noun
- An action, event, or force that produces or
contributes to an effect or result. Also called causation.
- The ground or reason for a choice
made or action taken.
-
A matter to be decided by a court.
but-for cause
concurrent cause
- .
- One of multiple causes that simultaneously produce an
effect or result that no single cause could.
- One of multiple
causes that simultaneously produce an effect or result that any one of the
causes could have produced alone.
for cause
In support of a request made or an action taken. See also
challenge and
excuse.
good cause
A substantial or legally sufficient reason for a choice made or action
taken or for seeking a particular court order. What constitutes good cause
usually rests upon the
circumstances of a particular situation. See also insufficient cause.
immediate cause
The last of a series of causes, although not necessarily the proximate
cause, of an effect or result.
insufficient cause
. An insubstantial or legally insufficient reason for a choice made
or action taken or for seeking a particular court order. See also
good cause.
intervening cause
A contributing cause that arises or occurs after the initial action,
event, or force and alters the sequence of later actions, events, or forces to
produce a final effect or result. For example, if a person walks into a ditch,
the digging of the ditch is the initial (that is, but-for) action, and the
subsequent removal of the barricade and warning signs that kept people away is
the intervening cause. Also called supervening cause.
legal cause
See proximate
cause.
proximate cause
A cause that directly, without the contribution of any subsequent
action, event, or force, produces an effect or result, and without which the
effect or result would not have occurred. Furthermore, the effect or result
produced by the proximate cause would have occurred even if there were a
subsequent action, event, or force that contributed to the eventual effect or
result. For example, if a person is fatally injured in an accident, the cause
of the accident is the proximate cause of his death and not the poor medical
care they received after the accident. Also called causa proxima, direct cause, efficient
cause, and
legal cause. See also
remote cause.
remote cause
A cause that contributes to, but is not necessary for, the production of
an effect or result. See also
proximate cause.
sole cause
The only cause responsible for the production of an effect or result.
superseding cause
A cause that arises or occurs after the initial action, event, or force,
and so substantially alters the sequence of later actions, events, or forces
that the persons responsible for all previous causes are not liable for the
final effect or result, even if their own actions were a substantial factor in
bringing about the final effect or result. For example, a parent may be
negligent for letting her 14-year-old child drive a car, but the subsequent
theft of the vehicle from the child would absolve the parent of liability for
any damages or injuries caused by the thiefÂ’s use of the vehicle.
supervening cause