User:Sp1dey/Fault

Fault, as a legal term, refers to the legal responsibility and blameworthiness that arise when defendant commits an act knowing that it constitutes a wrongdoing. The basic principle is that a defendant should be able to contemplate the harm that his actions may cause, and therefore should aim to avoid such actions.

In common law, fault is an element of the crime, whereas, in most of the civil law legal systems, determining whether an act constitutes wrongdoing is not sufficient to hold the perpetrator responsible for the outcome. After the objective elements of the crime are established, a judgment about fault is made to evaluate the perpetrator's personal blameworthiness.