Landskrona-fallets (NJA 2013 s. 145) påverkan beträffande socialtjänstens handläggning - Skadeståndsrättsliga och praktiska konsekvenser
(2016) JURM02 20161Department of Law
- Abstract
- A 13-year-old girl had been in custody for compulsory treatment by the Social Welfare Board in Landskrona, Sweden, for nearly two years. During a temporary placement at her mother’s residence, the girl left the premises and went to Landskrona city center where she put a department store on fire. The damage amounted to roughly 60 million Swedish kronor (SEK). The affected insurance companies sued Landskrona Municipality (principal of the Social Welfare Board), and claimed it to be liable for the occurred damages as a result of negligent omission.
This gave rise to the precedent setting court case which would later be referred to as the “Landskrona case”. The ruling contains a thorough review of how Swedish tort law is to be applied... (More) - A 13-year-old girl had been in custody for compulsory treatment by the Social Welfare Board in Landskrona, Sweden, for nearly two years. During a temporary placement at her mother’s residence, the girl left the premises and went to Landskrona city center where she put a department store on fire. The damage amounted to roughly 60 million Swedish kronor (SEK). The affected insurance companies sued Landskrona Municipality (principal of the Social Welfare Board), and claimed it to be liable for the occurred damages as a result of negligent omission.
This gave rise to the precedent setting court case which would later be referred to as the “Landskrona case”. The ruling contains a thorough review of how Swedish tort law is to be applied regarding liability due to inaction. To some extent it also includes the Swedish Supreme Court's (Högsta Domstolen) view on the accountability of authorities, and particularly the social services obligation to document decisions and measures that are taken within its authority. The Swedish Supreme Court ruled in favor of the insurance companies and implemented a new legal presumption which is applicable when the social services, under certain circumstances, have failed in their obligation make adequate documentation in regards to citizens in their care. The Landskrona case entailed a substantial change concerning the legal situation in regards to tort liability due to inaction.
This thesis aims to examine the consequences of the Landskrona case from a legal perspective by investigating whether the presumed effects of the court case can be deemed desirable from an economic point of view as well as in regards to the individual citizen and his or her interest of a consistent and legally secure process (legal certainty). This study describes the general prerequisites of liability in accordance with Swedish tort law, although specific emphasis is directed towards the social services liability and documentation obligation based on applicable Swedish legal sources. The study furthermore includes an introduction to law and economics as well as a delineated presentation of the doctrine of legal certainty, as both of these perspectives largely permeate the thesis analysis.
The result of the examination indicates that the precedent setting statements made by the Swedish Supreme Court in the Landskrona case likely is to be interpreted as mere guidance and clarification, rather than an extension, of the social authorities’ legal obligation to make adequate documentation. Nevertheless, the verdict can be expected to have a significant impact and affect concerned authorities throughout the country to expand their documentation procedures. As shown in this study, more extensive documentation procedures may entail both advantages and disadvantages, from an economic point of view as well as a perspective of legal certainty. In an overall assessment of the findings of the investigation, it is the author’s conclusion that the expected impact of the Landskrona case predominantly should be considered desirable. (Less) - Abstract (Swedish)
- En 13-årig flicka hade sedan närmare två år varit tvångsomhändertagen enligt LVU av socialnämnden i Landskrona. Under en tillfällig placering hos sin mamma avvek flickan från hemmet och anlade en brand som ödelade ett Åhlénsvaruhus i Landskrona centrum. Skadorna uppgick till cirka 60 miljoner kronor. Berörda försäkringsbolag väckte regresstalan mot Landskrona kommun avseende den försäkringsersättning som hade utbetalats med anledning av egendomsskadorna, och gjorde gällande att kommunen ådragit sig skadeståndsansvar till följd av oaktsam underlåtenhet.
HD kom att avgöra det s.k. Landskrona-fallet till försäkringsbolagens fördel. Avgörandet innehåller en grundlig genomgång av vad som anses gälla vid underlåtenhetsansvar, det allmännas... (More) - En 13-årig flicka hade sedan närmare två år varit tvångsomhändertagen enligt LVU av socialnämnden i Landskrona. Under en tillfällig placering hos sin mamma avvek flickan från hemmet och anlade en brand som ödelade ett Åhlénsvaruhus i Landskrona centrum. Skadorna uppgick till cirka 60 miljoner kronor. Berörda försäkringsbolag väckte regresstalan mot Landskrona kommun avseende den försäkringsersättning som hade utbetalats med anledning av egendomsskadorna, och gjorde gällande att kommunen ådragit sig skadeståndsansvar till följd av oaktsam underlåtenhet.
HD kom att avgöra det s.k. Landskrona-fallet till försäkringsbolagens fördel. Avgörandet innehåller en grundlig genomgång av vad som anses gälla vid underlåtenhetsansvar, det allmännas ansvar samt socialtjänstens dokumentationsskyldighet. I domen lanserade HD även en ny presumtionsregel som aktualiseras när socialtjänsten under vissa omständigheter har brustit i sin utredningsskyldighet och bristen beror på myndighetens bristfälliga dokumentation. Landskrona-fallet innebär en betydande förändring av rättsläget avseende den skadeståndsrättsliga bedömningen rörande underlåtenhetsansvar.
