Legal Definitions - factual cause

Definition: Factual cause is the cause without which the event could not have occurred. It is also known as but-for cause. It is something that produces an effect or result. For example, if a person's car hits another car, the factual cause of the accident is the person's car hitting the other car.

Examples:

• If a person throws a rock and it hits a window, the factual cause of the broken window is the rock hitting it.
• If a person slips on a wet floor and falls, the factual cause of the fall is the wet floor.

These examples illustrate that factual cause is the direct cause of an event or result. Without the rock hitting the window or the floor being wet, the broken window or the fall would not have occurred.