Civil Law Act 1956

The Civil Law Act 1956 is the Malaysian statute that sets out how a court assesses damages in a personal injury or fatal accident claim.

Section 28A governs damages for an injured claimant, Section 7 covers a dependant’s claim after a death, Section 8 preserves the deceased’s own claim for the estate, and Section 12 governs how fault is shared between parties.^[1] Together these sections shape how compensation works in a Malaysian road accident case.

Most of the practical detail claimants ask about, such as loss of earnings or a dependency claim, traces back to one of these sections.

Reading the specific section that applies to your situation, rather than the Act as a whole, is usually the fastest way to understand what applies to your claim.