Section 11.17 Superseding Cause

• Library: Tort Law 2016

C. (§11.17) Superseding Cause

In Exxon Co., U.S.A. v. Sofec, Inc., 517 U.S. 830 (1996), the U.S. Supreme Court reconciled a split in the lower federal courts that arose out of its 1975 decision in United States v. Reliable Transfer Co., 421 U.S. 397 (1975), and confirmed that the doctrine of superseding cause applies in actions arising under the general maritime law to alleviate a potentially liable party from any liability when the injury was actually brought about by the unforeseeable later negligence of another. The Court explained that, in adopting the principle of comparative fault in...