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Simple English definitions for legal terms
intervening act
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A quick definition of intervening act:
An intervening act is something that happens between the start of something and the end result, which changes what would have happened. If the intervening act is strong enough, it can relieve someone of any responsibility for what happened. There are different types of intervening acts, like dependent and independent ones. A dependent one is not an action and can never relieve someone of responsibility, while an independent one operates on a condition produced by an earlier cause but did not result from it.A more thorough explanation:
An intervening act is an event that comes between the initial event in a sequence and the end result, thereby altering the natural course of events that might have connected a wrongful act to an injury. It can be a factor that plays a part in producing a result, but not the primary cause.
For example, if a person is driving recklessly and hits another car, causing injuries, but then a third car crashes into the second car, causing more severe injuries, the third car is considered an intervening act. It alters the natural course of events that might have connected the reckless driving to the injuries.
If the intervening act is strong enough to relieve the wrongdoer of any liability, it becomes a superseding cause. An independent intervening cause is one that operates on a condition produced by an antecedent cause but in no way resulted from that cause.
Overall, an intervening act is an event that comes between the initial event and the end result, altering the natural course of events that might have connected a wrongful act to an injury.