There is also the Scottish case of Holdich v Lothian Health Board
[2013] CSOH 197, 2014 SLT 495, in which it is held that a claim for
mental distress damages, based on property rights, breach of contract
and delictual (i.e. tortious) negligence, in respect of damage to H's
sperm while held by LHB, is relevant, i.e. discloses a cause of action
in law, and can go to proof, i.e. trial. Lord Stewart's judgment
discusses Yearworth and many other authorities from around the world,
including Roman law. It is available here -

https://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/search-judgments/judgment?id=483186a6-8980-69d2-b500-ff0000d74aa7

Hector

--
Hector L MacQueen
Professor of Private Law
Edinburgh Law School
University of Edinburgh
Edinburgh EH8 9YL
UK

SSRN http://ssrn.com/author=463210

Currently working at the Scottish Law Commission tel: (UK-0)131-662-5222


Quoting Nicola Peart <nicola.peart@otago.ac.nz> on Sat, 07 Jun 2014
04:20:30 +0000:

> Dear all
>
> I too am grateful for the latest decisions on the status of human
> tissue as I am finalising a chapter for a book edited by Peter Skegg
> and Ron Paterson on Medical Law i New Zealand. The status of human
> tissue has not yet arisen in our courts
>
> Kind regards
>
> Nicola Peart
> On 7/06/2014, at 3:38 AM, Harrington Matthew P.
> <matthew.p.harrington@umontreal.ca<mailto:matthew.p.harrington@umontreal.ca>>
> wrote:
>
> Excellent. Thanks for that.
>
> It’s interesting the Ontario court doesn’t mention it or J.C.M.
>
> I`m updating a casebook so am very grateful for these.
>
> ---------------------------------------------
> Matthew P. Harrington
> Professeur
> Faculté de droit
> Université de Montréal
> Montréal, Québec
> 514.343.6105
> matthew.p.harrington@umontreal.ca<mailto:matthew.p.harrington@umontreal.ca>
> ----------------------------------------------
>
> De : Angela Swan [mailto:aswan@airdberlis.com<http://airdberlis.com>]
> Envoyé : 6 juin 2014 11:12
> À : Harrington Matthew P.; obligations@uwo.ca<mailto:obligations@uwo.ca>
> Objet : RE: Human Tissue is Property in Canada
>
> Sperm held in a super-freezer was held to be property, specifically
> “goods”, in Lam v. University of British
> Columbia<http://www.canlii.org/en/bc/bcsc/doc/2013/2013bcsc2094/2013bcsc2094.html>, 2013 BCSC 2094, so that the Warehouse Receipt Act governed the contract between the donor and the
> University.
>
> Angela Swan
>
> From: Harrington Matthew P. [mailto:matthew.p.harrington@umontreal.ca]
> Sent: June-06-14 9:44 AM
> To: obligations@uwo.ca<mailto:obligations@uwo.ca>
> Subject: Human Tissue is Property in Canada
>
> This may be of tangential interest to members on this list, but an
> Ontario trial court handed down a rather significant opinion
> concerning property interests in human tissue. In Piljak’s Estate
> v. Abraham, 2014 ONSC 2893, a master in the superior court held that
> human tissue once removed from the body should be considered chattel
> capable of being owned like other personal property.
>
> The decision was made in the context of a preliminary motion in a
> malpractise case where the defendant sought an order in discovery to
> examine “real or personal property” (under Rule 32.10). In deciding
> the order, the court had to consider whether the tissue was, in
> fact, property. The master concluded that the tissue was property
> but denied the motion on other grounds.
>
> Although American and UK courts have considered this issue in
> several contexts, this appears to be the first Canadian case
> specifically holding that body parts or tissue can be considered
> property.
>
> For those who care, the CanLII cite is:
> http://www.canlii.org/en/on/onsc/doc/2014/2014onsc2893/2014onsc2893.html
>
> Regards.
>
> ---------------------------------------------
> Matthew P. Harrington
> Professeur
> Faculté de droit
> Université de Montréal
> Montréal, Québec
> 514.343.6105
> matthew.p.harrington@umontreal.ca<mailto:matthew.p.harrington@umontreal.ca>
> ----------------------------------------------
>
>
>
> Nicola Peart
> Professor of Law
> Faculty of Law
> University of Otago
> PO Box 56
> DUNEDIN
> New Zealand
>
> PH: 64-3-4798859
> Fax: 64-3-4798855
>
>


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