Vicarious Liability

Vicarious liability is a doctrine of tort law under which one party, most commonly an employer, can be held legally responsible for the wrongful acts of another party, most commonly an employee, because of the relationship between them and the degree of control the first party exercises over the second, rather than because of any wrongdoing by the first party itself. Rooted in the common law doctrine of agency and often described by the Latin phrase respondeat superior, let the superior answer, the doctrine most commonly holds an employer liable for an employee's negligent acts committed within the scope of employment, even where the employee acted improperly while carrying out an otherwise authorized task.