novus actus interveniens

Noun

novus actus interveniens (uncountable)

1. A doctrine of law that, in certain circumstances, an intervening event can break the chain of causation between a person's action and its result, potentially depriving that person of legal liability for the result; such an intervening event.
   • The fact that the bouncer’s act may have been a novus actus interveniens, or an intervening act, is part of the analysis of whether legal causation has been established and whether the appellants should be held legally accountable for the death.... The Manitoba Court of Appeal held that, in order...2012 May 18, A. Karakatsanis, J., “R. v. Maybin, 2012 SCC 24”, in CanLII, retrieved 21 Sep 2020