Contributory vs Comparative Negligence in U.S. Tort Law.

In U.S. negligence cases, courts allocate damages between careless parties based on fault. Under the contributory negligence rule (an older doctrine), any fault by the plaintiff bars recovery altogether. Even 1% plaintiff fault means zero damageslaw.cornell.edu. Only a few jurisdictions still follow pure contributory negligence: Alabama, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, and the District of Columbialaw.cornell.edu.ContinueContinue reading “Contributory vs Comparative Negligence in U.S. Tort Law.”