High Court of Malawi Civil Division - 1996

29 judgments
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Results. 29 judgments found.

29 judgments
December 1996
Whether damages for conversion are assessed at conversion date or judgment date when defendant unlawfully detains goods.
  • Torts — Conversion: accrual at date of conversion; measure of damages generally value at conversion; value at judgment recoverable where defendant's continued detention causes loss; award of general damages for detention.
17 December 1996
November 1996
Plaintiff awarded aggravated damages for widely broadcast defamatory imputation of unchastity by political actors; defendants found malicious and liable.
  • Defamation — imputation of unchastity — publication by live and rebroadcast via national broadcaster — party responsibility for broadcasts — aggravated/exemplary damages where defendants act with malice, fail to apologise and control publication — failure to give defence evidence — assessment of damages.
29 November 1996
Compound interest at the bank/minimum lending rate plus 1% awarded on a commercial debt from 1 November 1994 until payment.
  • Interest — Commercial debt — Compound interest awarded — Rate: bank/minimum lending rate plus 1% — Interest from 1 November 1994 until payment — Costs awarded.
28 November 1996
Plaintiff entitled to possession via Administrator General allocation; defendants lacked title or adverse possession.
  • Land — Possession proceedings under Order 11 RSC; originating summons against trespassers; title via Administrator General allocation; adverse possession requirements; hearsay inadmissible; municipal licences do not convey title.
5 November 1996
October 1996
Defendant vicariously liable for driver’s negligence in striking cyclist; damages awarded for personal injury.
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23 October 1996
September 1996
Belated application to set aside default judgment denied where no acceptable explanation for delay beyond Order 35 Rule 2.
  • Civil procedure — setting aside default judgment — Order 35 Rule 2 (seven-day time limit) — extension of time — need for acceptable explanation for delay — discretion not exercised where delay unexplained.
26 September 1996
Whether "basic pay" in the Wages Order means hourly pay and overtime is payable at one-and-a-half times the hourly rate.
  • Wages Order interpretation — "basic pay" construed as hourly rate; overtime payable at 1.5 times hourly rate; interest on wage arrears only where claim is a debt; costs each party to bear.
11 September 1996
August 1996
An unverified creditor letter to an employer was defamatory; qualified privilege failed due to lack of corresponding interest and malice.
  • Defamation — publication to employer; vicarious liability for agent's publication; qualified privilege — absence of corresponding interest; malice defeats privilege; apology as mitigation; compensatory damages awarded.
27 August 1996
The plaintiff shot and beaten by police was awarded K60,000 for pain, suffering and loss of amenities.
  • Assessment of damages — police shooting and beating — pain and suffering; loss of amenities; default judgment; comparative awards to fix quantum.
16 August 1996
Plaintiff succeeded on a claim of false imprisonment and degrading treatment; a related-file settlement did not bar relief.
  • False imprisonment — unlawful post-release detention — degrading treatment and intrusive searches — detainee access to International Committee of the Red Cross — related-file settlement not dispositive.
15 August 1996
July 1996
Originating summons inappropriate because substantial factual disputes about the applicant's interdiction and alleged defamation require proceedings by writ.
  • Public Service interdiction — Section 27(1)(a) Public Service Act — Originating summons v writ (Order 5 rule 4) — Substantial disputes of fact — Alleged defamation and damages — Procedural requirement for trial where affidavits insufficient.
19 July 1996
Reinstated employees entitled to commuted leave pay as "salary" under consent order; non-contractual allowances not payable.
  • Employment law — reinstatement and assessment of back-pay — interpretation of consent order — commutation of leave pay as contractual "salary" — non-contractual allowances not recoverable — deduction limited to terminal benefits/ex-gratia/gratuity and specified sums — burden on employer to prove failure to mitigate.
19 July 1996
18 July 1996
June 1996
Applicant awarded K4,000 for false imprisonment; court limited relief to pleaded claims and refused loss-of-employment damages.
  • False imprisonment — exemplary damages — damages limited to pleaded causes — prolonged detention without court appearance — denial of medical treatment in custody — assessment of quantum.
28 June 1996
Seller fulfilled delivery under a lump-sum sale; a signed invoice bound the purchaser, awarding judgment and interest to the plaintiff.
  • Contract of sale — sale of selected stock for lump-sum price — signed invoice binding purchaser — unsigned internal records (IGRS/L.P.O.) inadmissible as proof of delivery — delivery obligation satisfied — interest for delayed payment.
