In a negligence claim, what does the plaintiff NOT have to demonstrate?

In a negligence claim, the plaintiff does not have to demonstrate that the defendant acted with intent. The basis of a negligence claim rests not on the intent to cause harm but rather on the failure to exercise reasonable care, which leads to injury or damages.

Negligence is characterized by an individual's failure to act as a reasonable person would under similar circumstances, which creates a risk of harm to others. As such, the core components that must be established include that the defendant owed a duty of care to the plaintiff, that there was a breach of that duty, and that the breach caused the plaintiff's damages. The demonstration of intent is irrelevant in this context because negligence is fundamentally about carelessness rather than intentional wrongdoing.

Recklessness can heighten the degree of wrongdoing but is not a requirement to establish negligence. Thus, while showing reckless behavior could potentially support a claim for a different kind of tort, it is not a necessary element for proving a negligence claim.