The laws justification for awarding damages in the first case is that the mans injury was the fault of someone else while in the second case damages are denied because nobody was at fault in this searching critique of the present law and practice relating to damages professor patrick atiyah shows that this system is in fact a lottery. The damages lottery book read reviews from worlds largest community for readers a man slips on a dance floor and breaks his leg he recovers damages . The damages lottery the damages lottery p sati yah formerly professor of english law university of oxford ohart publishing oxford 1997 hart publishing oxford uk damages can be awarded or by improving the levels of damages the stretching is still going on though some. About the damages lottery a man slips on a dance floor and breaks his leg he recovers damages . The damages lottery p s atiyah formerly professor of english law university of oxford ohart publishing oxford 1997