Criminal Law: Supervening Causes [Break in Causation]

Supervening causes are unforeseeable and independent events that occur after the defendant’s initial act but contribute to the final outcome. If it can be proven that an event or act was free, deliberate and informed intervention by a third party, a supervening cause can break the chain of causation between the defendant’s actions and the resulting harm. This break in the chain of causation can absolve or reduce the defendant’s liability for the harm.