Words / N / Law

novus actus interveniens

noun/ˌnəʊvəs ˈæktəs ˌɪntəˈviːniɛnz/

C2CEFR level
95/100Rarity: very rare
TechnicalRegister

A new intervening act that breaks the chain of causation between conduct and harm.

Counsel argued the victim's own reckless act was a novus actus interveniens severing liability.

Similar: intervening act, break in causation

Topic: Criminal law in Legal English

Rarity runs from 0 (a word everyone knows) to 100 (almost never seen outside specialist or literary writing). Level is the word's real difficulty on the CEFR scale, from A1 to C2.

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More law words: Criminal law