I förevarande arbete åsyftar jag att undersöka hur socialtjänstens skadeståndsrättsliga underlåtenhetsansvar påverkas genom Landskrona-fallet, samt hur en sådan påverkan kan tänkas inverka på socialtjänstens handläggning. Denna inverkan avses sedermera att betraktas ur rättssäkerhetssyn-punkt i förhållande till den enskilde samt ur ett rättsekonomiskt perspektiv. I uppsatsen beskrivs de allmänna skadeståndsrättsliga ansvarsförutsättningarna, det allmännas samt socialtjänstens ansvar och dokumentationsskyldig-het utifrån befintliga rättskällor. Vidare innehåller uppsatsen en introduktion i ämnet rättsekonomi samt en redogörelse för vad som avses med rättssäkerhetsbegreppet, då båda dessa synsätt till betydande del präglar undersökningens analys.
I uppsatsens analys besvaras frågan om Landskrona-fallets närmare innebörd och förmodade konsekvenser beträffande socialtjänstens underlåtenhetsansvar och handläggning. Avgörandets förmodade konsekvenser betraktas även från ett rättsekonomiskt perspektiv samt ur rättssäkerhetssynpunkt i förhållande till den enskilde, vilket åtföljs av en diskussion om huruvida utvecklingen är att betrakta som eftersträvansvärd.
Resultatet av uppsatsen visar att HD:s uttalanden i Landskrona-fallet sannolikt är att betrakta som ledning och förtydliganden kring socialtjänstens dokumentationsplikt snarare än en utökning av den. Trots detta riskerar avgörandet att påverka landets socialtjänster till att utöka sina dokumentationsrutiner. I uppsatsen visas att en utökad dokumentation kan innebära både för- och nackdelar ur såväl rättssäkerhetssynpunkt som sett från ett rättsekonomiskt perspektiv. Vid en helhetsbedömning av vad som framkommit i undersökningen är det emellertid min slutsats att Landskrona-fallets förväntade påverkan är att betrakta som eftersträvansvärd. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/8873819
- author
- Dahle, Erik LU
- supervisor
- organization
- alternative title
- The Landskrona court case (NJA 2013 s. 145) and its impact on the processing procedures of the Swedish social services - Legal and practical effects
- course
- JURM02 20161
- year
- 2016
- type
- H3 - Professional qualifications (4 Years - )
- subject
- keywords
- myndighetsutövning, myndighet, rättssäkerhet, rättssäker, rättsekonomi, passivitet, underlåtenhet, dokumentationsplikt, dokumentationsskyldighet, Skadeståndsansvar, skadeståndsskyldighet, socialrätt, förvaltningsrätt, Skadeståndsrätt, Landskrona, Landskrona-fallet, Landskrona-målet, Landskrona-domen, NJA 2013 s 145, Dahle
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 8873819
- date added to LUP
- 2016-06-14 10:26:42
- date last changed
- 2016-06-14 10:26:42
@misc{8873819,
abstract = {{A 13-year-old girl had been in custody for compulsory treatment by the Social Welfare Board in Landskrona, Sweden, for nearly two years. During a temporary placement at her mother’s residence, the girl left the premises and went to Landskrona city center where she put a department store on fire. The damage amounted to roughly 60 million Swedish kronor (SEK). The affected insurance companies sued Landskrona Municipality (principal of the Social Welfare Board), and claimed it to be liable for the occurred damages as a result of negligent omission.
This gave rise to the precedent setting court case which would later be referred to as the “Landskrona case”. The ruling contains a thorough review of how Swedish tort law is to be applied regarding liability due to inaction. To some extent it also includes the Swedish Supreme Court's (Högsta Domstolen) view on the accountability of authorities, and particularly the social services obligation to document decisions and measures that are taken within its authority. The Swedish Supreme Court ruled in favor of the insurance companies and implemented a new legal presumption which is applicable when the social services, under certain circumstances, have failed in their obligation make adequate documentation in regards to citizens in their care. The Landskrona case entailed a substantial change concerning the legal situation in regards to tort liability due to inaction.
This thesis aims to examine the consequences of the Landskrona case from a legal perspective by investigating whether the presumed effects of the court case can be deemed desirable from an economic point of view as well as in regards to the individual citizen and his or her interest of a consistent and legally secure process (legal certainty). This study describes the general prerequisites of liability in accordance with Swedish tort law, although specific emphasis is directed towards the social services liability and documentation obligation based on applicable Swedish legal sources. The study furthermore includes an introduction to law and economics as well as a delineated presentation of the doctrine of legal certainty, as both of these perspectives largely permeate the thesis analysis.
The result of the examination indicates that the precedent setting statements made by the Swedish Supreme Court in the Landskrona case likely is to be interpreted as mere guidance and clarification, rather than an extension, of the social authorities’ legal obligation to make adequate documentation. Nevertheless, the verdict can be expected to have a significant impact and affect concerned authorities throughout the country to expand their documentation procedures. As shown in this study, more extensive documentation procedures may entail both advantages and disadvantages, from an economic point of view as well as a perspective of legal certainty. In an overall assessment of the findings of the investigation, it is the author’s conclusion that the expected impact of the Landskrona case predominantly should be considered desirable.}},
author = {{Dahle, Erik}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Landskrona-fallets (NJA 2013 s. 145) påverkan beträffande socialtjänstens handläggning - Skadeståndsrättsliga och praktiska konsekvenser}},
year = {{2016}},
}