Legal Definitions - efficient cause

Definition: Efficient cause is a term used in law to refer to the proximate cause or the immediate cause that produces an event or result. It is the cause that is legally sufficient to result in liability.

Example: If a person drives a car recklessly and causes an accident that injures someone, their reckless driving is the efficient cause of the accident. Without their reckless driving, the accident would not have occurred.

This example illustrates how efficient cause is the direct cause that produces an event or result. In this case, the reckless driving is the immediate cause of the accident and the resulting injuries.