Negligence Flashcards
Negligence - Elements (4)
- Legal Duty - foreseable P/Risk
- Breach of legal duty - Standard of care
- Causation (but for and proximate)
- Damages - special/gral and comparative fault
Negligence - Relation with IT
- In both No intent to cause harm
- If elements for IT not configured, then possible claim under N
Negligence - Legal Duty - General Duty Standard / foreseable risk-P
“Reasonable prudent person under similar circumstances”
N = failure to meet standard when there is a foreseable risk for a foreseable P
Negligence - Legal Duty - Jury Balance Test / factors, equation
To determine failure with reasonable prudent person Jury must weigh factors :
- Risks against any value created by D’s activity
- Judge Hand equation:
- D’s burden of precaution vs probability of harm times magnitude of harm if it occured
Negligence - Legal Duty - Jury Balance Test - Use of Expert Testimony / need, test
- Jury might need for assitance by expert tesitmony when activity requires scientific, techincal, special knowledge/skills/experience
- Test for need:
- Can ultimate understanding be helped with expert
- Does the expert have the rigth skill, knowledge education
- Are Daubert SRA reliance evidence requirements met? (sufficient facts, reliable pples, applied reasonably to facts)
Negligence - Legal Duty - Health Care Professional - Standard of Duty
Ordinary prudent medical professional or healthcare institution
- raised for board certified specialist - “prudent specialist”
Negligence - Legal Duty - Health Care Professional - Consent requirements/ types (2)
- Express: Requires for full disclosure of risks/dangers/benefits/alternatives
- lack of is considered N
- P must prove patient would not have consented if having fully appreciated
- Implied: imputed consent in case of life-threatening emergency where patient cant consent
- D must prove reasonable person woul have consented
Negligence - Legal Duty - Health Care Professional - Consent requirements/Scope of consent
BATTERY when doctor exceeds scope consent or conducts non emergency procudrye without consent
Negligence - Legal Duty - Legal Malpractice / gral rule, causation
- Gral rule: no local standard applicable
- For liaiblity, P must prove “but for causation”
Negligence - Legal Duty - Rescuer - Gral rule
NO CL DUTY TO ASSIST STRANGER
- if rescuer acts voluntarily, he risks being sued for N for increasing risk or harm, or worstening injury (unless good samaritan doctrine applied)
Negligence - Legal Duty - Rescuer - Tortfeasor Liability /2 types
- “Rescue Doctrine”: original tortfeasor liable for original injury and additional harm suffered because of rescue AND injuries suffered by rescuer
- Harm Creator: original tortfeasor duty to rescue/aid/summon/help for victim for risk created
[Tortfeasor not liable for “Professional Rescuer”]
Negligence - Legal Duty - Rescuer - Good Samaritan Doctrine
To avoid liability for N of volunteer/well intended rescuers (not for tortfeasor)
- Rescuer liable only for gross N or wanton misconduct
- Jusitifes liaiblity of tortfeasor towards rescuer because it is foreseable that someone would aid if risk created
Negligence - Legal Duty - Rescuer - Co-Venturers
If 2 or more people acting together in creating risk
- Duty to rescue each other
Negligence - Legal Duty - Rescuer - “Professional Rescuer Doctrine”
- Tortfeasor not liable for professional rescuer injuries
- Regular compensation is deemed as assumption of risk
Negligence - Legal Duty - Emergency situation / standard, exception
In case of emergency - lower bar for acting because of need for INMEDIATE action
- Lower standard: “reasonable person in similar emergency”
- UNLESS D’s N created the emergency or injury was foreseable from his actions
Negligence - Legal Duty - Agency Vicarious Liability / when, ppal rights
- Liability of ppal for agent’s actions under “respondeat superior” doctrine when:
- within course and scope of agency or furtherance of business
- activity inherently dangerous
- No vicarious liaiblity if “frolic of its own”
- Recovery right against agent if ppal had to pay
Negligence - Legal Duty - Agency Vicarious Liability - Independent Contractor Rules
- Torts by independent contractor usually not generate vicarious liaiblity UNLESS:
- Ppal with control in the means and objectives of the work
- Inherently dangerous activities
Negligence - Legal Duty - Agency Vicarious Liability - for Selection and Supervision
- In relation to selection of employees of negligent employees and/or person with violent/dangerous behaviour or history
- In relation to supervision or control of the specific acts
Negligence - Legal Duty - Agency Vicarious Liability - Joint Venture
- Vicarious liaiblity btwn members of joint venture WHEN torto witihin course and scope
Negligence - Legal Duty - Automobile Use Liability - Various possible cases (8)
- Right of way: to the car in the right of the rossway
- Rear-end collision
- Last clear chance exception
- Crosswalk yield for pedestrians
- Family Purpose Doctrine: parents liable for allowing child to drive
- N per-se -violation of statutes
- Owner liability / Negligent Entrustment
- Guest Statutes
Negligence - Legal Duty - Automobile Use Liability - Last Clear Chance Exception
Limits driver liability’s when D had the last chance to avoid the accident
Negligence - Legal Duty - Automobile Use Liability - Negligence Per se
For violation of statues
- i.e. driving while intoxicated
Negligence - Legal Duty - Automobile Use Liability - Owner Liability (3)
- Negligent Entrustment: not to allow known negligent, reckless, drunk to use vehicle
- Automobile theft: owner not liable UNLESS keys in the door or ignition
- Vehicle Defect: owner no liability unless knew of defect
Negligence - Legal Duty - Automobile Use Liability - Guest Statutes
Driver not liable to not paying passengers
UNLESS gross N, recklesness, intoxication