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Gross Negligence
What is gross negligence?
"Gross negligence" means carelessness or recklessness that amounts to a conscious disregard for the safety of others. Gross negligence involves a higher degree of carelessness than ordinary negligence. For example, dumping toxic waste into your neighbor's swimming pool would constitute gross negligence.
Why is gross negligence significant?
In a personal injury action, it may be necessary to prove gross negligence in order to recover punitive damages. Punitive damages are awarded to punish the defendant rather than to compensate the plaintiff for his injuries. In addition, some laws grant immunity to certain persons (such as government employees) unless they are guilty of gross negligence. Copyright 2007 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.
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