Results.
287 judgments found.
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| March 2017 |
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The applicants’ claim succeeds: driver negligent for failing to keep distance and insurer liable under section 65A.
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Road traffic — Driver's duty of care — Failure to keep proper distance and control speed — Negligence established on balance of probabilities; Insurance — Section 65A Road Traffic Act — Right of injured party to proceed against insurer.
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6 March 2017 |
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Re-sentencing after delayed re-hearing: death and life sentences inappropriate; long determinate terms imposed due to missing record and mitigation.
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Re-sentencing after Kafantayeni order — missing trial record — death-row phenomenon as mitigation — appropriateness of death or life sentences — balancing aggravating (murder during robbery, group, premeditation) and mitigating factors (delay, incarceration conditions, age, prior convictions, good conduct).
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1 March 2017 |
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Applicant’s standalone certification to challenge the corroboration rule was refused as it would amount to an indirect review of concluded criminal cases.
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Constitutional procedure — Section 9 certification — whether Chief Justice may certify standalone referrals — corroboration rule in sexual offences — finality of criminal proceedings — need to regulate referrals.
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1 March 2017 |
| February 2017 |
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An interlocutory injunction was discharged after parties’ without-prejudice settlement was found to have been agreed, constituting changed circumstances.
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Interlocutory injunction — discharge where settlement accepted post-injunction; "without prejudice" correspondence — admissible to prove contract where terms accepted; clerical error in citing procedural rule — falsa demonstratio non nocet.
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28 February 2017 |
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Plaintiff proved driver’s negligence while crossing road; defendant insurer held wholly liable.
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Road‑traffic negligence — driver’s duty of care to avoid excessive speed and keep proper lookout — proof on balance of probabilities — contributory negligence must be proved by defendant — insurer liable under Road Traffic Act.
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28 February 2017 |
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Court allowed late amendment to defence, finding prejudice compensable by costs and ordering incorporation into joint defence.
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Civil procedure — Amendment of pleadings (Order 20) — Late amendment — Prejudice that cannot be compensated — Joint defence versus separate defence — Costs as compensation.
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28 February 2017 |
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Plaintiff failed to prove driver negligence; pedestrian's breach of duty led to dismissal of claim against insurer.
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Insurance cover proved; burden of proof on plaintiff; negligence requires proof of driver breach; pedestrians owe duty under Road Traffic Act; inconsistent evidence defeats claim.
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28 February 2017 |
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Assessment of catastrophic personal injury damages: substantial non-pecuniary awards granted; special damages denied for lack of proof.
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Personal injury — assessment of damages — non-pecuniary awards for pain and suffering, loss of amenities and disfigurement; special damages must be pleaded and proved; use of comparable awards and adjustment for economic change; permanent incapacity considered.
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23 February 2017 |
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Unauthorised market within city boundaries constituted encroachment; council authorised to clear land and obtain vacant possession.
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Municipal law — Town planning — Establishment of unauthorised marketplace on public land — Exclusive mandate of municipal planning authority — Town and Country Planning Act; City market by‑laws
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22 February 2017 |
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Appellant entitled to disputed land under Mang'anja matrilineal custom and by registration/possession; trial court's orders set aside.
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Customary land succession — Mang'anja matrilineal versus patrilineal inheritance; evidentiary weight of occupation and association registration; appeal re‑examination where trial record lacks reasoned judgment.
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20 February 2017 |
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20 February 2017 |
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Appeal allowed: causes of action against a deceased survive to the estate and only an authorised administrator may defend; excessive delay and misrepresentation constituted abuse.
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Succession law — s.10(1) survival of causes of action — requirement for letters of administration/authority to defend deceased’s estate — standing to be joined; Civil procedure — inordinate delay and abuse of process in applications to set aside default judgment; Misrepresentation by counsel as abuse of process.
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17 February 2017 |
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Assessment of damages for severe leg fractures: quantum for pain, loss of amenities, disfigurement; special damages unproven.
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Personal injury — Assessment of damages for multiple leg fractures and surgical insertion of rods — quantum for pain and suffering, loss of amenities and disfigurement — special damages (police/medical reports) must be pleaded and proved — use of comparable awards and consideration of inflationary adjustments.
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16 February 2017 |
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Driver's excessive speed and failure to keep lookout caused the ox‑cart collision; owner and insurer held fully liable.
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Motor vehicle negligence — duty of care — excessive speed and failure to keep lookout — causation; contributory negligence; insurer's policy limits not established; assessment of damages by Registrar.
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16 February 2017 |
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Court refused to suspend committal order due to defendants' persistent non‑compliance and unclean hands.
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Civil procedure — committal and suspension under Order 52 r 7 — discretionary relief — non‑compliance with court orders; unclean hands; improper attempt to vary injunction via suspension.
