Negligent Entrustment

Pronunciation: NEG-lih-jent en-TRUST-ment

Torts › Duty of Care

Definition

A person who entrusts a vehicle, weapon, or other dangerous instrumentality to someone they know or should know is incompetent, inexperienced, or likely to use it dangerously is liable for injuries caused by that person's negligent use. The entrustment itself is the negligent act. The entrustor need not be present at the time of the injury. Applies to parents entrusting cars to unlicensed minors, employers providing equipment to untrained workers, and gun owners lending firearms to persons known to be reckless.

Related terms

• Duty of Care — A legal obligation to exercise reasonable care to avoid causing harm to others. The duty of care is…
• Proximate Cause — A limitation on liability requiring that the harm suffered must be within the scope of risk created by…
• Vicarious Liability — Liability imposed on one party for the tortious conduct of another based on a special relationship between them,…

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