19760625 TZHC Mwanza

19760625 TZHC Mwanza

Calling the plaintiff a thief was an imputation of a criminal offence, making the slander actionable per se without proof of actual damage. The District Court erred in requiring proof of damage.

Citation
19760625 TZHC Mwanza
Parties
Appellant: Simon Siliohyo; Respondent: Sutt Pust-ioo Ellpt
Court
TZHC
Jurisdiction
Tanzania
Judgment Date
25 June 1976
Procedural Posture
Civil Appeal / Final Appellate Judgment
Outcome
appeal allowed
Legal Topics
Defamation, Slander, Damages
Source Language
English

Case Brief

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Parties

Simon Siliohyo

Appellant

Sutt Pust-ioo Ellpt

Respondent

Procedural Posture

Civil Appeal / Final Appellate Judgment

  1. 1 Whether the utterance calling the plaintiff a thief constituted actionable slander per se
  2. 2 Whether proof of actual damage was required for the plaintiff to recover damages

Ratio Decidendi

Calling the plaintiff a thief was an imputation of a criminal offence, making the slander actionable per se without proof of actual damage. The District Court erred in requiring proof of damage.

Court Disposition

appeal allowed

Orders

  • Judgment and orders of the District Court set aside
  • Judgment of the Primary Court restored with variation