Legal Definitions - impute

To impute means to legally assign or attribute responsibility, knowledge, or blame to an individual or entity, even if they did not directly cause the action or possess the knowledge themselves. This assignment often occurs because of a specific legal relationship between parties. Unlike merely inferring something, which suggests a possibility, imputing establishes a definite legal connection, holding someone accountable based on established legal principles.

• Employer Responsibility for Employee Actions: Imagine a landscaping company whose employee, while operating a company truck during work hours, negligently backs into a parked car, causing significant damage. Even though the company owner was not present and did not direct the employee to be careless, the employee's negligence can be imputed to the landscaping company. This means the company, as the employer, can be held legally responsible for the damages caused by its employee's actions while on the job.

• Corporate Knowledge of Misconduct: If a high-ranking executive at a pharmaceutical company learns about a serious defect in one of their drugs but fails to report it, that executive's knowledge can be imputed to the entire corporation. Consequently, the company itself is considered to have known about the defect, even if other board members or shareholders were unaware, and can be held liable for failing to address the issue.

• Parental Liability for Minor's Actions: In some jurisdictions, if a minor child intentionally vandalizes public property, the cost of the damages might be imputed to their parents. While the parents did not commit the act of vandalism themselves, their legal responsibility for supervising their minor child can lead to them being held financially accountable for the child's destructive behavior, often up to a statutory limit.