(Canada – Court of Appeal of the Alberta Supreme Court) A widower claimed damages for the unlawful carrying out of an autopsy on the body of the claimant’s deceased wife. The claim was dismissed by the judge at first instance on the ground that it disclosed no cause of action.
Held: The Court allowed the appeal: ‘If then, as seems clearly established, the plaintiff had the right to the custody and control of the remains of his deceased wife any unauthorised interference with that right, such as is alleged, was an invasion of his right and would give a cause of action.’
Judges:
Harvey CJA
Citations:
[1931] DLR 676
Jurisdiction:
Canada
Cited by:
Cited – AB and others v Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust, Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust QBD 26-Mar-2004
Representative claims were made against the respondents, hospitals, pathologists etc with regard to the removal of organs from deceased children without the informed consent of the parents. They claimed under the tort of wrongful interference.
Lists of cited by and citing cases may be incomplete.
Commonwealth, Wills and Probate
Updated: 18 July 2022; Ref: scu.195015
