The Dilemma: The Domino Effect

The following dispute arose in 14-century Europe. Reuben owned the ground floor of a house, which he used for storage. Simeon owed the upper two floors. When the upper floor wall required repair, Simeon chose to repair it himself. His demolition quickly ran awry when a large portion of the wall collapsed inward, causing the second floor ceiling to collapse under its impact. The combined debris caused the first floor ceiling to collapse as well, which destroyed Reuben’s three barrels of wine that had been stored there. Reuben sued Simeon for negligence for failing to hire a professional contractor, and demanded reimbursement for the wine and for the repair of his ceiling. Simeon argued that a professional assessment would prove that Reuben’s rickety ceiling had been teetering on the point of collapse even before his construction mishap. If Reuben’s claim is substantiated, should he then be freed from liability for having caused the collapse of an already doomed ceiling? The Dilemma: Modern Conundrums. Talmudic Debates. Your Solutions. An Exhilarating New Six-week Course Learn more: http://www.myjli.com