Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Key definition

Causation definition

What does Causation mean? Causation describes how the law links a person’s conduct to a harmful outcome, so as to establish liability in negligence and other torts/delicts, or guilt in criminal offences. - Factual causation: usually the ‘but for’ test—would the loss or injury have occurred but for the defendant’s act or omission? In limited circumstances, courts accept material contribution to harm or a material increase in risk (notably for indivisible diseases), and address multiple concurrent or successive causes. - Legal causation (scope of liability/remoteness): whether the kind of damage was reasonably foreseeable and whether any novus actus interveniens broke the chain of causation. The thin...

Causation in Personal Injury: But For, Material Contribution, Occupational Disease (Including Mesothelioma), Multiple Tortfeasors, Remoteness, Intervening Acts, Negligent Medical Treatment and Loss of a Chance

Published by a LexisNexis PI & Clinical Negligence expert

Practice notes

For guidance on causation in clinical negligence matters, refer to Practice Note: Causation and material contribution in clinical negligence claims.

Did the breach cause the injury to the claimant?

The baseline for proving causation is the ‘but for’ test: but for the defendant’s breach of duty, would the claimant have suffered the harm in question?

In a personal injury claim alleging negligence or breach of statutory duty, the claimant must show the defendant owed and breached a duty, and that this breach resulted in loss or damage.

It is helpful to consider the claim in key components:

did a duty of care exist?
was that duty breached by the defendant?
is there a causal link between the breach and the loss or damage?
what is the nature and scope of the loss or damage?

The claimant bears the burden of proving the breach caused the damage by establishing that, but for the breach, the damage would not have occurred. If no causal nexus is shown between the impugned act and the harm suffered, the claim will fail...

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David Juckes

Hailsham Chambers

David has a broad practice including clinical and professional negligence, professional discipline, and personal injury. He has been instructed on inquests, civil trials and regulatory hearings. He drafts pleadings and advises in personal injury, clinical negligence and professional negligence disputes, and has also advised on matters of professional indemnity....

Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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