Negligence Flashcards
588 - What are the four elements of negligence?
Duty of Care; Breach of duty; Actual and Proximate cause; damages
589 - How does the court determine the DUTY OF CARE?
The court determines the duty o care through a two-step inquiry: (1) the ct decides WHETHER the D owed a duty of care; (2) if it does, then the court must define the SCOPE of the duty.
590 - What is the MAJORITY RULE regarding whether a P was FORESEEABLE?
Majority rule states that the D owes a duty of care to those persons that a reasonable person would have foreseen a risk of harm under the circumstances.
*Thus, the ct must determine that the RP would have foreseen a risk of harm to the P or the type of person the P was, located in a foreseeable zone of danger.
Tip: The rule was first espoused by Justice Cardozo in Palsgraf.
591 - What is the REASONABLE PERSON standard of care?
Under the reasonable person standard of care, each person owes a duty to act as a reasonable person under the same or sinilar circumstancecs.
A D owes a general duty of care to all foreseeable plaintiffs.
Tip: This is an OBJECTIVE test. The issue is not what the D believed or intended, but how a reasonable person would have acted.
592 - What is the SOC for PROFESSIONALS?
A professional owes a duty to prossess and exercise the knowledge and skill of a member of the profession or occupation in good standing in a similar community.
593 - What is the SOC for children?
Children/minors are held to the standard of care that would be expected from a child of like age, education, intelligence, and experience. AEIE
594 - What is the SOC for common carrier/innkeeper?
Historically, court held common carriers to a HIGHER standard, but modern courts are moving toward the [R]easonable [P]erson [S]tandard. Tip: prior to modern times, common carriers were held to the “utmost care” standard.
595 - What is the SOC for owner/occupier of land?
Landoccupiers are accorded a special status that limits their liability to injuries to others arising from conditions or activities on their land. [lower land from air(common carriers).
A landowner may be held to a higher duty imposed by statute depending on the status of the entrant (i.e., invitee, licensee, trespasser).
Tip: Distinguish this from the SOC for common carriers.
596 - What duty does a landowner/occupier owe to child trespassers?
The attractive nuissance doctrine imposes a special duty of care on a land occupier with respect to ARTIFICIAL CONDITIONS on the land that involve a risk of harm to children unable to recognize the danger involved.
597 - Does a landowner owe a heighened duty of care to child trespassers as compared to adult trespassers?
Yes - there is a special duty of care for children
598 - What is a LICENSEE?
A licensee is a person coming onto the land, with the express or implied permission of the land occupier for the entrant’s own purposes, conferring no particular benefit on the land occupier or any use to which the land occupier is putting the land. Tip: A social guest invited into your home will likely be a licensee.
599 - What is an INVITEE?
An invitee is a person who enters by the express or implied invitation of the land occupier for some purpose related to he activities or interests of the land occupier. Tip: A business visitor who comes on the land that is open to the public at large is likely an invitee.
600 - What are the two ways a statute creates a tort duty?
A statute can create a tort duty by: (a) creating a statutory tort; OR (b) recognizing a common law tort duty.
601 - Is there a general duty to aid other during an emergency?
No, under common law, a D owes no duty to [W]arn, [P]rotect, or [R]escue a stranger from a risk of harm. Tip: However, if the D created the risk of harm, they may owe the P a duty.
602 - What constitutes a breach of duty for purposes of tort liability?
Conduct falling short of the duty owed is a breach of duty.
603 - How will a court find a breach of a duty of care?
A ct will find a breach of duty of care by: (1) a determination of the D’s conduct; AND (2) whether the conduct was unreasonable.
604 - Negligense per se
… applies where a common law duty of care is already owed and a statute provides that specific conduct breaching that duty is subject to criminal penalties. A D’s violation of the statute establishes a PRIMA FACIE case for duty and breach. Tip: The P must be a member of the protected class and the harm must be the type of harm that hte statute was designed to protect against.
603 - Res ipsa loquitur
Under the doctrine, the court may permit an inferences or a presumption that the D was at fault when the very fact that a particular harm has occured may itself tend to establish a breach.
606 - What are the two types of causation under a neg claim?
Actual and proximate
607 - Actual causation
Actual causation/cause in fact establishes a causal connection between the alleged breach of duty and the resulting injury to the plaintiff. Tip: The substantial factor or burden-shifting tests are used to measure actual cause.
608 - Proximate cause
Proximate/legal cause estabishes that is fair/foreseeable for the court to hold the D responsible for the P’s injuries. Tip: Consider whether an INDIRECT or INTERVENING CAUSE is present when analyzing proximate cause.
609 - Intervening cause
An intervening cause is an event that occurs after a D’s initial act of negligence and causes harm to a victim. *An intervening cause will releive the D of libaility for the V’s injury only if the event is deemed a SUPERSEEDING (unforeseeable) cause to the injuries.
610 - Eggshell plaintiff rule
The eggshell P rule is the concept that the tortfeasor takes their victim AS THEY FIND THEM, meaning all courts hold the D liable for the full extent of the P’s injuries, even if the P suffers an unforeseeable high level of damage due to a pre-existing vulnerability or medical condition.
611 - May a V recover for personal injuries in tort? What are noneconomic damages.
Yes - a P may sue for past, present, and prospective damages from personal injuries tortiously inflicted on them, including economic and non-economic damages. Tip: Noneconomic damages are damages from pain and suffering.