Legal liability

Legal liability is an obligation imposed by law to answer for an act or omission, often through damages, penalties, or another legal remedy.

Duty of care: A legal obligation to take reasonable steps to avoid causing foreseeable harm to others. Breach of this obligation is a common basis for negligence liability.
Tort: A civil wrong, apart from breach of contract, for which the law provides a remedy. Tort claims commonly seek compensation for harm caused by another party.
Legal responsibility: An obligation or accountability recognized by a legal system. It is broader in everyday usage, while liability often implies exposure to a legal consequence.
Compensatory damages: Money awarded to compensate for loss caused by another party’s legally actionable conduct. They are a principal remedy for civil liability that causes measurable harm.
Breach of contract: A failure, without legal excuse, to perform a contractual obligation. It can make a contracting party liable for losses caused by nonperformance.
Contract law: The body of law governing agreements and the obligations they create. Contract law determines when broken promises create liability and what losses are recoverable.
Moral responsibility: Accountability for conduct under ethical or moral standards. A person can be morally responsible without meeting the legal grounds for liability.
Punitive damages: Damages awarded to punish especially wrongful conduct and deter similar behavior. They may increase the consequences of civil liability beyond compensation.
Causation: A relationship in which one event or condition brings about another. Liability often depends on linking the defendant’s conduct to the claimed harm.
Criminal liability: Responsibility under criminal law for conduct prohibited by statute or common law. It can lead to punishment by the state rather than compensation for a claimant.

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