Also known as: causal linkages · causal link · causal links · causally linked · causation · causal connection
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A genuine connection between a party's conduct and resulting harm that goes beyond mere coincidence even when but-for causation is satisfied. The connection must meet the applicable legal standards for cause in fact and legal cause under the governing doctrine.
Caitlin Crowley suffered a single injury from one of two negligent drivers on the same road. She could not identify which vehicle struck her. Both drivers were negligent toward her. The court shifted the burden to each driver to prove his conduct was not the cause in fact of the harm. Neither driver met the burden, so both faced liability.
Christopher Collins wounded Cecilia Cabrera in an assault. She died more than fourteen months later from complications. Prosecutors could not establish homicide liability despite clear but-for causation between the wound and death. The passage of time broke the required causal linkage under the common-law limit.
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Charlotte Chung sued two contractors after a building collapse injured her. Evidence showed both performed work on the structure. The court determined whether the evidence created a jury question on whether each contractor's conduct was a substantial factor in the collapse. It also decided whether the harm could be apportioned between the two causes.
Charles Cunningham killed a witness who had testified against him. The prosecution sought to introduce the witness's prior statements. The court admitted the statements only after finding that Cunningham acted with the specific purpose of preventing the witness from testifying. Mere causation of unavailability did not establish the required causal linkage.
Cassandra Cooper suffered injury after using a medical device. She sued the manufacturer claiming inadequate warnings. The court required her to show that a proper warning to her physician would have changed the prescribing decision. Generalized evidence that the physician knew of risks was insufficient to prove the necessary causal linkage.
Coastal Shipping claimed a chemical exposure caused crew members' illnesses. The company offered expert testimony linking the exposure to the symptoms. The court assessed whether the expert's methods reliably established a causal linkage between the chemical and the specific injuries before admitting the testimony.
Causal linkage requires more than literal but-for causation when the connection is merely coincidental. A defendant's negligence must bear a genuine relationship to the harm rather than resulting from independent events that happened to coincide with the negligent act.
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The burden shifts when multiple defendants were negligent toward the plaintiff, the plaintiff suffered a single harm caused by only one of them, and it is impossible for the plaintiff to identify which defendant caused the injury. Each defendant must then prove its conduct was not the cause in fact of the harm.
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The plaintiff must demonstrate that an adequate warning to the prescribing physician would have altered the physician's decision to prescribe the device or drug. Generalized evidence that the physician was aware of risks is insufficient to prove the required causal linkage.
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…one of degree." To the same effect is the concurring opinion of Justice Cardozo in Schechter Poultry : "There is a view of causation that would obliterate the distinction between what is national and what is local in the activities of commerce. Motion at the outer rim is communicated perceptibly, though minutely, to…