Understanding Liability in Negligence Cases

Question:

Benjamin's negligent act injures Judith. Naomi, Judith's friend, breaks her arm while attempting to come to Judith's aid. Benjamin is most likely to be liable for harm to:

a. only Judith

b. only Naomi

c. both Judith and Naomi

d. neither Judith nor Naomi

Answer:

Benjamin is most likely to be liable for harm to only Judith.

When it comes to negligence cases, liability is determined based on the concept of duty of care and foreseeability of harm. In this scenario, Benjamin's negligent act directly caused harm to Judith, making him liable for the injuries she suffered as a result of his actions.

However, Naomi's broken arm occurred as a result of her own intervening action while trying to come to Judith's aid. This intervening event may break the chain of causation that would make Benjamin liable for Naomi's injury. Benjamin's liability typically extends to foreseeable consequences of his negligence, and Naomi's broken arm may not be considered a foreseeable consequence of his initial negligent act.

Therefore, based on the information provided, Benjamin is most likely to be liable for harm to Judith alone and not for the injury sustained by Naomi. Option a, which states that Benjamin is most likely to be liable for harm to only Judith, is the correct answer in this case.