Because it turns out that Vosburg had previously injured his leg. A battery is the intentional unpermitted touching of someone else. And yet, the Court had no trouble concluding that he was properly held accountable for Vosburg’s injury and losses. Kid lightly kicked another child in the leg. Why is Vosburg considered an intentional tort case? are consistent with the cases described, including the well-known 1891 opinion in Vosburg v. Putney, in which the defendant was held liable for unforeseeable bodily harm, despite a lack of intent to injure, because he intended “an unlawful act”); James Ath We have much of the same feeling about the case. In the now famous case of Vosburg v. Putney,(1) the Wisconsin Court enunciated the common law doctrine since known as the "eggshell skull" or "thin skull" rule: you take your victim as you find him. (2) In the casebook, read and brief Vosburg v. Putney and notes ff. Page 403. (pp. CitationVosburg v. Putney, 86 Wis. 278, 56 N.W. Vosburg v. Putney, 80 Wis. 523, 50 N.W. Vosburg v. Putney, 80 Wis. 523, 50 N.W. Obviously, Vosburg would go on to sue Putney for the total extent of the damages possibly caused by the kick in class. Material omissions in the statement of facts in a hypothetical question will render it inadmissible. 5 Appeal from circuit court, Waukesha county; A. SCOTT SLOAN, Judge. 403 2 VOSBURG v. PUTNEY. The plaintiff based her case on that theory, and the trial Not when playing sports, or in casual, inadvertent contact while walking down a crowded street. The plaintiff based her case on that theory, and the trial court held that she failed in her proof and accepted Brian's version of the facts rather than that given by the eyewitness who testified for the plaintiff. Okay, now its time to start thinking like a lawyer. And the evidence was that Putney did intend to kick Vosburg. BATTERY Vosburg v. Putney (1) Issue: Can the defendant be held liable for assault and battery if there was no intent to harm? ... Only need contact, but not intent to harm. From the E&E, I understood the intent element of battery to require only "intent to cause the physical contact" which turns out to be harmful or offensive. For Battery--no Contact With Person Necessary... FISHER V. CARROUSEL HOTEL. 226; Briese v. Maechtle, supra. Putney (Defendant) slightly, but unlawfully, kicked Vosburg (Plaintiff) during school. 1 VOSBURG, by guardian ad litem, Respondent, vs. PUTNEY, by guardian ad litem, Appellant. For example, in Vosburg v. Putney when Putney kicked Vosburg in the leg but did not intend to harm him but did. Some consideration is due to the implied license of the play-grounds. KEEL v. HAINLINE 1958 OK 201 331 P.2d 397 Case Number: 37888 Decided: 09/16/1958 Supreme Court of Oklahoma ROBERT KEEL, PLAINTIFF, v. FORREST A. HAINLINE, JR., GUARDIAN OF THE ESTATE OF PATRICIA ANN BURGE, DEFENDANT IN So, Vosburg, the injured plaintiff, sues Putney. And there was a boy, George Putney, who was 11. 403 (Wis. 1891) 80 Wis. 523. Vosburg v. Putney (1891) Aug 28, 2014 by Taylor Trenchard. Putney (Defendant) slightly, but unlawfully, kicked Vosburg (Plaintiff) during school. A 14-year-old boy, Andrew Vosburg, was kicked in his upper shin by an 11-year-old boy, George Putney, while the two were in their schoolhouse's classroom. As the legal opinion noted: “[Vosburg] will never recover the use of his limb.”. It is possible, however, that the comments and text of 13 do not clearly distinguish between the single intent rule (adopted by the Utah Supreme Court in Wagner v. State, 122 P.3d 599 (Utah 2005)) and Vosburg’s intent-of-act-type rule. This is a shorthand term that lawyers use, to address this very question. Defendant was unaware that plaintiff had sustained injury to the same leg, approximately six weeks earlier. 4-top 11; omit n.6) What does the term "intent" mean in the law of intentional torts? But perfect certainty is not required. 403 (Wisc. are consistent with the cases described, including the well-known 1891 opinion in Vosburg v. Putney, in which the defendant was held liable for unforeseeable bodily harm, despite a lack of intent to injure, because he intended “an unlawful act”); James A. Henderson, et al, The Torts Process 13-15 (7th ed. A 14-year-old boy, Andrew Vosburg, was kicked in his upper shin by an 1 The Supreme Court of Wisconsin held George Putney liable for all the damages that followed, even though Putney did not know of Vosburg's weakened condition. 