Which four elements must a plaintiff prove to establish negligence?

Which four elements must a plaintiff prove to establish negligence?

• A. Duty of care, Breach of the duty of care, Causation, Damages
• B. Duty, Breach, Causation, Punitive damages
• C. Duty, Intent, Causation, Damages
• D. Duty, Proximate cause, Damages, Negligence

Answer: (A)

In a negligence claim, four things must be proven: the defendant owed a duty of care to the plaintiff; the defendant breached that duty by acting (or failing to act) in a way that falls short of the standard of care; there is a causal link showing the breach caused the injury (actual and, typically, proximate causation); and the plaintiff suffered actual damages. The combination of duty of care, breach, causation, and damages exactly covers the required elements, so this choice is the best. The other options introduce elements that aren’t required for negligence (such as intent or punitive damages) or mix terms in a way that doesn’t align with the standard four-element test.

In a negligence claim, four things must be proven: the defendant owed a duty of care to the plaintiff; the defendant breached that duty by acting (or failing to act) in a way that falls short of the standard of care; there is a causal link showing the breach caused the injury (actual and, typically, proximate causation); and the plaintiff suffered actual damages. The combination of duty of care, breach, causation, and damages exactly covers the required elements, so this choice is the best. The other options introduce elements that aren’t required for negligence (such as intent or punitive damages) or mix terms in a way that doesn’t align with the standard four-element test.