{"id":6372,"date":"2018-03-07T09:26:58","date_gmt":"2018-03-07T09:26:58","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2019-07-16T13:49:10","modified_gmt":"2019-07-16T13:49:10","slug":"lynch-v-knight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lawteacher.net\/cases\/lynch-v-knight.php","title":{"rendered":"Lynch v Knight – Case Brief"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lynch v Knight (1861) 11 ER 854; 9 HLC 577<\/strong><\/p>\n

Slander; special damage<\/p>\n

(239 words)<\/p>\n

Facts<\/h3>\n

Mr Lynch told Mr Knight that his wife was a liar, who took pleasure in causing disturbances, had been involved in immoral conduct before marriage and warned Mr Knight that his wife should not be introduced to society. Mrs Knight was consequently forced to move out of her husband\u2019s house. Mrs Knight brought an action against Mr Lynch for slander (her husband was joined as claimant for conformity).<\/p>\n

Issues<\/h3>\n

The Court had the task to determine whether a wife could maintain an action against a third person for words that caused her to leave her husband\u2019s house and return to her father.<\/p>\n

Decision\/Outcome<\/h3>\n

The Court held that a wife can bring an action the slanderous third person if the third person\u2019s words resulted in her losing the consortium of her husband. However, she can only do so if the words were such that the loss of consortium naturally and reasonably followed from them. In this case, the alleged special damage \u2013 namely, Mrs Knight being forced out of her marital home \u2013 was not shown to be a natural and reasonable consequence of the slander. On the other hand, if the wife lost her maintenance by her husband as a result of the third person\u2019s slander, that lost maintenance may be treated as a special damages warranting monetary compensation. However, such loss could not have been presumed, it should have been separately and distinctly claimed in order to become applicable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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