The Verdict

🐌 Waiting for Judgment Day

May Donoghue and Walter Leechman waited anxiously for the House of Lords to speak.

They hoped for justice.

They hoped for history.

They hoped the long, exhausting battle would finally end in their favour.

Meanwhile, David Stevenson and George Morton waited with the confidence of men who believed the law was firmly on their side.

They expected victory.

They expected vindication.

They expected to never hear the word “snail” again.

Both sides held their breath.

👑 26th May 1932: The Lords Deliver Their Judgment

The decision was split — a narrow, dramatic, history‑making 3–2.

For Donoghue (3 votes)

•      Lord Atkin

•      Lord Thankerton

•      Lord Macmillan

For Stevenson (2 votes)

•      Lord Buckmaster

•      Lord Tomlin

A single vote tipped the scales.

A single judgment reshaped the law.

A single snail — well — I did my part.

📜 Lord Atkin’s Majority Judgment

Lord Atkin wrote the majority opinion, and oh, what a piece of legal poetry it was.

Introducing the neighbour principle, and borrowing from the Parable of the Good Samaritan, he blended morality and law into a principle that would echo across the world.

He held that:

•      Stevenson owed a duty of care to May

•      He breached that duty

•      The harm was foreseeable

•      The law must protect consumers from defective products

And just like that, negligence law was reborn.

🌍 A Judgment Heard Around the World

The decision:

•      awarded May the right to damages

•      established the modern duty of care

•      transformed consumer protection

•      became the cornerstone of negligence law in every common‑law country

It was praised.

It was criticised.

It was debated endlessly.

But it stood.

The long battle was over.

The chapter was closed.

And yet — the story was only beginning.

Because once a snail becomes a symbol, he never really goes away.

🐚 Continue the Journey

→ Explore the Legacy of the Case

→ Find out more about the duty of care

→ Discover classroom resources