Newsletters

The Duty of Adults to Children

Generally, the law requires a person to exercise the degree of care that a reasonably prudent person would exercise under the same circumstances. This is called "the duty of reasonable care." A person who breaches his duty of reasonable care is guilty of negligence.

Classifying Torts

Apart from legislation granting a right to sue for a specific harm, personal injury law generally consists of tort law and the civil procedure for enforcing it. This article discusses how tort law is classified.

Pharmacists' Duty to Warn

A patient who has an adverse reaction to a prescription drug may file a personal injury action against the pharmacy that sold the drug, claiming that the pharmacy negligently failed to warn the patient of the risks associated with taking the drug. The outcome of such a case will depend on whether the pharmacy had a duty to warn the patient.

Rules Regarding Unusual Driving Conditions

When the weather or other conditions affect a driver's view of a highway or roadway, the driver has a duty to act with reasonable care under the circumstances. In other words, the driver is required to act with the same degree of care that a reasonable person would have acted under the circumstances.

Common Law Tort Action Against Person Having Sexual Relations with Female Child

Under the common law, a person who has sexual relations with a female child is liable to the child's parent for damages. The tort action is based on the parent's lack of consent. Damages are based on the parent's loss of services or the medical expenses that the parent incurred on behalf of the child as a result of the sexual relations. Although these types of cases are quite rare and some states have abolished actions for these types of cases, there are still some states in which the cause of action may be maintained.