The law on whether there is, or can be, a duty with respect to the actions of third parties is closely related to the law on causation.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The statement is true. The question as to whether the actions of a third party fall to be considered as a duty issue or a causation issue is often a very fine line and often the questions we ask are part and parcel of the same thing. Lord Reid, in Home Office v Dorset Yacht Co Ltd [1970], said that an act of a third party 'must have been something very likely to happen if it is not to be regarded as a novus actus interveniens breaking the chain of causation…a mere foreseeable possibility is or should be sufficient' (at 1030, our emphasis).

The Law on Whether There Is, or Can Be, a Duty