Bad apple spoils the barrel: motive and the close connection test for vicarious liability after Various Claimants v Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc

Abstract

ABSTRACT The United Kingdom Supreme Court in Various Claimants v Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc [2020] UKSC 12 held that a tortfeasor’s motive was ‘highly material’ in considering the second stage ‘close connection’ test for vicarious liability. However, the authors submit that this reintroduction of motive is highly problematic. It runs contrary to previous jurisprudence and backslides into the rigid artificiality which the ‘close connection’ test was supposed to solve. A revised approach to the ‘close connection’ test is suggested, involving an objective consideration of the connection between the tortfeasor’s employment and the circumstances surrounding the tort. This approach remedies the above-mentioned problems and existing academic criticism of the ‘close connection test’, and further accurately reflects how the courts actually determine the second stage test for vicarious liability.