniary damages

2.3. Risk as a damage?

2.4. Loss of a chance

2.5. Other damages

Head Lecturer(s)

Ana Mafalda Castanheira Neves Miranda Barbosa

Assessment Methods

Assessment
participation in seminar discussions: 20.0%
Research work: 80.0%

Bibliography

J. SINDE MONTEIRO, “Sobre uma eventual definição da causalidade nos projectos nacionais europeus de reforma da responsabilidade civil”, Revista do Direito do Consumidor, ano 20 (2011), n.º 78, 161-188

Mafalda MIRANDA BARBOSA, Do nexo de causalidade ao nexo de imputação: contributo para a compreensão da natureza binária e personalística do requisito causal ao nível da responsabilidade civil extracontratual, Princípia, 2013

Mafalda MIRANDA BARBOSA, Responsabilidade civil: novas perspetivas em matéria de nexo de causalidade, Princípia, 2014

BYDLINSKI, Haftung bei alternativer Kausalität“, Juristische Blätter, 1959, p. 1 e ss

BYDLINSKI, Aktuelle Streitfragen um die alternative Kausalität”, Festschrift für Günther Beitzke zum 70. Geburtstag am 26 April 1979, OTTO SANDROCK (hrgs.), De Gruyter, Berlin, New York, 1979, p. 3 e ss.

QUEZEL-AMBRUNAZ, Essai sur la causalité en droit de la responsabilité civile, Dalloz, 2010