In
English tort law, an individual may owe a
duty of care to another, to ensure that they do not suffer any unreasonable harm or loss. If such a duty is found to be
breached, a
legal liability is imposed upon the
tortfeasor to compensate the victim for any losses they incur. The idea of individuals owing strangers a duty of care – where beforehand such duties were only found from contractual arrangements – developed at
common law, throughout the 20th century. The doctrine was significantly developed in the case of
Donoghue v Stevenson, where a woman succeeded in establishing a manufacturer of
ginger beer owed her a duty of care, where it had been negligently produced. Following this, the duty concept has expanded into a coherent judicial test, which must be satisfied in order to claim in
negligence.