What is Superseding Cause?
Updated January 24, 2026
An unforeseeable intervening event that breaks the chain of causation between the defendant's negligence and the plaintiff's injury, relieving the defendant of liability.
Understanding Superseding Cause
A superseding cause must be an independent event that was not reasonably foreseeable at the time of the defendant's negligent act. Not all intervening causes are superseding; if the intervening event was foreseeable, the original defendant remains liable. The distinction between a foreseeable intervening cause and an unforeseeable superseding cause is often a key issue in personal injury litigation.
Examples
- 1Lightning striking plaintiff while waiting for tow truck after defendant caused accident
- 2Criminal act of a third party that could not have been predicted
- 3Natural disaster occurring between the negligent act and the injury
Related Terms
Proximate Cause
The primary or legal cause of an injury that is sufficiently related to the harm to justify holding the defendant responsible, even if other factors also contributed.
Negligence
The failure to exercise the level of care that a reasonably prudent person would exercise in similar circumstances, resulting in harm to another person or their property.
Duty of Care
A legal obligation requiring a person or entity to exercise a reasonable level of caution and prudence to avoid causing foreseeable harm to others.
Liability Dispute
A disagreement between parties about who is legally at fault for causing an accident, injury, or other harm.
Breach of Duty
A failure to meet the applicable standard of care or to fulfill a legal obligation to act reasonably, which is a required element of a negligence claim.
For Personal Injury cases
The record behind a term like this one is built by the client, not the file.
Quilia asks clients about treatment, appointments and how they are doing, records the answers on the case, and syncs it to Clio, Filevine, MyCase, Neos and more.
Keep Clients Informed Without the Phone Calls
Quilia's client portal keeps your clients engaged with automated updates, reminders, and document collection, so your team can focus on winning cases.