“Social and club golfers should ensure they are covered by insurance before they even think about teeing off, the Victorian Golf Association has warned.” Mark Roy Shanahan was held personally liable for an A$2.6 million award after a charity game 10 years ago at a Queensland country club when his ball hit another golfer in the head. Although club members are often covered by a club’s liability policy, green-fee golfers may be exposed and would be wise to seek alternate sources of insurance, said VGA executive director Doug Fox (Daniella Miletic, “Insurance can stop a poor shot landing in court”, Melbourne Age, Sept. 12).
Posts Tagged ‘Australia’
Update: “economy-class syndrome” suits
Suits over deep-vein thrombosis suffered by inactive passengers on long-distance flights looked not long ago as if they might become a major source of liability for airlines, but “appellate decisions in California and Texas have encouraged airlines to defend DVT cases in court, rather than begin a parade of potentially large settlements.” (Justin Scheck, “New Tort Encounters Turbulence”, The Recorder, Sept. 17). See Aug. 16, 2003; Sept. 12, 2004 (Australia).
Oz: burger pebble depressed her libido
In Australia, Kelly Rae Hennessey is suing McDonald’s claiming she suffered a loss of libido after biting into a cheeseburger that contained a rock, according to a report in the Melbourne Herald Sun. As a result of the contaminated burger, purchased from a drive-through in Adelaide in 2000, “Hennessey says she’s suffered a loss of libido, as well as depression, nightmares, anxiety, nausea, palpitations, diarrhea, shortness of breath and toothache.” (“Woman sues over bad burger”, UPI/InterestAlert, Sept. 26).
Oz: “Nudge of sniffer dog is assault, court told”
Hey, that dog’s nose touched me! I’ve been assaulted! Especially since it tipped off the arresting officer that drugs might be found on my person if I were subjected to search. A New South Wales appeals court is hearing Glen Paul Darby’s appeal (Sydney Morning Herald, Sept. 16).
Oz: “Policeman gets $500,000 after tripping”
Senior constable Terence William Hall, 43, tripped on an unlit footpath on a rainy night at Narrabri Police Station in New South Wales. He got a hematoma from the bump “and was later told he was suffering from deep vein thrombosis”, and now he has A$500,000 to show for it. (AAP/Sydney Morning Herald, Sept. 7).
Update: Oz high court agrees to review DVT case
Australia’s high court has agreed to review an appellate court decision (see Dec. 28) disallowing a a test case against Qantas and British Airways over so-called economy-class syndrome, the deep vein thrombosis suffered by a passenger after a long flight. A decision in favor of the claimant, businessman Brian Povey, could open the door to many more such suits against Australian airlines. (Ian Munro, “DVT case could open floodgates to stricken fliers”, Melbourne Age, Sept. 11). Update Jun. 25, 2005: high court dismisses case.
Oz: mom’s car crash caused my cerebral palsy
From Australia, more evidence that the presence of liability insurance may tend to lead ineluctably to the alleged causation of cerebral palsy:
An Adelaide teenager suffering from cerebral palsy is suing his mother after she crashed into a tree when he was a foetus. Supreme Court documents claim Sylvia Neave, of Ferryden Park, was negligent and breached her duty of care as a mother to her unborn child.
Under law, Graham Neave, 16, has to sue his mother and [the state of South Australia’s] compulsory third party insurer, the Motor Accident Commission, in his bid to gain an estimated $3.5 million compensation.
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital also is part of his claim for allegedly failing to treat him “sufficiently early or at all” before his emergency delivery.
— “Boy sues mum in $3.5m bid”, The Advertiser/News.com.au, Aug. 22.
“‘Hurt feelings’ win killer $1200”
“A man jailed for brutally murdering a teenage girl has been awarded [NZ]$1200 compensation for hurt feelings and humiliation while in prison.” (Bridget Carter, New Zealand Herald, Aug. 23). “In a decision that prompted political anger, the Human Rights Review Tribunal said inmate Andrew MacMillan had suffered “injury to his feelings, loss of dignity and humiliation” when he was denied access to [a letter written about him]. MacMillan was jailed in 1988 for raping and killing Jayne McLellan, 17.” (“Convicted NZ murderer compensated for hurt feelings”, ABC News Online, Aug. 23; “Rapist-killer wins cash award for hurt feelings”, Sydney Morning Herald, Aug. 23).
Australia roundup
Striking a blow for personal responsibility, the High Court of Australia has ruled that a woman who drank too much at a bar and later injured herself cannot recover from the drinking establishment on the grounds it should have cut her off sooner. Chief Justice Murray Gleeson “said the onus should not be on clubs to prevent injury to those who drank to excess” and wrote: “There are many forms of excessive eating and drinking that involve health risks, but, as a rule, we leave it to individuals to decide for themselves how much they eat and drink. There are sound reasons for that, associated with values of autonomy and privacy.” (Michael Pelly, “Blaming the barman is out: court”, Sydney Morning Herald (soon to adopt registration), Jun. 16)(see May 12, 2003). Judges from the highest courts of New South Wales and Queensland are among the latest to be taken in by a widely circulated list of amusing but entirely fictitious court cases which supposedly won “Stella Awards”; our debunking appeared August 2001. (“Our Stella judges”, MediaWatch, Jun. 14). And the High Court in April heard a case which seeks to overturn the longstanding prohibition on negligence suits against barristers by clients harmed by the errors and omissions they make in advancing legal arguments. “Immunity for advocates has been abandoned in many other countries, including Canada and the United States. However, many Australian barristers argue that the risk of being sued would lead to spiralling insurance premiums and costly litigation.” (Sonia Harford, “Lawyers wait on High Court case”, Melbourne Age, Apr. 25).
Oz: jilted wife wants stress damages too
Two months ago (see Apr. 8) a workers’ comp tribunal caused a furor in Australia by awarding $A28,000 to teacher Jeff Sinclair, who was fired over an affair with a teenage student. (“School for scandal”, Melbourne Age, May 3). Now Sabina Sinclair, the educator’s spurned wife, is also seeking compensation for psychological injury from the New South Wales education department over the incident. “I am really fragile,” she said. (Martin Wallace, “Jilted wife seeks damages”, Daily Telegraph/News.com.au, May 31).