| Strict liability is a legal doctrine that holds a person | | | | guilty act and guilty mind are required. In strict liability |
| responsible for the damages or loss caused by his or | | | | situations, the defendant can raise a defense of |
| her acts or omissions. This doctrine holds a person | | | | absence of fault. The plaintiff, however, does not have |
| liability regardless of culpability. Strict liability is important | | | | to prove fault. |
| to tort law, particularly in product liability lawsuits. It is | | | | An example of strict liability is the tiger rehabilitation |
| also important for corporation law and criminal law. | | | | situation. A tiger rehabilitation center can have the |
| In torts, strict liability is the doctrine that imposes liability | | | | strongest tiger cages available; however, when a tiger |
| on a party or person without a finding of fault. A finding | | | | escapes and if it causes damages and injuries, the |
| of fault would be negligence or tortious intent. The | | | | owner of the tiger rehab center is liable. While the tiger |
| plaintiff needs to prove only that the tort happened | | | | center may have taken as many precautions as |
| and that the defendant was responsible. Strict liability is | | | | possible, it was still involved in an inherently dangerous |
| imposed for legal infractions that are malum prohibitum | | | | activity. |
| rather than malum in se. Malum prohibitum means that | | | | Another common example is when a contractor hires |
| an act is wrong because it violates a statute. Malum in | | | | a demolition subcontractor that lacks proper insurance. |
| se means that an act is wrong because it is evil in and | | | | If the subcontractor makes a mistake and someone |
| of itself. Because the act was prohibited by statute, | | | | gets hurt, the general contractor is strictly liable for any |
| neither good faith nor the fact that a defendant took | | | | damages that occur. |
| as many precautions as possible are valid defenses. | | | | The law imputes strict liability to instances it considers |
| Strict liability frequently applies to those who were | | | | inherently dangerous. It is designed to discourage |
| engaged in a hazardous or inherently dangerous | | | | reckless behavior and needless loss by forcing |
| venture. | | | | potential defendants to take every possible precaution. |
| Strict liability is different from absolute liability. In | | | | It also has the benefit of simplifying litigation and |
| absolute liability, only a guilty act is required for the | | | | allowing the victim to achieve compensation more |
| person to be liable for an injury. With strict liability, a | | | | quickly. |