Donoghue V Stevenson Summary

Donoghue v Stevenson is a famous case in the law of tort in the United Kingdom. It was heard by the House of Lords in 1932 and established the principle of “duty of care,” which is the legal obligation to take reasonable steps to prevent harm from being caused to others.

Facts of the Case

The case arose when a woman named May Donoghue drank a bottle of ginger beer and ice cream that had been purchased for her by a friend in a cafe in Paisley, Scotland. She ate some part of the ice cream and drank some from the beer bottle. She couldn’t see the inside of the ginger beer bottle as it was opaque. The bottle contained the decomposed remains of a snail, which made Donoghue ill. Donoghue sued the manufacturer of the ginger beer, David Stevenson, for damages, alleging that he was negligent in failing to take reasonable steps to ensure that the product was safe for consumption.

Issues in Donoghue V Stevenson

The main issue in the case was whether Stevenson owed a duty of care to Donoghue. At the time, there was no established principle in the law of tort that a person had a duty to take reasonable care to avoid causing injury to another person. The court had to decide whether Stevenson, as the manufacturer of the ginger beer, owed a duty of care to Donoghue, the consumer, to ensure that the product was safe for her to consume.

Analysis of Donoghue V Stevenson

In this case, the court had to determine whether the manufacturer of the ginger beer, David Stevenson, owed a duty of care to the consumer, May Donoghue. The court found that Stevenson did owe a duty of care to Donoghue, as he was aware that his product would be consumed by members of the public and had a reasonable expectation that it would not cause them harm.

The ruling in this case established that manufacturers owe a duty of care to consumers to ensure that their products are safe for use. This principle has had a significant impact on the law of tort, as it has been applied in numerous cases involving issues of negligence.

The case of Donoghue v Stevenson also highlighted the importance of consumer protection and the need for manufacturers to take reasonable care to ensure the safety of their products. It established that manufacturers can be held liable for injuries caused by their products and that consumers have a right to expect that the products they purchase will not cause them harm.

Held

The House of Lords ruled in favor of Donoghue, holding that Stevenson owed her a duty of care as the manufacturer of the product. The court held that Stevenson should have taken reasonable steps to ensure that the product was safe and that the presence of the snail was not foreseeable.

The decision in Donoghue v Stevenson has had a significant impact on the law of tort in the United Kingdom and has been widely adopted in other common law jurisdictions around the world. It established the principle that individuals have a legal duty to take reasonable steps to prevent harm to others and that they can be held liable if they fail to do so.