Also known as: causae proximae · proximate cause · proximate causation
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
The immediate or latest cause in a sequence of events leading to an injury or loss. It identifies the legally responsible link between conduct and harm by focusing on the final operative event rather than earlier remote factors.
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Christine Castro left her loaded handgun on a kitchen table within easy reach of her twelve-year-old son. The boy took the gun to school and accidentally shot a classmate. Christine's failure to secure the weapon was the immediate cause that enabled the shooting, so she faces liability for negligent entrustment.
A physician administered a medication by IV push despite an earlier label that did not warn against the method. The absence of that warning was the immediate cause connecting the manufacturer's labeling decision to the patient's injury.
Camila Cervantes stood on a train platform when a package containing fireworks fell and exploded. The blast knocked over a scale that struck her. The scale's toppling was the immediate cause linking the package drop to her injuries.
Cassandra Cooper continued smoking after reading the federal warning labels on cigarette packages. The content of those labels formed the immediate causal link between the manufacturer's disclosures and her continued use of the product.
Claire Campbell's company sold toner cartridges using advertisements that falsely claimed compatibility with Lexmark printers. The misleading statements were the immediate cause of lost sales to Static Control, establishing standing for the Lanham Act claim.
Clifford Cox sued a manufacturer after exposure to asbestos but produced no evidence linking any specific product to his injury. The absence of that causal link was the immediate reason the court granted summary judgment against him.
Causa proxima is the immediate or latest cause that directly produces the harm. Causa remota is an earlier or indirect factor that sets the stage but does not itself trigger the injury.
A parent's own negligent supervision or entrustment must be the immediate cause that enables the child's conduct. Mere status as a parent does not create liability without that direct causal connection.
The concept of the immediate cause appears in negligence analysis across multiple contexts, including professional liability claims where an attorney's omission must be the operative link to the client's loss.
…corporation, in the federal court for the southern district of that State. The issues were whether negligence of defendant was a proximate cause of his injuries and whether negligence of plaintiff contributed. He claimed that, by hauling the car with the open door, defendant violated a duty to him. The defendant insisted that it…