7 June 1996
May 1996
Unlawful 18-month detention and unhygienic prison conditions entitled the applicant to K180,000 damages and costs.
  • False imprisonment — detention without explanation — overcrowded and unsanitary prison conditions — aggravation of damages — hearsay insufficiency for special damages — failure to comply with disclosure — general traverse inadequate.
28 May 1996
Assessment of damages for death by defendant's agent: conventional solatium, dependency, vehicle loss and loss-of-use awards.
  • Negligence — assessment of damages for wrongful death — conventional award for loss of expectation of life — calculation of loss of dependency (wages, allowances, retirement prospects) — special damages for destroyed motor vehicle and loss of use — apportionment among dependants; exclusion of adult children.
17 May 1996
April 1996
Summary judgment refused due to genuine disputes on interest, timing, contract divisibility and payment acceptance.
  • Civil procedure — summary judgment — genuine disputes of fact — agreement on interest on overdue payments — time of the essence — divisible contract — legal effect of counsel accepting payment and remitting bank draft; remedy against carrier for late arrival of goods.
23 April 1996
Contractor entitled to contractual interest; bank charges not recoverable and payment into local account limited remedies.
  • Contract construction — entitlement to interest on overdue payments; recoverability of bank charges and deductions; payment into wrong account — effect on entitlement; applicability of arbitration clause.
3 April 1996
March 1996
Foreign medical expenses not pleaded are excluded; plaintiff awarded K138,000 for injuries and lost earnings.
  • Personal injury — Assault and battery by police — Damages — Distinction between general and special damages — Need for pleading and proof of foreign medical treatment expenses — Loss of earnings where income particulars absent.
25 March 1996
The respondent employer was liable for the applicant’s injuries caused by a faulty concrete mixer; damages to be assessed.
  • Employer’s duty to provide and maintain safe plant and equipment — negligence for permitting use of defective concrete mixer — credibility and weight of witness testimony — contributory negligence assessed in employment context — damages to be assessed by Registrar.
22 March 1996
Whether the plaintiff was entitled to salary arrears and three months' notice pay after suspension and unilateral termination.
  • Employment law — suspension — entitlement to salary during suspension — unilateral termination/abolition of employment — salary in lieu of notice — assessment on uncontested evidence and employer's computation.
20 March 1996
Applicant interdicted without pay awarded lump‑sum back pay to trial date and costs.
  • Employment law — interdiction (suspension without pay) — entitlement to back pay — assessment of damages as lump sum at date of trial — default judgment and assessment proceedings.
13 March 1996
February 1996
Court allowed hearing in counsel's absence and refused late affidavits, directing defendant's counsel to address plaintiff's counsel and inspect the record.
  • Civil procedure — summary judgment on admissions — proceeding in absence of counsel under Order 32 — late affidavits and adducing new evidence — duty of counsel and case management to prevent delay.
22 February 1996
Judicial review inappropriate where vehicle detention arises from contractual dispute; applicant must pursue ordinary action against respondent.
  • Judicial review — Order 53 — public law versus private law rights — seizure of vehicle under contractual hire/lease — suitability of judicial review where factual disputes exist — conversion to writ proceedings; affidavits to be treated as pleadings.
21 February 1996
Employer held vicariously liable for false imprisonment where police acted on employer's charge without reasonable suspicion; defamation dismissed.
  • Tort — False imprisonment — Arrest effected by police at employer's instance — distinction between giving information and making a charge — vicarious liability of employer; Defamation — whether words were capable of defamatory meaning — expressions of suspicion versus allegations of guilt.
19 February 1996
Plaintiff awarded taxed costs (K24,913.70); court held Bulluck authority permits recovery of taxed bill involving a successful co-defendant.
  • Costs — Taxed costs — Entitlement to recover taxed bill — Effect of successful co-defendant — Bulluck v London General Omnibus Co. authority.
15 February 1996
January 1996
25 January 1996
Assessment of wrongful-death dependency damages using Cookson v Knowles method; K15,400 awarded and apportioned to dependants.
  • Wrongful-death damages — assessment under Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act — use of Cookson v Knowles multiplicand/multiplier approach — multiplicand accepted as net sums actually provided — pre-trial and post-trial calculation — apportionment among dependants — costs awarded after default.
10 January 1996