2022 Question 3 — LawShortcut Independent Model Answer
Negligence · Nuisance · Animals
Scenario summary
Mr White holds land bordered on one side by a public road and on the other by Mr Grey. Along his roadside boundary stand some very tall sycamores; he also keeps ten beehives and has put up an extension whose guttering projects a little over Grey's patio.
The council writes to White reminding him that he must keep the trees in good health, and he inspects them himself using a garden fork. A month on, a large branch drops onto a rare car belonging to Mr Blue, causing €5,000 in repairs plus a claimed €20,000 in lasting loss of value.
White's bees then swarm and sting Grey. Afterwards, the split guttering and waste pipes on the extension send rainwater and sewage pooling across Grey's patio, where it works into his kitchen foundations, producing €50,000 of damage and a lingering foul odour.
Candidates are asked to advise White on his potential tort liability towards Grey and Blue.
This is a LawShortcut scenario summary written in our own words. For the exact examined wording, use the official King’s Inns paper linked above.
What this model answer covers
Issues and structure addressed in the full LawShortcut model answer:
- 1. Mr Blue — The Falling Branch
- 2. Mr Grey — The Bees
- 3. Mr Grey — The Overhanging Guttering
- 4. Mr Grey — Escaping Rainwater and Toilet Waste
Read the complete LawShortcut model answer to this question — reading the question, issue spotting, the applicable law, application to the facts and conclusions — inside the King’s Inns Tort Model Answer Vault.
Part of the King’s Inns Tort Model Answer Vault — 30 independently authored model answers, 2020—2025.