Dear all,

At the beginning of this term, a colleague relied on a (in)famous clip from the film Zoolander (the gasoline fight/explosion) to illustrate the basic elements of a negligence action. Having now come to the end of the fall term, some thoughtful students appear to have sensed that they may have found a case for the proper application of the 'material contribution' test for causation as per the SCC's teaching in Clements v Clements (2012). 

I am inclined to agree but couldn't help thinking that we would benefit from canvassing some of you, so I've included the clip below (starting around the 1:10 minute mark):

Best,

Martin Olszynski

Assistant Professor

University of Calgary Faculty of Law