Opinion ID: 1679366
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Heading: Elements of Delictual Responsibility

Text: Under one analytical approach, in order for a defendant to be held liable for damages caused another by his negligence, affirmative answers must be given to these questions: (1) given the relationship and circumstances of the parties, does the law impose upon the defendant a duty of reasonable conduct for the benefit of the plaintiff, the violation of which is considered to be fault? (2) If the defendant owed such a duty, did his conduct fall short of the standard and come within the scope set by law? (3) Did the defendant's negligence in fact cause damage to the plaintiff (`cause in fact')? (4) Should any of the damage to the plaintiff be ascribed in law to the defendant, and, if so, should the defendant be held liable for every kind of damage done to each of plaintiff's interests (`legal cause')? La.Civ.Code Ann. art. 2315 (West Supp. 1988) and 2316 (West 1979); see 12 F. Stone, Louisiana Civil Law Treatise Tort Doctrine § 10 (1977); see R.W.M. Dias and B.S. Markesinis, Tort Law p.36 (1984); Prosser and Keeton, supra, § 30. For the purpose of determining the validity of the defendant's motion and exception, all well pleaded allegations of fact are accepted as true. La. Code Civ.Proc.Ann. art. 931 (West 1984); Haskins v. Clary, 346 So.2d 193 (La.1977); Hero Lands Co. v. Texaco, Inc., 310 So.2d 93 (La. 1975); La. State Bd. of Med. Exm'r's. v. England, 252 La. 1000, 215 So.2d 640 (1968). Accordingly, we accept as true the plaintiff's allegations that defendant was guilty of negligence that in fact caused the damages. Thus, the only issues present for our consideration are whether defendant owed a duty of reasonable care to the plaintiffs and whether his negligence was a legal cause of the damage done to each of the plaintiffs' interests that was injured. The legal cause of the damage in question could be stated as part of the duty inquiry: was the defendant under a duty to protect each of the plaintiff's interests affected against the type of damage that did in fact occur? Such a form of statement is sometimes helpful because it is less likely than proximate cause to be interpreted as if it were policy free fact finding; thus, duty is more apt to direct attention to the policy issues which determine the extent of the original obligation and its continuance, rather than to the mechanical sequence of events which goes to make up causation in fact. See, e.g., PPG Industries, Inc. v. Bean Dredging, 447 So.2d 1058 (La.1984); Carter v. City Parish Governments of East Baton Rouge, 423 So.2d 1080 (La.1982); Hill v. Lundin and Assoc., Inc., 260 La. 542, 256 So.2d 620 (1972). The duty risk approach is most helpful, however, in cases where the only issue is in reality whether the defendant stands in any relationship to the plaintiff as to create any legally recognized obligation of conduct for the plaintiff's benefit. Prosser and Keeton, supra, § 42. Terms such as duty are merely verbal expressions of policy decisions and do not explain them. Allusions to policy should not be made a substitute for more determinate legal principles when they may be utilized. It is the task of the bench and the bar not only to ensure that justice is done, but also to demonstrate that it is being done according to law, which is essential to preserving public confidence. Policy considerations do indeed shape one's sense of the right decision, but whenever possible these should be given effect through the indispensable minimum of principles of liability in negligence, nebulous though they may be in themselves. Dias and Markesinis, supra, at 39. Accordingly, we conclude that, when the case presents difficult issues as to the nature and extent of damages ascribed to the defendant, once it has been decided that the defendant's breach of a duty in fact caused damage to the plaintiff, it may be helpful to use a legal cause analysis which affords the application of foreseeability rules and other concepts of limitation. Although indistinct, these rules and concepts are more determinate than the abstract idea of a duty based on various policy considerations and may prove more helpful to triers of the facts, at least as starting points for legal reasoning.