Los Angeles Claims Adjuster Property and Causality Practice Exam

What could serve as a common law defense by breaking the chain of causation?

1. Vicarious Liability

2. Statute of Limitations

3. Assumption of Risk

4. Intervening Cause

The correct answer is: Intervening Cause

In the context of liability and breakage of the chain of causation, the concept of intervening cause is crucial. An intervening cause occurs when an event happens after the initial act that contributes to the harm suffered by a plaintiff. This new event can be so significant that it can be deemed responsible for the injury, effectively relieving the original party of liability because it breaks the direct connection between their actions and the injury incurred. For example, if a party negligently causes a situation, but then a completely unforeseen event (like a natural disaster) occurs that causes the injury instead, that intervening cause can absolve the original party from responsibility. This illustrates how legal accountability can shift based on the sequence and nature of events, as the intervening cause acts as a new, independent factor that alters the course of causation. The other choices reflect different legal concepts but do not directly serve as common law defenses against the original act by breaking the chain of causation in the same manner that an intervening cause does. Thus, the role of intervening cause is pivotal in understanding liability and causation in legal scenarios.