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duty definition - legal

n

A legally-defined responsibility to perform certain acts or meet certain standards of performance; an essential element of proof in a tort action is that the defendant had a duty to act in a certain manner, such as the duty to use due care in the operation of a motor vehicle. Duties may be mandated by law, such as the duty to pay taxes, or may be voluntary, such as those assumed under a contract.
delegable duty
A duty that may be transferred to another.
nondelegable duty
A duty that one must perform personally, and that may not be delegated to another.

Webster's New World Law Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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