The plaintiffs sought an injunction to prevent the defendant interfering with the supply of water to the city. He would have done so entirely by actions on his own land.
Held: The plaintiffs could have no property in the water until it came on their land and they collected it, and ‘if the owner of the adjoining land is in a situation in which an act of his, lawfully done on his own land, may divert the water which would otherwise go into the possession of this trading company, I see no reason why he should not insist on their purchasing his interest from which this trading company desires to make profit.’
The exercise of a legal right is not an unlawful abuse of that right merely by reason of a predominant improper or ulterior purpose.
Lord Halsbury LC
[1895] AC 587, [1895] UKHL 1
Bailii
England and Wales
Cited by:
Cited – Three Rivers District Council and Others v Governor and Company of The Bank of England HL 18-May-2000
The applicants alleged misfeasance against the Bank of England in respect of the regulation of a bank.
Held: The Bank could not be sued in negligence, but the tort of misfeasance required clear evidence of misdeeds. The action was now properly . .
Cited – Land Securities Plc and Others v Fladgate Fielder (A Firm) CA 18-Dec-2009
The claimants wanted planning permission to redevelop land. The defendant firm of solicitors, their tenants, had challenged the planning permission. The claimants alleged that that opposition was a tortious abuse because its true purpose was to . .
Cited – Rhodes v OPO and Another SC 20-May-2015
The mother sought to prevent a father from publishing a book about her child’s life. It was to contain passages she said may cause psychological harm to the 12 year old son. Mother and son lived in the USA and the family court here had no . .
Cited – Camdex International Ltd v Bank of Zambia and Another CA 3-Apr-1996
Appeal by the Defendant from a judgment on an application for summary judgment under RSC Order 14 by the Plaintiffs, Camdex International Ltd judgment was entered for the Plaintiffs in the sum of Kuwaiti Dinars 20,595,557.429. The Plaintiffs pleaded . .
Cited – Pendragon Plc and Others v Revenue and Customs FTTTx 31-Jul-2009
FTTTx VAT- financing involving sale of business – Abuse? No financing transaction as going concern which gave margin treatment – Appeal allowed . .
Cited – JSC BTA Bank v Ablyazov and Others ComC 10-May-2011
Second judgment concerning the Claimant’s application to dismiss the Defendants’ application to stay the Claimant’s actions on the grounds of abuse of process. The court was now asked whether it is arguable that the actions should be stayed on the . .
Cited – Crawford Adjusters and Others v Sagicor General Insurance (Cayman) Ltd and Another PC 13-Jun-2013
(Cayman Islands) A hurricane had damaged property insured by the respondent company. The company employed the appellant as loss adjustor, but came to suspect advance payments recommended by him, and eventually claimed damages for deceit and . .
Cited – Dransfield v The Information Commissioner CA 14-May-2015
Appeals raised the question of the scope of the power of a public authority to reject a request under the 2000 Act and, in addition, under the 2004 Regulations on the grounds that the request was ‘vexatious’ and ‘manifestly unreasonable’.
Cited – Child Soldiers International v The Secretary of State for Defence Admn 24-Jul-2015
The claimant challenged the lawfulness of the 2007 Regulations insofar as they restricted the rights of young recruits to leave the Armed Forces, saying that they were incompatible with the Directive.
Held: The UK had implemented a derogation . .
Cited – Turnbull v Goodwyn School and Others UTLC 15-Feb-2016
UTLC RATING – Valuation – Private Independent Primary Schools – Method of Valuation – whether Rentals Basis or Contractor’s Method – Appeal dismissed . .
Lists of cited by and citing cases may be incomplete.
Litigation Practice, Local Government, Torts – Other, Nuisance
Leading Case
Updated: 11 November 2021; Ref: scu.190027