Negligence liability is based on what principle?

Negligence liability is fundamentally based on the principle of failing to exercise the appropriate amount of care that a reasonable person would in similar circumstances. This principle involves a breach of the duty of care that results in harm or injury to another individual. In legal terms, to establish negligence, it must be shown that the defendant owed a duty to the plaintiff, breached that duty by not acting with reasonable care, and that this breach directly caused the harm experienced by the plaintiff.

In many cases, the standards for what constitutes reasonable care are drawn from societal norms and expectations. For example, a driver must operate their vehicle in a manner that is safe and adheres to traffic laws. If they fail to do so and an accident occurs as a result, they could be held liable for negligence.

The other options reflect different legal principles: fulfilling a contractual obligation pertains to breach of contract law, intentional harm relates to torts that involve deliberate actions leading to injury, and strict liability principles apply in situations where liability exists regardless of negligence or fault, such as product liability cases. Understanding negligence as a failure to exercise appropriate care is essential to grasping how liability is established in personal injury and similar cases.