Rylands v Fletcher, decided in 1868, is a landmark British legal case that established a principle in tort law (a branch of law involving civil wrongs) known as the “rule in Rylands v Fletcher.”
Rylands v Fletcher (1868) LR 3 HL 330 is a leading decision by the House of Lords which established a new area of English tort law. It established the rule that one's non-natural use of their land, which leads to another's land being damaged as a result of dangerous things emanating from the land, is strictly liable. [1]
A defendant is liable under the rule in Rylands v Fletcher if: He is the occupier of land; He uses that land in a non-natural way; As a result of this a dangerous thing escapes the land; The escape of that dangerous thing causes damage to another; and The kind of damage caused was reasonably foreseeable.
The Rylands v Fletcher doctrine imposes strict liability for damage from hazardous escapes, intersecting notably with contract law.
The tortuous doctrine of Rylands v Fletcher and its relevance to ...
After the reservoir was completed, it broke and flooded Fletcher’s coal mines. This caused damage to Fletcher’s property, and Fletcher brought suit against Rylands. The Court of Exchequer held that Rylands was not liable, and the decision was appealed to the Court of Exchequer Chamber.
Rylands v. Fletcher, [1868] L.R. 3 H.L. 330 (1868): Case ... - Quimbee
Rylands appealed the decision of the Exchequer Chamber to the House of Lords. Rylands v. Fletcher. The Lord Chancellor (Lord Cairns) My Lords, the principles on which this case must be determined appear to me to be extremely simple.