Use this for questions where the award of damages, or its possibility, is involved.
Questions tagged [liability]
559 questions
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Is it illegal to infringe copyright if your boss or your client ordered you to do it?
The first possible scenario is this: suppose you work in a company, and you need to install some software for a client. The software needs to be purchased, but the boss tells you to just download it for free illegally (infringing copyright). You…
reed
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What legal liability does one's participation on Stack Exchange carry?
This question is motivated by a question which came up recently on engineering.SE: Cracks on the wall. It may be closed in the future so I will summarize. The user posted pictures of (very large) cracks in the wall of his house and asked the…
Chris Mueller
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USA: Is "I am not a lawyer" disclaimer generally necessary?
Is it legally necessary to disclaim "I am not a lawyer" when engaging in casual conversation, writing Internet posts, etc. to avoid civil or criminal liability for one's comments? Specifically, in the absence of:
claims to be a lawyer or implied…
wberry
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Fred closes a stranger's truck door; the truck later burns down. What is Fred's liability?
This question comes directly from an episode of the call-in automotive advice show Car Talk. The original call occurred in or around 1994, but recently re-aired in episode 2349, "We Specialize in All Makes Foreign and Domestic".
In his call, "Fred"…
smitelli
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Can I booby-trap my property against police?
Inspired by this question: Suppose I'm paranoid (perhaps justifiably) that law enforcement personnel might conduct a warranted raid of my property. So I setup booby-traps that are designed to either:
A. Destroy any evidence I think they might look…
feetwet
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33
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When Mr. Incredible saved a man from killing himself, is he really liable for damages?
If you're not familiar with The Incredibles, at the start, a man falls off a skyscraper (intending to commit suicide), and Mr. Incredible jumps off another roof-top and catches him, stopping him from dying (but he seemingly suffers a broken neck…
chausies
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Is the bus driver forced to break a law when allocated more students than the maximum capacity of the bus?
At the high school I go to, our school district's transportation department (likely due to budget reasons) has allocated more students onto one bus than its maximum capacity, resulting in kids sitting in the aisles, or hanging off of a seat. I've…
violetorigin
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My bag falls off the overhead rack of a train onto the seat below. In case of damage or injury, who is liable and what to do?
In most long-distance trains, notably in Europe, there are big racks for the larger bags and a shelf above the seats that runs the entire length of the car for smaller ones. The latter is also used for large suitcases when the train is rather…
DavGin
32
votes
1 answer
Can a website incur liability for linking to a funding campaign for a lawsuit against it?
A large website that hosts user-created content has recently announced that it is redacting links to a fundraising campaign for a lawsuit against it "under direction from [its] legal team." Is there a theory of liability under which there is some…
Stop Harming the Community
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What are some possible law suits or civil actions the Las Vegas shooting victims could take?
I assume that many, if not all of the businesses, corporations and individuals who were operating and supplying services at the time of the Las Vegas Strip shootings (Wikipedia) - such as hotels, concert promoters, etc. - to guests and concert…
BlueDogRanch
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How do free-speech protections in the United States apply in public to corporate misrepresentations?
Last night, I was driving behind a truck that had a very official-looking sign like this:
(Sign says, "WARNING STAY BACK 200 FT. NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR BROKEN WINDSHIELDS!")
Some cursory Googling brought me to this page from an attorney (who is…
Bruce Kirkpatrick
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26
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If a firm gets acquired, must new owners respect past subscriptions?
Reading VPN firm says it didn’t know customers had lifetime subscriptions, cancels them made me wonder: if a firm gets acquired, must new owners respect past subscriptions?
Over the years, I've used many "unlimited" services that were eventually…
Franck Dernoncourt
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Can one be liable for poisoning food one expects to be stolen?
A friend of mine posted about how someone keeps stealing her food at work, and I recommended she lace it with some insanely hot hot sauce. Someone else commented that she could be liable for poisoning someone if she did that.
The thief is already…
childofsoong
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A car catches fire in a carpark. The resulting fire spreads destroying the entire carpark. Who is liable?
A car catches fire in a multi-story carpark. The fire spreads quickly from the car, igniting nearby vehicles, leading to a raging inferno that causes the collapse of the carpark. All the cars parked in the facility are damaged beyond economic…
anon
25
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2 answers
Do cats have a "right to roam" in the UK?
I've seen numerous sources, including the RSPCA, making claims along the lines that cats in the UK have a "right to roam", are "free spirits", and therefore that cat owners cannot be held liable for their cat's actions that cause damage. However,…
Jez
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