The But For Rule is a qualification principle which helps to determine a defendant's guilt or innocence primarily in cases involving negligence. The defendant is presumed at fault if the damages would not have taken place "but for" the defendant's actions or lack of actions. For example, but for the driver running the red light, the accident would not have happened
The But For Rule is used to determine whether or not a person is responsible for something occurring that caused some form of damage. If the damages would not have occurred if it weren't for the defendant's specific actions or lack of actions, then the defendant can be held responsible. The But For Rule is highly relevant in negligence cases or any case where an accident of any type is involved. It could be a car accident, a medical accident, a construction accident, etc. In any case, the question is would the damage have occurred without the defendant's actions or lack of actions