LL143      One Unit
Tort Law

This information is for the 2025/26 session.

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One person’s carelessness causes another to suffer a broken leg, damage to their car, or a financial loss. Someone plays music too loudly all through the night, disturbing their neighbours’ sleep. One person defames another, or touches their body without their consent. These are examples of torts. Tort law tells us when the person who has suffered injury has a civil right to require the injurer to make repair. Our course examines the fundamental principles and functions of tort law; the general tort of negligence and its application in specific settings (e.g. actions of public authorities, occupiers’ liability); the distinction between negligence and strict liability; liability for defective products; defamation; private nuisance; trespass to the person; and special topics on the kinds of injury that tort law deems worthy of compensation (especially the complex position with regard to psychiatric and economic harm); and the kinds of remedy that it provides to claimants.

16 hours of lectures and 9 hours of classes in the Autumn Term.
20 hours of lectures and 10 hours of classes in the Winter Term.

This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Autumn and Winter Term.

One piece of coursework per term.

Although we do not use a textbook in the course, there are several good textbooks on the market, the list below is indicative. Most textbooks are updated frequently, so generally aim to consult the latest editions. Most items listed below are available as e-books through the LSE library, but you may want your own hard copy.

• Witting Ch., Street on Torts
• McBride N. – Bagshaw R., Tort Law
• Lunney M. – Oliphant K., Tort Law: Text and Materials
• Goudkamp J. – Nolan D., Winfield & Jolowicz on Tort

Exam (100%), duration: 180 Minutes, reading time: 15 minutes in the Spring exam period