Rylands v Fletcher

Rylands v Fletcher is an 1868 decision of the House of Lords that established the tort of strict liability for the escape of dangerous things from land. Contractors hired by Fletcher built a reservoir on his land that burst and flooded through disused mine shafts into Rylands neighboring coal mine. The House of Lords held that a person who brings onto their land something likely to do mischief if it escapes, and keeps it there, is answerable for all the damage that is the natural consequence of its escape, regardless of whether they were negligent. The rule created a distinct category of liability for non-natural, hazardous uses of land, separate from ordinary negligence, and it remains a foundation of English and Commonwealth tort law on escaping hazards.