NALA Certified Paralegal Practice Exam

_____ is causation brought by an act or omission without which an event would not have occurred.

1. Cause in fact

2. Legal cause

3. Proximate cause

4. None of the above

The correct answer is: Cause in fact

Cause in fact is the phrase used to describe causation that directly leads to an event. It is the very first factor that should be examined in a causation analysis. Legal cause, on the other hand, refers to whether an act or omission is considered legally responsible for the resulting harm. It looks at the foreseeability of the consequences of the act or omission. Proximate cause, while closely related to legal cause, refers specifically to the legal concept of "foreseeable harm." In other words, it asks whether the harm that resulted was a natural and probable consequence of the act or omission. This concept goes beyond just foreseeability and also considers whether the harm was directly caused by the act or omission. Therefore, option D, "None of the above," is incorrect because all three options are relevant in determining causation. However, the most direct and immediate factor in causation is cause