Negligent Crimes Flashcards
Negligence Elements
When one has:
- a legal duty
- breaches that duty
- the breach causes the Ps harm (both actual and proximate causation)
- damages
Duty
An obligation, recognized by law, requiring the D to conform to a certain standard of conduct for the protection of others against unreasonable risk.
Duty: Duty to Rescue?
The traditional rule is that there is no affirmative duty to take action to aid or protect a P at risk of injury unless the D is responsible for putting the P in position of peril (modern majority approach doesn’t care whether Ds action is tortious).
Duty: Continuing Risk of Harm
When a Ds prior conduct, whether tortious or not, creates a continuing risk of harm of a type characteristic to the conduct, the D has a duty to exercise reasonable care to prevent or minimize the harm.
Duty: Duties Based on Undertaking
When a Ds gratuitously or for compensation undertakes to render services to P and knows or should know that the services will reduce the risk of physical harm to the P, the D has a duty of reasonable care if:
- the failure to exercise such care increases the risk of harm beyond that which existed without the undertaking or
- the person to whom the services are rendered or another relies on the actor’s exercising reasonable care in the undertaking
Duty: Duties Based on Undertaking (Reliance Req.)
- CL –> varied as to whether a promise alone was sufficient to impose a duty on the D
- Modern approach –> imposes a duty when the plaintiff relies on the promised undertaking to their detriment
Duty: Good Samaritan Statutes
Limit the liability of rescuers who provide emergency aid.
Duty: Omissions
A negligent omission occurs when the D fails to do something that a reasonable person would have done (e.g. stopping at a stop sign).
Duty: Duty to Control Third Parties
Generally, there is no duty to control third parties to prevent them from harming another unless:
- A special relationship exists between the D and the third party that imposes a duty upon the D
- A special relationship exists between the D and the P that gives the P a right of protection.
Duty: Special Relationship
A person in a special relationship with another has an affirmative duty of reasonable care to the other with regard to risks arising within the scope of that relationship. This often the case when a D has a position of power over the P.
Types of Special Relationships that Create a Duty to Act
Include:
- Employer-employee during and in the scope of employment
- Common carrier and innkeeper customer
- School-pupil
- Parent-child
- Landlord-tenant
- Business-patron
- Custodial relationships (e.g. jailer-prisoner)
Duty: Duty to Control Third Parties (Parents)
A parent is under a duty to exercise reasonable care to control his minor child so as to prevent the child from intentionally harming others or creating an unreasonable risk of bodily harm if:
- the parent knows or has reason to know that he has the ability to control his child; and
- knows or should know of the necessity and opportunity for exercising such control.
Duty: Duty to Control Third Party (Employer)
An employer is under a duty to exercise reasonable care to control is employee while acting outside scope of employment to prevent employee from intentionally harming others or creating unreasonable risk of bodily harm if:
- the employee is on employer’s premises or is using employer’s chattel; and
- the employer knows or has reason to know that he has the ability to control his servant and knows or should know of the necessity and opportunity for exercising such control.
Duty: Providers of Alcohol
Generally, a purveyor is not responsible for DUI injuries (but watch out for Dram Shop Acts).
Dram Shop Acts
Impose liability on establishments when they know or should know a patron is drunk and that person drives while intoxicated and harms a third party. These acts usually apply to sellers with a liquor license rather than social hosts.
Negligent Hiring
An employer has a duty to society to exercise reasonable care in hiring employees. Therefore, a defendant may be liable to a P if an employee subsequently injures the plaintiff.
Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress (NIED)
When a D engages in negligent conduct and, as a result, P suffers emotional distress that has some sort of physical manifestation. Rarely given.
NIED: Zone of Danger Requirement
Req. that P be in zone of danger, the area in which there is a risk of being physically injured, to recover for NIED.
NIED: Physical Manifestation Req.
Req. that P has suffered some accompanying physical manifestation of the emotional distress.
NIED: Exceptions to Zone of Danger and Physical Manifestation Req.
