The Reasonable person rule is a legal standard or law. This law is enforced to ascertain the liability of defendants in cases such as negligence or unintentional harm due to carelessness. This rule is applied to all citizens.
The Reasonable person rule is placed to ensure every citizen acts responsibly in their day-to-day tasks and avoids actions that could harm others or put other citizens at risk of life or any sort of injury. Upon the failure of acting as a responsible person, and as the consequence of harming someone, the defendant would be considered liable to that person for the damage he/she has done. To make certain of the truth for fair consequences, this rule has been made.
What are the characteristics of a Responsible Person?
- The reasonable person exercises standard care and avoids risks that could potentially harm them or others. These are normal standards expected of any ordinary man/woman. A reasonable and sensible person would do the same in such circumstances to avoid harm and liability.
- The reasonable person is not a specific someone or particular individual. In fact, when the rule is applied, the practicalities of what they would do and should do will be taken into account for a better judgment and to figure out the liability of the defendant in the matter.
- It is a rule that defies recklessness and carelessness. It doesn’t expect perfection or to remove all risks but it expects individuals to act with care and responsibility.
- Since the rule is applied to all, even the victims are held up responsible under the reasonable person rule, after-all the victims can be at fault too.
How do courts determine liability and reasonableness?
Courts assess the behavior and determine whether the defendant was negligent. According to the laws and courts, the matter is entirely different depending on each case and so is the determination of a reasonable person. The facts are determined on the basis of likely knowing about the foreseeable harm, the gravity, and severity of the damage, and the cost or consequence of the harm. In addition to these, courts may look into the government laws, restrictions, and limited options of the individual to come up with a judgment, as all these aspects play an important role.
What are the exceptions to the Reasonable Person Rule?
The courts and laws have considered that there are certain exceptions to reasonable person rules. These exceptions either exempt the defendant or place stricter rules.
People with mental disabilities with involuntary and unconscious actions are exempt from liability. In most cases, children are also considered exempt or taken into consideration before passing a final judgment. The age of the child plays an important role in determining this.
Final Words
In a world of rights and wrongs hardly recognizable, the best we have got to balance and maintain the consistency of the law for being responsible is the reasonable person standard.
