American Truck Leasing, Inc. v. Thorne Equipment Co.
Pennsylvania Supreme Court
583 A.2d 1242 (1991)
Relevant factsFree
A fire in Gross's (defendant) vacant building, allegedly caused by her negligent accumulation of trash, damaged a nearby elevator shaft; when the city later hired Thorne (defendant) to demolish the damaged shaft, a portion of it fell and damaged property owned by American Truck (plaintiff), which sued all involved parties including Gross for negligence.
IssueFree
Whether, to recover damages in a negligence action, a plaintiff must show that a defendant's negligent conduct was a substantial factor in bringing about the plaintiff's harm, without the presence of an intervening act sufficient to break the causal connection.