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15 February 2017 |
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Whether a preliminary application incident to another application must be instituted by summons or may proceed by notice.
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Civil procedure — preliminary applications incident to other proceedings — Order 32 r.1 summons requirement — Order 2 r.1 cure for irregularity — abuse of court process.
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14 February 2017 |
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The respondent insurer was held liable under section 148 for its insured’s negligent speeding and failure to keep proper lookout, causing the applicant’s injuries.
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Road traffic law — Negligence — Duty of care to pedestrians — Excessive speed and failure to keep proper lookout — Causation — Insurer’s liability and right of injured party to sue under section 148 Road Traffic Act.
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13 February 2017 |
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Unilateral re‑designation, repeated transfers and degrading treatment amounted to demotion and constructive dismissal; damages remitted for assessment.
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Employment law — constructive dismissal — demotion can occur without salary reduction — objective effect of unilateral re‑designation and transfers — requirement of procedural fairness and natural justice — concurrent jurisdiction of High Court and labour forums.
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13 February 2017 |
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Series of unilateral re-designations, transfers and humiliating treatment constituted constructive dismissal; matter remitted for damages assessment.
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Employment law — constructive dismissal — section 60 Employment Act — unilateral re-designation and transfers as demotion — procedural fairness and natural justice — High Court concurrent jurisdiction in labour matters.
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13 February 2017 |
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Plaintiff proved truck driver negligence; vehicle insurer liable under Road Traffic Act; interest claim dismissed.
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Road Traffic Act s148 — insurer's liability; Civil standard of proof — balance of probabilities; Contributory negligence — burden on defendant to prove material contribution; Interest on damages — not automatic where claim is for damages rather than debt; Weight of uncontroverted oral evidence and failure to call defence witnesses.
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10 February 2017 |
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Appellant’s failure to set down appeal for over two years warranted dismissal for want of prosecution and release of funds to respondents.
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Civil procedure — Dismissal for want of prosecution — Inordinate and inexcusable delay — Prejudice to successful litigant — Setting down appeal (Order 59 r.5; Order 34 r.2) — Right to restore — Release of funds paid into court.
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10 February 2017 |
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Plaintiff proved motorcycle rider's negligence causing a child's death; insurer held directly liable under Road Traffic Act s.148(1).
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Motor-vehicle negligence — duty of care to pedestrian children — child not contributorily negligent; insurer’s direct liability under Road Traffic Act s.148(1); damages for loss of expectation of life and dependence; quantum to be assessed by Registrar.
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10 February 2017 |
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The defendant breached statutory duties by failing to provide specialized training and supervision, causing the plaintiff's injury.
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Occupational Safety, Health and Welfare Act — employer’s duty to provide safe place and system of work — obligation to provide specialized instruction, training and supervision for dangerous machinery — breach of statutory duty — res ipsa loquitur inapplicable where cause known — protective devices not required where unnecessary.
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8 February 2017 |
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Where a written judgment is incomplete, courts assess the materiality of the omission; reconstruction or completion may be ordered rather than automatic quashing of conviction.
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Criminal procedure — requirement for written judgments (s.140 CP&EC) — failure to deliver complete written reasons — effect depends on materiality of missing parts — possible remedies include reconstruction, retrial or discharge — right of appeal and fair trial implications.
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8 February 2017 |
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Petitioner granted inter‑country adoption after meeting residency, consent, adoptability, and best‑interests requirements.
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Family Law — Adoption — Inter‑country adoption — Best interests of the child, residence, consent and adoptability
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7 February 2017 |
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7 February 2017 |
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Court continued interlocutory injunction preserving students' courses pending trial, finding serious issues and damages inadequate.
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Administrative Law
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Higher Education Regulation — Accreditation and Deregistration of Institutions — Lawfulness and retrospective effect of NCHE declarations
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Rule‑making and Promulgation — Validity of accreditation standards where ministerial promulgation alleged to be absent
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Civil Procedure — Interim Relief — Interlocutory Injunction — Serious issue to be tried; adequacy of damages; balance of convenience
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6 February 2017 |
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Medical illness and prison conditions did not amount to exceptional circumstances to grant bail pending appeal.
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Criminal law — bail pending appeal — conviction terminates ordinary right to bail — exceptional circumstances required for bail of a convict — medical condition and prison overcrowding insufficient where prisoner receives hospital care — offence: possession of protected species (ivory).
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4 February 2017 |
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An interlocutory mandatory injunction was granted to the applicant pending trial on a triable dispute over alleged sub‑letting.
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Interlocutory injunction — triable issue — alleged sub‑letting — adequacy of damages — balance of convenience — mandatory injunction — allocation to new tenant.
