Legal Definitions - jural cause

Jural cause is a legal term that is synonymous with proximate cause. It refers to the primary, legally recognized cause of an injury or harm that is sufficiently connected to that harm to establish legal responsibility.

In legal contexts, an event often has many contributing factors (sometimes called "but for" causes or factual causes). However, the jural cause is the specific action or inaction that directly and foreseeably leads to the injury, making it the basis for assigning liability. It's about drawing a reasonable line in the chain of events to determine who should be held accountable under the law.

Here are some examples:

• Example 1: Negligent Driving

  A delivery driver, rushing to make a deadline, runs a red light and collides with another car that had the right of way. The collision results in significant damage to both vehicles and injuries to the occupants of the second car.

  In this scenario, the delivery driver's act of running the red light is the jural cause of the accident and the resulting damages and injuries. It was a direct and foreseeable consequence of the driver's negligent action, establishing a clear basis for legal responsibility.

• Example 2: Unsafe Premises

  A grocery store manager is aware of a leaky freezer that regularly drips water onto an aisle floor but fails to place a "wet floor" sign or clean up the spill for several hours. A customer then slips on the water, falls, and breaks their wrist.

  The store manager's failure to address the known hazard (the leaky freezer and the resulting wet floor) and warn customers is the jural cause of the customer's injury. The harm was a foreseeable outcome of the store's negligence in maintaining a safe environment.

• Example 3: Defective Product

  A manufacturer produces a batch of children's toys with a design flaw that allows small, detachable parts to easily break off. A child playing with one of these toys chokes on a detached part and requires emergency medical attention.

  The manufacturer's defective design, which created an unreasonable risk of harm, is the jural cause of the child's injury. The choking incident was a direct and foreseeable consequence of the product's flaw, making the manufacturer legally responsible.