An investor who wanted to build a duplex asked the city zoning officer whether Lot A of Plan 16, known as 1 Street, was zoned for a single-family house or a duplex. The zoning officer was distracted by a news report on the radio and accidentally gave the investor a printed copy of the zoning for the wrong lot that said "duplex," although 1 Street was only zoned for single-family houses. After the investor began building a duplex, the city stopped him for building contrary to the zoning by-laws. He lost $50,000. On these facts (assume all can be proven) , which of the following is true?

A) A person can only be sued for actions that cause physical injury.
B) The cause of action most likely to be taken by the investor in this case is "deceit."
C) The zoning officer can be sued even though the investor did not have a contract with him (i.e., he didn't pay for the information) .
D) The employer of the zoning officer could not be sued since the employer did no wrong.
E) The zoning officer could not be sued successfully since he had no intention of hurting anyone; his error was just an accident.

Question

Raven Bernier · Accepted Answer

Final Answer : C, Explanation :  The investor can sue the zoning officer for providing incorrect information that led to financial loss, even without a direct contract for the exchange of this information. This is based on the principle that providing incorrect information that leads to someone else's financial loss can be grounds for legal action, regardless of a contractual relationship.

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