It’s the greatest legal mystery of the modern era. A question so vexing that the sharpest minds in the profession have tried and failed to decipher its answer. The Jumanji of legislation: who wrote the Civil Liability Act?

It was late, litigious evening in 2002. The legal world had put its thinky head to rest. That morning, as if overnight, a statute in Parliament, already passed. The Civil Liability Act was born.

The author has been forever unknown; a Banksy of breach. A Batman of Reasonable Foreseeability. A Michael Hutchence of ‘dang it, I got sued!’

The greatest Act ever penned, its mother known to none. Until today.

For too long I have carried this secret like a bag. I can live in the shadows no longer. It is time to come clean.

It was me. I did it.

I, John John Devereux, wrote the Civil Liability Act.

It is strange to think that I, a quiet boy with a middle name the same as his first name, would grow up to write a big book. But I have; and I did.

I wrote it in 49-minutes. It is very long and I had to write very fast with my pacer pen. But write I did. For Liability was uncivil for too long. I knew that 2002 would be the year to reform. 9/11 taught me that. I am thankful.

This law comic is long, I concede. But there are lots of funny parts. I am thankful.

Never forget that I wrote it. Never forget I sat down with my orange juice on the day of my birth and wrote the Act some call ‘nice.’

I will never write another Act, for this one hurt my arm too much. It is too high a price to pay, a sore arm, for legislative advancements. I am thankful.

When they ask you wrote it, say me. Well, say John Devereux. Don’t say me. For you did not write it. I did. Me.

Thank you for watching.

John Devereux is a lecturer at the TCB Beirne School of Law. He is very tired. There will be no more to come, thank you very much.