Palsgraf v. Which means long Island Railroad Co. Now, case summary remains a cornerstone of first-year law school curricula and a defining reference point for understanding negligence in American tort law. Decided in 1928 by the New York Court of Appeals, the case introduced a lasting framework for determining when a defendant owes a legal duty to an injured plaintiff. At its heart, the decision wrestled with a simple but profound question: can a person be held liable for harm that was not reasonably foreseeable at the time the alleged negligence occurred? The answer articulated by Chief Judge Benjamin Cardozo continues to shape how courts analyze proximate cause, duty of care, and the limits of liability more than ninety years later.
What Is Palsgraf v. Long Island Railroad Co.?
Palsgraf v. Long Island Railroad Co. is a landmark tort law decision that addressed the boundaries of negligence liability.
