Which term describes conduct that was not intended to cause harm or injury, but nevertheless did so and breached a duty of care?

Which term describes conduct that was not intended to cause harm or injury, but nevertheless did so and breached a duty of care?

• A. Negligence
• B. Battery
• C. Trespass
• D. Intentional Tort

Answer: (A)

Negligence describes conduct that falls below the standard of care and causes harm even though there was no intent to injure. In tort law, negligence rests on four elements: a duty of care owed to the affected person, a breach of that duty, causation linking the breach to the harm, and actual damages resulting from the harm. If someone’s actions were not designed to cause harm but still caused harm and breached the duty of care, that aligns with negligence. Battery requires intentional harmful or offensive contact, which isn’t present here. Trespass involves intentionally entering or interfering with someone’s property, not merely causing unintended harm. An intentional tort covers acts performed with intent to cause the result, which again isn’t the situation described.

Negligence describes conduct that falls below the standard of care and causes harm even though there was no intent to injure. In tort law, negligence rests on four elements: a duty of care owed to the affected person, a breach of that duty, causation linking the breach to the harm, and actual damages resulting from the harm. If someone’s actions were not designed to cause harm but still caused harm and breached the duty of care, that aligns with negligence.

Battery requires intentional harmful or offensive contact, which isn’t present here. Trespass involves intentionally entering or interfering with someone’s property, not merely causing unintended harm. An intentional tort covers acts performed with intent to cause the result, which again isn’t the situation described.