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The Elements of a Negligent Tort

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Running head: Negligent Tort Elements
The Elements of a Negligent Tort
Arthur R. Scott
Legal Environment: BUS670
Instructor: Dr. Lisa Barrow
28 August 2011
The Elements of a Negligent Tort
A Tort is defined in our text as “a civil wrong that is not a breach of contract” and that it “contemplates civil liability for those who commit torts”. [ (Mallor, Barnes, Bowers, & Langvardt, 2010) ] A tort can be thought of as an action that occurs when an entity, a company or an individual(s) wrongfully injures another (socially, financially, or bodily) and damages are awarded as a result of litigation. One classification of tort civil wrongfulness is that of Negligence. Negligence as defined by our authors is “a failure to use reasonable care, with harm to another party occurring as a result”. The texts further expounds by saying negligence is characterized “as conduct that falls below the level reasonably necessary to protect others against significant risks of harm.” (Mallor, et al 2010) This paper will briefly discuss the elements of a negligent tort, which if successfully proven, can create a ligitimate negligent tort claim.
The first element of a negligent tort is Duty. Duty, as defined by David G. Owen is simply “the obligation of one person to the other”. (Owen, 2007) Duty can be further explained as an extension of the reasonable behavior or care an individual would have for themselves to another individual or group in the same or similar situation. This establishes the foundation for the “reasonable person” test or “reasonable care” standard. (Mallor, et al 2010) The question to be answered to determine the existence of duty is “does a reasonable person (the defendant) in the same situation have an expectation that damage could occur as a result of the behavior?” If it can be proven that the expecation of reasonable care exists, (i.e.

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