Tales of Sound and Fury: Factual Causation in Tort after Resurfice

• Author: David Cheifetz
• Pages: 201-224



TalesofSoundandFury

FactualCausationinTortaerResurce

David Cheifetz*

CausationisarequirementforsuccessinallactionsintortSnell v. Farrell

statedthatcausationisanexpressionoftherelationshipthatmustbe

foundtoexistbetweenthetortiousactofthewrongdoerandtheinjury

to the victim in order to justi fy compensation of the laer out of the

pocketoftheformer

Therequirementofthebeliefintheexistenceof

 DavidCheifetzBenneBestBurnLLPTorontoOntarioCanadaIthankamong

othersProfessorsLewisKlarVaughanBlackandRussBrownAttheLaw

SocietyofUpperCanadaSpecialLecturesPersonalInjuryLawAprilI

presentedamoredetailedpapertitledRiskasLegalCausationCausationinTort

inCanadianCommonLawaerResurceCorpvHankeThatpaperaswellas

thisoneisbasedonCausationinCanadaintheThirdMillenniumNothingIs

NowEnoughScrapingtheSurfaceTheConsequencesofResurceCorpvHanke

whichismyongoingexaminationofthecurrentstateofCanadianlawonfactual

causationprimarilyintortasaresultofResurceCorpvHankeinfra noteon-

linewwwbbburncomarticlesResurcestatuspdf

 Snell v. FarrellSCRatSnellTherearetwoaspectstocausation

factualcauseandproximatecauseThisarticleexaminesonlyfactualcause

ProximatecauseisalimitationontheextentofpotentialliabilityProximatecause

isalabelusedtodescribetheprocessbywhichfactualcausesareforpolicy

reasonsexcludedfromconsiderationasactionablefactualcausesTherationale

fortheexclusionisareasonfornotallowingliabilityintheparticularcaseseeL

KlarTort LawthedTorontoThomsonCarswellatTort LawSnell

Athey v. LeonatiSCRAtheyandWalker Estate v. York Finch General

HospitalSCRWalker EstatewerethedeningcasesforCanadiantort

jurisprudencebeforeResurceCorpvHankeSCRResurceThereis

anextensiveamountofacademicscholarshipexaminingthemeaningofcausation

DC

acausationrelationshipthatactuallyexistsintheparticularcaseone

thatismorethanmerelyapotentialmorethanmerelyanunrealized

possibilityisa n inherent part of a system of tort law whose den-

ingpremiseistherightingofwrongsbetweenaninjuredpersonand

awrongdoerThecorrectivejusticeunderpinningoffaultbasedcom-

pensationispredicatednotonlyuponthedefendantswrongbutupon

itscausalconnectiontotheplaintisharm

Ifhoweverthedening

premiseofthesystemiscompensationtherepairoftheharmifthe

principlesofthetortsystempermittheseveranceoftheconnectionbe-

tweentheinjuredpersonandtheharmontheonesideandwrongdoer

ontheothersidebecausewhoorwhatcausedtheinjuryisnotasimport-

antascompensatingtheinjuredpersonthenthecausationconnection

neednotbeaprerequisitetocompensation

inlawTort Lawcatnotesandlistsmanyofthearticles

SeealsoKCooperStephensonPersonalInjuryDamagesinCanadadedToronto

CarswellcPersonalInjuryDamagesAdditionalimportantarticlesinclude

RWWrightLiabilityforPossibleWrongsCausationStatisticalProbabilityand

theBurdenofProofLoyLALRevPossibleWrongsJStaple-

tonChoosingWhatWeMeanbyCausationintheLawMoLRev

DAFischerInsucientCausesKyLJRFumerton

KKressCausationandtheLawPreemptionLawfulSuciencyandCausalSuf-

ciencyLawContempProbsandDAFischerSuccessiveCauses

andTheEnigmaofDuplicatedHarmTennLRev

 Tort LawibidatThedistinctionisbetweensystemspremisedoncorrective

justiceandsystemswhoserationaleisinstrumentalistseeEJWeinribCausation

andWrongdoingChiKentLRevForthemomentthecorerationale

forCanadiantortlawiscorrectivejusticeResurceibidatparastatesThe

majorelementsofatortactiondutybreachcausinginjuryandcausereectthe

principleofmoralwrongdoingwhichisthebasisofthenegligencelawLKlar

DownsizingTortsinNJMullanyAMLindenedsTorts Tomorrow: A Tribute

to John Flemingatp

 ThebestdiscussionofcausationissuesinrecentCommonwealthjurisprudenceis

containedinaquartetofHouseofLordsdecisionsFairchild v. Glenhaven Funeral

Services LtdUKHLFairchildChester v. AfsharUKHLChester

GreggvScoUKHLGreggandBarkervCorusUKLtdUKHL

BarkerSeeJStapletonLordsaLeapingEvidentiaryGapsTortsLJ

LordsaLeapingforathoroughdiscussionofFairchild.SeealsoLKhoury

CausationandRiskintheHighestCourtsofCanadaEnglandandFrance

LawQRevThereareextensivediscussionsinanumberofdecisionsof

theHighCourtofAustraliaForexampleMarch v. Stramare (E. & M.H) Pty

HCAMarchandChappel v. HartHCATheAustralianlawisreviewed

inIppCommieeReport of th e Law of Negligenceonlinehprevofneg

treasurygovaucontentreviewasp