Contract Law - The principles of causation

What this page is about: this is a short essay on the principles of causation which students may find interesting.

An essential element to establishing a claim of Negligence is that the breach of a duty of care by a Defendant caused loss suffered by a Claimant – or, there's a causal connection between the Defendant’s carelessness and the Claimant’s loss.  The principles of causation ensure that the Defendant won't be liable for damage he didn't cause by his acts or omissions.  

To establish causation, there has to be a clear link between the duty of care and breach of duty to the loss suffered by a Claimant.  It isn't enough that following the breach of duty, the Claimant suffers loss.  The actions (or omissions) of the Defendant must have caused the loss [Barnett v Chelsea and Kensington Hospital Management Committee (1968) QB 1 All ER 10686].  If they did not, the claim will fail. 

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