Which are the four elements of a negligence tort?

Which are the four elements of a negligence tort?

• A. Duty; Breach of Duty; Causation; Damages
• B. Intent; Volition; Harm; Punishment
• C. Reasonable suspicion; Probable cause; Arrest; Detainment
• D. Duty; Intent; Return; Recovery

Answer: (A)

In a negligence tort, you prove four elements: duty of care, breach of that duty, causation, and damages. Duty of care means the defendant had a legal obligation to act reasonably toward the plaintiff. Breach occurs when the defendant’s conduct falls short of that standard. Causation requires a link between the breach and the injury—the breach must be the actual cause (the harm wouldn’t have happened but-for the conduct) and the type of harm must be within the scope of what the breach is likely to cause (proximate cause). Damages are the actual losses or injuries suffered, which justify compensation. The correct option reflects these four components together. The other choices mix concepts from different areas of law—intent and punishment relate to intentional torts or criminal law, not negligence; terms like reasonable suspicion, probable cause, arrest pertain to criminal procedure; and the last option introduces unrelated ideas like return and recovery.

In a negligence tort, you prove four elements: duty of care, breach of that duty, causation, and damages. Duty of care means the defendant had a legal obligation to act reasonably toward the plaintiff. Breach occurs when the defendant’s conduct falls short of that standard. Causation requires a link between the breach and the injury—the breach must be the actual cause (the harm wouldn’t have happened but-for the conduct) and the type of harm must be within the scope of what the breach is likely to cause (proximate cause). Damages are the actual losses or injuries suffered, which justify compensation.

The correct option reflects these four components together. The other choices mix concepts from different areas of law—intent and punishment relate to intentional torts or criminal law, not negligence; terms like reasonable suspicion, probable cause, arrest pertain to criminal procedure; and the last option introduces unrelated ideas like return and recovery.