High Court of Malawi - 2004 May

15 judgments

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15 judgments
Citation
Judgment date
May 2004
Assessment of damages: plaintiff awarded K180,000 for pain and suffering and K65,000 for loss of amenities.
Assessment of damages – Personal injury – Fracture of right humerus – Default judgment and unchallenged evidence – Quantification of general damages for pain and suffering and loss of amenities – Comparable precedent considered
31 May 2004
Court awarded K350,000 for pain and suffering and K50,000 for reduced earning capacity after negligent driving.
Delict/negligence — assessment of damages for pain and suffering, loss of amenities and deformity — award for loss of earning capacity — reliance on comparable local precedents and adjustment for currency depreciation
31 May 2004
Court awarded market-value damages and quantified lost rentals and interest on capitalized business value after default judgment for property destroyed by school pupils.
Negligence – vicarious/liability of Ministry for pupils’ acts; Damages – market value for destroyed property; Loss of rental – months x rent per room; Loss of business/profits – interest on capitalized value where net profits unproven; Acceptance of uncontroverted valuations when receipts destroyed; Speculative future gains not compensable
31 May 2004
Assessment of wrongful-death damages: K60,000 for expectation of life and K950,000 for dependency using multiplicand-multiplier method.
Damages -- Wrongful death -- Loss of expectation of life; Loss of dependency -- Multiplicand and multiplier method; annual (seasonal) income as multiplicand; one-third deduction for personal living expenses; apportionment and deposit of minors' shares in court
31 May 2004
Court awarded damages for loss of expectation of life and dependency using individual circumstances and the multiplicand‑multiplier method.
Assessment of damages – loss of expectation of life and dependency – applicability of multiplicand‑and‑multiplier method – use of individual circumstances over national life‑expectancy statistics – adopting minimum wage as proxy multiplicand where income unproven
31 May 2004
Following a default judgment for repudiation, the contractor was awarded contract value, loss of profit, loss-of-use damages, and release of bonds.
Contract repudiation — entitlement to payment for work done and recovery of loss of profit; assessment of damages for loss of use, demobilisation and extension of time; application of contract currency split and release of performance bonds
31 May 2004
Assessment awards plaintiff K4,543,912 for loss of profits from vehicle being out of service; no interest awarded.
Assessment of damages – loss of profits for deprivation of use of vehicle – calculation of daily rate, working days and running expenses – absence of defendants at assessment – no interest on lost profits (avoidance of double compensation)
31 May 2004
Assessment of damages for personal injuries awarded for pain, loss of amenities, loss of earning capacity, and proved special damages.
Torts — Negligence — Assessment of damages for personal injuries — Heads: pain and suffering, loss of amenities, loss of earning capacity — Quantification by reference to comparable awards — Special damages must be substantiated
17 May 2004
Electoral Commission unlawfully added MSCE requirement; Returning Officer unlawfully rejected and failed to transmit nomination papers.
Electoral law — Candidate qualifications — Interpretation of constitutional and statutory requirement to be able to "speak and read English" — Electoral Commission's imposition of MSCE prerequisite held unreasonable and ultra vires; Returning Officer's failure to transmit nomination papers under Section 40 (procedural duty) — Judicial review: illegality, irrationality (Wednesbury), procedural impropriety; mandamus to accept nominations.
17 May 2004
Defilement conviction upheld on one count; child testimony and nurse's medical report accepted; four-year sentence confirmed with delayed commencement adjustment.
Criminal law – Defilement – Child complainants' evidence and corroboration; admissibility of medical reports by nurses/midwives; appellate review of credibility findings; sentence review; effect of delayed judgment.
14 May 2004
Applicant's claim of biased state-media coverage rejected for insufficient admissible evidence and inappropriate affidavit-only procedure.
Constitutional and electoral law — duty of Electoral Commission to ensure free and fair elections — access to state-controlled media — equal coverage and right of reply — admissibility of affidavit evidence, hearsay exclusion — appropriateness of Originating Summons where substantial factual disputes exist — res judicata
13 May 2004
Originating Summons dismissed for failure to present admissible, particularised evidence proving biased state media coverage in elections.
Constitutional and electoral law — access to state-controlled media — evidentiary requirements for declaratory relief — inadmissibility of hearsay and affidavits based on information and belief — Originating Summons and disputes of fact — Court will not ‘fish’ for evidence
13 May 2004
Electoral Commission unlawfully abdicated complaint-handling; court ordered fresh voter-roll verification, custody of excess ballots and poll postponement.
Electoral law – duty of Electoral Commission to decide complaints – unlawful referral to Office of the President – voters’ register verification under s31 PPEA – distinction between close of registration (s29) and verification – judicially ordered fresh verification and limited postponement of poll – custody and audit of excess ballot papers – locus and remedies to secure free and fair elections
13 May 2004
Assessment of wrongful-death damages using expectation-of-life awards and the multiplicand–multiplier dependency method, with minors' shares deposited in court.
Assessment of damages – wrongful death – loss of expectation of life – conventional awards guided by comparable cases; loss of dependency – multiplicand and multiplier method; use of minimum wage as multiplicand for unemployed and reduced rate for juveniles; apportionment among dependants; minors’ awards to be paid into court
10 May 2004
Assessment of damages after default judgment: awards for pain, suffering, loss of amenities and costs.
Assessment of damages – personal injury – default judgment fixing liability – uncontroverted plaintiff testimony – general damages for pain and suffering and loss of amenities – guidance from comparable awards
5 May 2004