A Royal Navy sailor was disabled by a railway accident and was awarded a disability pension of pounds 2 16s. 3d. per week. At first instance J Sellers had held that Bradburn’s case applied so as to prevent deduction of the value of the pension. If it had been deductible that would have reduced the damages for loss of earnings from pounds 3,000 to pounds 750.
Held: The appeal failed. The accident was not the causa causans of the receipt of the pension. Singleton LJ: ‘If there were no pension rights it is reasonable to assume that the pay would be higher. Why, then, should the pension enure to the benefit of a wrongdoer?’ The Minister had power to withhold or reduce the pension.
Cohen LJ, Singleton LJ, Birkett LJ
[1951] 1 All ER 1034
England and Wales
Cited by:
Affirmed on Appeal – Payne v Railway Executive 1951
Disablement pensions, whether voluntary or not, are to be ignored in the assessment of damages. . .
Cited – Parry v Cleaver HL 5-Feb-1969
PI Damages not Reduced for Own Pension
The plaintiff policeman was disabled by the negligence of the defendant and received a disablement pension. Part had been contributed by himself and part by his employer.
Held: The plaintiff’s appeal succeeded. Damages for personal injury were . .
Applied – Judd v Board of Governors, Hammersmith, West London and St. Mark’s Hospitals 1960
The plaintiff, a local government officer had made compulsory contributions to his superannuation scheme.
Held: A contributory pension received early on an injury was to be ignored until the normal retiring age, but deducted for the later . .
Lists of cited by and citing cases may be incomplete.
Damages
Updated: 23 November 2021; Ref: scu.237530