- When the D negligently communicates the announcement of the death of a loved one; and
- if the D negligently mishandles a corpse
- rationale is that negligence in these activities creates an increased likelihood that Ps will suffer severe emotional distress
NIED: Bystander Theory
When a P sued for his emotional distress as a result of an injury to a loved one. Premised on Ds violation of duty not to negligently cause emotional distress to people who observe the conduct which causes harm to another.
NIED: Elements for Bystander Theory
When a bystander:
- Was located near the scene of an accident.
- Suffered a severe emotional distress (“shock”) resulting from the sensory and contemporaneous observance of the accident; and
- Had a close relationship with the victim
Duties of Government (Functions)
Whether a gov entity owes a duty depends on the function. Types of functions include:
- proprietary function
- discretionary activity
- ministerial function
- public duty doctrine
Proprietary Function
When government is acting in a private area. Treated as any other D for duty analysis.
Discretionary Activity
When gov official uses judgment and allocating resources such as establishing a policy. Courts will not find a duty.
Ministerial Function
Duty once government has undertaken to act (e.g. stop sign installed incorrectly leading to accident).
Public Duty Doctrine
Courts find no duty when professional rescuers (police officers/firefighters) fail to provide an adequate response, except when:
- there is a special relationship between P and the agency; or
- the agency has increased the danger beyond what would otherwise exist
Land Possessor Liability
Liability depends on:
- the categories of danger (activities, artificial conditions, natural conditions)
- the visitor’s status (invitee, licensee, trespasser)
Invitee
A person who enters onto the Ds land at the Ds express or implied invitation, and who enters for a purpose relating to the Ds interests or activities. Includes business and public invitees.
Business Invitee
An invitee who enters onto the Ds land for a purpose related to the defendant’s business activities or interests.
Public Invitee
A member of the public who enters onto the Ds land for a purpose as to which the land is held open to the public.
Invitees: Scope of Invitation
An invitee may be regarded as a licensee or even as a trespasser if the invitee enters areas of the defendant’s property to which his invitation does not extend, or if the invitee stays in a permitted area longer than was contemplated by invitation.
Land Possessor’s Duty to Invitees
- A land possessor has a duty to exercise reasonable care to prevent injuries to invitees caused by activities conducted on his land.
- A land possessor has a duty to exercise reasonable care to discover dangerous artificial and natural conditions that invitees would not reasonable be aware of, and warn invitees of the condition or correct the conditions.
Licensee
A person who enters onto the Ds land with the Ds express or implied permission, and who does not enter for a purpose benefiting the D or the Ds activities (social guests).
Land Possessor’s Duty to Licensees
- A land possessor has a duty to exercise reasonable care to protect licensees from injury arising from activities conducted by the land possessor or on the land possessor’s behalf.
- A land possessor also has a duty to exercise reasonable care to warn of any artificial or natural conditions of which he is aware, which present an unreasonable danger, and of which the plaintiff-licensee is unaware (land possessor does not have to inspect the property for dangerous conditions).
Trespasser
Has four categories:
- Known
- Unknown
- Frequent
- Children
Known Trespasser
When a D becomes aware that a particular P has trespassed on property or becomes aware of facts from which he should reasonably conclude that a plaintiff has trespassed.
Land Possessor’s Duty to Known Trespassers (Activities)
Most jurisdictions impose a duty of reasonable care to protect a known trespasser from injuries deriving from activities conducted on land.
Land Possessor’s Duty to Known Trespassers (Artificial Conditions)
A land possessor will be liable to a known trespasser for failing to exercise reasonable care in warning them of an artificial condition maintained on the premises by the D if:
- the possessor knows or has reason to know of their presence in dangerous proximity to the condition; and
- the condition is of such a nature that the defendant has reason to believe that the trespasser will not discover it or realize the risk involved
Land Possessor’s Duty to Known Trespassers (Natural Conditions)
The land possessor has no duty
Land Possessor’s Duty to Unknown Trespassers
A land possessor has no duty of care as to a trespasser whose presence is unknown to him. The land possessor has no duty to inspect his land to attempt to discover unknown trespassers.
Frequent Trespasser
Individuals who a land possessor knows or reasonably should know frequently enter upon a portion of land.