403; Briese v. Maechtle, supra. Example of “Intent to Touch”: Vosburg v. Putney (00:50) There’s a canonical case, (00:52) Vosburg v. Putney, that you’ll almost certainly talk about in Tort Law. Torts and compensation: Personal accountability and social responsibility for injury. 1891). Vosburg v. Putney, 1891, 80 Wis. 523, 50 N.W. A lower court found for plaintiff and awarded $2,800. Exception to subjective intent: IEDD (reckless/wanton) b. Vosburg v. Putney, 56 N.W. VOSBURG, by guardian ad litem, Respondent, v. PUTNEY, by guardian ad litem, Appellant. (See Garratt v. Dailey, 46 Wash. 2d 197, 279 P.2d 1091 (Wash. 1955)). Over a c entry ago the Wisconsin Supreme Court wrote. Defendant kicked plaintiff in shin, after teacher had called classroom to order. Vosburg v. Putney. Expert testimony attributed the damage and loss of limb use to the contact from defendant. The case had already received considerable attention in the Waukesha newspaper, and the story was now newsworthy as far away as Milwaukee. 403 (Wis. 1891) A teen tapped the boy to his left Then use of his leg was bereft Vosburg was really hurt, He tried to take Putney's shirt And his claim of intent carried heft. If not, what was his "intent"? (see Vosburg v. Putney) ‘Knowledge to a substantial certainty’ Some jurisdictions consider knowledge an alternative way to satisfy the intent element Garratt v. Dailey (note 1, pp. 50 N.W. Reasoning that, Previously (1st appeal), it was the opinion that the complaint stated a cause of action ex contractu [out of contract] and not ex delicto [out of tort]. Vosburg v. Putney (1891), 80 Wis. 523, 50 N.W. In the now famous case of Vosburg v. Putney,' the Wisconsin Court enunciated the common law doctrine since known as the "eggshell skull" or "thin skull" rule: you take your victim as you find him. Vosburg v. Putney, 80 Wis. 523, 50 N.W. The parents of these children ought, in some way, if possible, to have adjusted it between themselves." Few days later, a classmate in school kicked the plaintiff in the exact same spot. Putney. Vosburg v. Putney (1891), 80 Wis. 523, 50 N.W. Doctor Operating on Other Ear. 403 (Wis. 1891) 80 Wis. 523 VOSBURG, by guardian ad litem, Respondent, v. PUTNEY, by guardian ad litem, Appellant Supreme Court of Wisconsin November 17, 1891 Argued October 26, 1891. (see Vosburg v. Putney) ‘Knowledge to a substantial certainty’ Some jurisdictions consider knowledge an alternative way to satisfy the intent element Garratt v. Dailey (note 1, pp. Plaintiff became ill, reporting vomiting and swelling so severe, it twice required surgery. CitationVosburg v. Putney, 86 Wis. 278, 56 N.W. St. Paul, MN: Thomson/West, 2009. Single Intent Std- Only Contact Needed/ Menta... White V. Muniz. Putney (Defendant) slightly, but unlawfully, kicked Vosburg (Plaintiff) during school. Brown v. C., M. & St. P. R. Co. 54 Wis. 342 - "The rule of damages in actions for torts was held [in a prior case] to be that the wrong-doer is liable for all injuries resulting directly from the wrongful act, whether they could or could not be have been foreseen by him [wrong-doer]. Here’s what the Court had to say about that: Had the parties been upon the play-grounds of the school, engaged in the usual boyish sports, the defendant being free from malice, wantonness, or negligence, and intending no harm to plaintiff in what he did, we should hesitate to hold the act of the defendant unlawful, or that he could be held liable in this action. For battery--no contact with person necessary. The case involved an incident that occurred in February 1889 in Waukesha, Wisconsin. And now you have a glimpse into how lawyers think. As the Wisconsin Supreme Court noted, “there was not any visible mark made or left by this touch or kick of the defendant’s foot, or any appearance of injury until the black and blue spots were discovered by the physician several days afterwards, and then there were more spots than one.”. Facts of the Case for Vosburg v. Putney. 