Two important judgements have recently been handed down in the
UK in relation to vicarious liability.
On 18 February 2020, the Court of Appeal of England and Wales in
Haringey London Borough Council v FZO
[2020] EWCA Civ 180 upheld a High Court
decision that a school was vicariously liable for the sexual abuse
perpetrated by a teacher against a student for acts perpetrated
both at school and after the claimant left the school.
On 1 April 2020, the Supreme Court in Barclays Bank
plc v Various Claimants [2020] UKSC 13 allowed an
appeal from the Court of Appeal and held that the traditional
common law principle that a person will not be liable for the acts
of an independent contractor, i.e. one who is carrying on business
on his own account, still applies.
