A prima facie case of negligence requires four elements: duty, breach, causation, and damages.

• A. Duty of care and breach only
• B. Duty of care, breach, causation, and damages
• C. Causation and damages only
• D. Duty and damages only

Answer: (B)

The essential concept here is that negligence is proven by four elements: a duty of care owed to the plaintiff, a breach of that duty, causation linking the breach to the injury, and actual damages. Each element must be shown to establish a prima facie case.

Duty of care means there is a legal obligation to avoid harming the plaintiff. Breach means failing to meet the expected standard of care. Causation requires a direct link between the breach and the harm—the breach must be the cause of the damages, not an unrelated factor. Damages are the actual losses suffered, such as injury, medical costs, or property damage.

In a landlord-tenant context, the landlord has a duty to keep the premises reasonably safe. A breach would be something like failing to repair a known hazard. The plaintiff must show that this breach caused the damages and that there are real losses as a result.

Only the option that includes all four elements—duty, breach, causation, and damages—can establish a prima facie case. The other choices miss one or more essential elements, so they don’t meet the standard.