403 (Wis. 1891), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vosburg_v._Putney&oldid=991057764, Wikipedia articles with style issues from August 2012, Articles lacking in-text citations from August 2013, Articles with multiple maintenance issues, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Vosburg v. Putney exemplifies the common law, This case also illustrates the well-settled proposition that the. On the fifth day, February 25th, the doctor noted discoloration of the skin all over the inner surface of his lower leg, about an inch below the knee. First, the Putneys appealed the decision in the original trial. The next day Vosburg was sick. If, for example, you wrongly tap someone on the head, and unbeknownst to you, he has a freakishly thin skull, so that you cause severe trauma and head injuries, then you are responsible. And Vosburg was in terrible pain. intend to do an unlawful act. He had microbes that were "excited" by the kick. Two boys, slight kick (prior injury) 2. Vosburg v. Putney, 80 Wis. 523, 50 N.W. Vosburg v. Putney, Talmage v. Smith, McGuire v. Almy, Bird v. Jones boy kicks another boy unlawfully. Start studying Understanding Intent. Welcome to the world of the eggshell plaintiff. Andrew Vosburg v. George Putney came to trial on January 15, 1890, in the Waukesha County Court House, before Judge Andrew Sloan. But his leg was “healing up and drying down,” by the time Putney kicked him. Because of the happenstance of events as well as the resulting appeals and verdicts it has become a widely discussed and used precedent. In Vosburg, the jury specifically found that Putney did NOT intend to injure or hurt Vosburg. BATTERY Vosburg v. Putney (1) Issue: Can the defendant be held liable for assault and battery if there was no intent to harm? Putney. Varieties of Intent: (either is sufficient to establish an intentional tort) * Purpose – desire to produce a particular result * Knowledge – substantial certainty that a particular result will occur, even if that particular result is not the one intended. Vosburg v. Putney Fourteen-year old Andrew Vosburg had injured his leg, and it was not healing quickly. If a tortfeasor (negligent party) inflicts injury on a victim and the ultimate harm is worse than what would normally be expected because the victim was more vulnerable due to some pre-existing injury, then the tortfeasor is still responsible for the whole harm suffered. Plaintiff did not feel the contact due to the degree of force or shock. 403 (Wisc. . The plaintiff based her case on that Why? Dobbs, Dan B., Paul T. Hayden, and Ellen M. Bublick. 1891) at Lawnix.com, Case Brief for Vosburg v. Putney 86 Wis. 278, 56 N.W. SUPREME COURT OF WISCONSIN (pp. Talk:Vosburg v. Putney. . Supreme Court of Wisconsin Moments later, plaintiff felt a violent pain in the place of contact. "[2] A variety of Vosburg v. Putney briefs can be found in the external links. 403, ** VOSBURG, by guardian ad litem, Respondent, v. PUTNEY, by guardian ad litem, Appellant. Vosburg suffered injuries, and pain, not due to anything he had done, but rather, because of Putney. The case "came three times before the Supreme Court of Wisconsin, and the court's opinions, the second one in particular, were soon selected for coursebooks on Damages and Torts and became well known to generations of students, teachers and scholars of law. 403 (Wisc. Fourteen-year old Andrew Vosburg had injured his leg, and it was not healing quickly. Page 403 50 N.W. Optimal deterrence rationale a. 480 (Wis. 1893) Brief Fact Summary. Even though you didn’t know, and couldn’t have known that he had an “eggshell skull.” The principle is that you intended an unlawful or wrongful act, and are therefore responsible for all of the consequences of that act. Even a century later, the "case" continues to stimulate thinking about the judicial process, legal doctrine and liability theory. If A Person Has Knowledge With Substantial Ce... GARRATT V. DAILEY. If not, what was his "intent"? Defendant and plaintiff were sitting in the classroom of their. Governed by a different rule of damages, the previous case rules on the question of damages. Cause4. Plaintiff: Andrew Vosburg Defendant: George Putney Plaintiff Claim: That defendant kicked plaintiff and otherwise ill-treated him, thereby making plaintiff ill, causing great pain and mental anguish, and leaving him permanently crippled Chief Defense Lawyers: Milton Griswold, Theron Haight Chief Lawyers for Plaintiff: Ernst Merton, Timothy Edward Ryan To understand why, we need to think about battery. Class is in session. Jury ruled that D did . The answer may be found in considering whether the kick itself was lawful. The intent Putney had to kick Vosburg was enough to make him responsible for anything harmful resulting from the kick, even though there was already a wound in Vosburg's leg and without it there would not have been any infection at all. ]”, Only it should be written like this: “Boink”, because “the touch was slight.” The touch was so light, in fact, that “the plaintiff did not feel it. intend to harm P, but should still be liable (special verdict) Judge ruled D did . 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