contributory negligence

American  

noun

Law.

1. negligence on the part of an injured party that combines with the negligence of another in causing the injury, sometimes so as to diminish or bar the recovery of damages for the injury.

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contributory negligence British  

noun

1. law failure by an injured person to have taken proper precautions to prevent an accident

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Etymology

Origin of contributory negligence

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

contributory negligence

Makes going to Dallas for a Cowboys game such a doubtful decision that your insurance company will refuse to pay on the grounds of contributory negligence.

From New York Times ● Jul. 10, 2016

Last week’s fireworks in the council were only the latest in a two-year battle between cyclists and motorists over the city’s contributory negligence law, also known as the 1 percent rule.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 4, 2016

D.C. law uses a standard of contributory negligence, meaning that if the cyclist or pedestrian is found to be 1 percent at fault in a crash, he or she cannot recover damages.

From Washington Post

A decade ago, the legal doctrine of contributory negligence might have barred such a suit because damages usually were not awarded if the victim was to blame in any way.

From Time Magazine Archive

They only create and thrust it down our throats; we are guilty of contributory negligence in not biting the spoon.

From The Shadow On The Dial, and Other Essays 1909 by Howes, S. O. (Silas Orrin)