{"id":6307,"date":"2018-03-07T09:26:58","date_gmt":"2018-03-07T09:26:58","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2019-07-13T16:28:43","modified_gmt":"2019-07-13T16:28:43","slug":"matthews-v-ministry-of-defence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lawteacher.net\/cases\/matthews-v-ministry-of-defence.php","title":{"rendered":"Matthews v Ministry of Defence – Summary"},"content":{"rendered":"

Matthews v Ministry of Defence [2003] UKHL 4; 1 All ER 689<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tort; liability of Crown; injury during service; human rights<\/p>\n

(331 words)<\/p>\n

Facts<\/h3>\n

Matthews was an electrical mechanic in the Royal Navy for some 13 years. Decades after his service ended he was diagnosed as having asbestos-related injuries.<\/p>\n

Issues<\/h3>\n

He claimed damages from the Ministry of Defence, arguing that the ministry breached its statutory duty or committed negligence by exposing him to asbestos during his service. The ministry relied on s. 10 of the Crown Proceedings Act 1947<\/strong> (exempting the Crown from tortious liability for injuries suffered by the armed forces due to events before 1987) and denied the claim. The Secretary of State even issued a certificate (within the meaning of s. 10(1)(b)<\/strong>) that if the claimant\u2019s injury was due to an event during service, it would be attributable to service for pension entitlement purposes. The trial judge held that s. 10<\/strong> was incompatible with Article 6 of the ECHR<\/strong>, namely the right to a fair trial (as set out in Schedule 1 of the Human Rights Act 1998<\/strong>) because it unjustifiably prevented the claimant from exercising his right to sue. The ministry\u2019s appeal was allowed by the Court of Appeal.<\/p>\n

Decision\/Outcome<\/h3>\n

The House of Lords dismissed Matthews\u2019s appeal. It held that in Article 6,<\/strong> \u201ccivil rights\u201d were autonomous and should not be interpreted solely by reference to one country\u2019s domestic law. However, while Article 6(1)<\/strong> indeed protected a person\u2019s access to justice\/court, it did so only in relation to civil rights that were recognised in the given country \u2013 here, the UK \u2013 and where the restriction was procedural. The Crown was exempted from liability for injuries suffered by the armed services both at common law and expressly under s. 10 of the 1947 Act <\/strong>(including the Secretary of State\u2019s certificate). The claimant was entitled to benefits under a no-fault compensation scheme that could not be substituted for a damages claim. S. 10 of the 1947 Act<\/strong> was not a procedural restriction but rather a rule of substantive law under which Matthews had no civil right that Article 6 could be applied to.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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