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3 February 2017 |
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Driver's failure to keep proper lookout caused injury; insurer not liable for lack of proof of cover.
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Tort — Negligence — Driver's duty of care and failure to keep proper lookout — Causation and general damages
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Insurance — Motor vehicle — Proof of insurer under Road Traffic Act s.148(1) — Insufficient proof where police report tendered for identification
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3 February 2017 |
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Whether judgment debt should be paid into court pending determination of an application to set aside a default judgment.
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Civil procedure — garnishee proceedings; payment of judgment debt into court; setting aside default judgment; assessment of damages — adequacy of reasons; abuse of process; registrars' orders; risk of appellate interference.
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2 February 2017 |
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Irretrievable breakdown is not a statutory ground under the Divorce Act; petition for divorce dismissed with costs.
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Divorce law — applicability of Marriage, Divorce and Family Relations Act to pre-commencement marriages — governing law for marriages contracted before 3 July 2015; Divorce Act s.5 — prescribed grounds for divorce; irretrievable breakdown not a statutory ground; petition dismissed with costs.
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2 February 2017 |
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An appeal dismissed and stay set aside for inordinate delay, abuse of process and procedural irregularity.
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Civil Procedure
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Appeals and Stay of Execution — Want of prosecution and dismissal of appeal for inordinate delay
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Stay of Execution — Procedural requirement to apply first to the Registrar and jurisdictional consequence of bypassing Registrar
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Abuse of Process — Contumacious conduct by appellant through prolonged failure to prosecute appeal
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1 February 2017 |
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Compensation for unfair dismissal under s.63 must be just, equitable and individualized; blanket awards require reassessment.
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Employment law — Unfair dismissal (s.57) — Compensation assessment (s.63) — Just and equitable principle — Duration of service primary — Not compensation to retirement — Requirement for individualized assessment and reasons — Remittance for reassessment.
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1 February 2017 |
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Court amended matrimonial property order: allow buyout or, after 14 days without agreement, order sale and share proceeds per formula.
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Matrimonial property division; Amendment/correction of judgment under Order 20 Rule 11; buyout option; compulsory sale if no agreement within 14 days; application of distribution formula.
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1 February 2017 |
| January 2017 |
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Assessment awarded MK6.7 million for personal injury: pain and suffering, loss of amenities, and earning capacity; future care not proven.
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Personal injury — assessment of damages — pain and suffering and disfigurement — loss of amenities — loss of earning capacity (Smith v Manchester award) — admissibility of unpleaded injuries at assessment — proof of future nursing care and medical expenses.
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31 January 2017 |
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31 January 2017 |
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31 January 2017 |
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Plaintiff failed to prove the first defendant's negligence; evidence was insufficient and unreliable.
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Road traffic negligence; burden and standard of proof (balance of probabilities); evidentiary weight of hearsay versus eyewitness and police sketch; contributory negligence and intoxication of pedestrian; absence of neutral onlookers.
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31 January 2017 |
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27 January 2017 |
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Dispute over bank's sale instructions constitutes a commercial matter and must be transferred to the Commercial Division within 30 days.
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Civil Procedure
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Commercial Matters — Whether dispute over bank's instruction to sell property amounts to a commercial matter — Courts (Amendment) Act 2016 s 2
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Commercial Division Jurisdiction — Transfer of commercial matters to Commercial Division — Courts Act s 6A
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Interim Relief — Interlocutory Injunction — Continuance contingent on transfer and prosecution of main action
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27 January 2017 |
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Insurer liable in tort where its vehicle struck a pedestrian on the dirt verge and defendant failed to challenge the plaintiff's evidence.
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Tort — Negligence — Motor vehicle striking pedestrian on dirt verge — Vehicle encroachment on pedestrian area establishes negligence absent justification
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Civil Procedure — Non-appearance at trial — Unchallenged evidence accepted and judgment entered — Non-joinder of driver/owner where defendant does not object
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25 January 2017 |
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25 January 2017 |
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24 January 2017 |
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Magistrate erred in granting ex parte discharge and property release without complying with section 247; orders set aside.
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Criminal Law
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Procedure — Discharge for want of prosecution — Requirements of s 247(1) and (2) Criminal Procedure and Evidence Code
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Trial management — Change of venue and prosecutorial delay — Effect on fairness of trial
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24 January 2017 |
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Interlocutory injunction for spousal access dismissed as abuse of process amid related guardianship proceedings.
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Family law — interlocutory injunction — right to consortium — abuse of court process — full and frank disclosure — related custody/guardianship proceedings and court-ordered medical assessment.
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24 January 2017 |
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19 January 2017 |
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19 January 2017 |
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18 January 2017 |
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18 January 2017 |