Evidence & Liability Summary
Synthesizes collected evidence into a structured negligence liability analysis (duty, breach, causation, damages) for plaintiff-side personal injury litigation.
Prerequisites
Gather before starting:
- Incident facts — date, time, location, parties, basic chronology
- Evidence collected — documents, witness statements, photos/video, medical records, digital evidence
- Medical records — treatment history, bills, prognosis, expert reports if available
- Jurisdiction — governing state/federal law
- Defendant info — identity, relationship to plaintiff, applicable standard of care
Workflow
Mark the output PRIVILEGED AND CONFIDENTIAL — ATTORNEY WORK PRODUCT.
Step 1 — Case Overview
| Element |
Content |
| Parties |
All parties by legal designation (plaintiff, defendant, third parties) |
| Incident |
Date, time, location, circumstances |
| Chronology |
Pre-incident through aftermath timeline |
| Gaps |
Timeline gaps or inconsistencies needing investigation |
Write for a lawyer unfamiliar with the matter.
Step 2 — Evidence Catalog
For each item, record:
| Field |
Description |
| Exhibit # |
Unique identifier |
| Category |
Documentary / Testimonial / Physical / Digital |
| Date |
Creation or collection date |
| Source |
Custodian or origin |
| Description |
Brief content summary |
| Relevance |
High / Medium / Low probative value |
| Issues |
Privilege, hearsay, authentication, admissibility concerns |
Flag chain-of-custody gaps, authentication needs, compelling evidence, and discovery gaps.
Step 3 — Negligence Element Analysis
A. Duty of Care
- Source: statute, regulation, professional standard, common law, special relationship
- Standard: reasonable person, industry standard, professional code — cite authority
- Defense anticipation: expected denial of duty with counter-analysis
B. Breach of Duty
- Identify specific acts/omissions constituting breach
- Map each to supporting evidence by exhibit #
- Compare conduct against applicable standard
- Reference expert testimony where technical knowledge required
- Address anticipated defenses (industry compliance, regulatory adherence)
C. Causation
| Type |
Test |
Analysis |
| Actual (cause-in-fact) |
"But for" test |
Address alternative causes; show substantial factor |
| Proximate (legal cause) |
Foreseeability |
Address superseding/intervening causes |
| Multiple parties |
Comparative fault / joint & several |
Apportion under governing law if applicable |
D. Damages
| Category |
Items |
| Economic |
Past/future medical expenses, lost wages, lost earning capacity, property damage |
| Non-economic |
Pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of consortium |
| Total |
Low–high range |
- Support amounts with bills, employment records, estimates, expert testimony
- Include present-value calculations for future damages
- Address mitigation and pre-existing conditions
Step 4 — Conclusions & Recommendations
Rate each element:
| Element |
Strength (Strong / Moderate / Weak) |
Key Risk |
| Duty |
|
|
| Breach |
|
|
| Causation |
|
|
| Damages |
|
|
Then provide:
- Case valuation range with comparable verdict/settlement basis
- Discovery gaps and recommended next steps
- Expert witnesses to retain
- Settlement target range and strategy
- Motion practice opportunities
- Statute of limitations status and procedural deadlines
- Risk assessment — recommend proceed / settle / ADR
Step 5 — References
- Legal authorities in Bluebook format
- Evidence cross-reference table (exhibit #, description, file location)
- Expert reports (name, credentials, date, key opinions)
Pitfalls & Checks
- Every factual assertion must trace to a specific exhibit — no unsupported conclusions
- Use
[VERIFY] for any citation not confirmed against primary sources
- Address jurisdiction-specific negligence standards (comparative vs. contributory)
- Acknowledge weaknesses candidly — plaintiff-side framing must still be honest about defense arguments
- Consider ethical obligations regarding candor in merit evaluation
1---2name: evidence-liability-summary3description: Generates a structured evidence and liability summary for plaintiff-side personal injury negligence claims. Triggers when the user needs liability analysis, negligence element breakdowns, evidence cataloging with gap identification, discovery assessment, or pre-trial case evaluation.4---5
6# Evidence & Liability Summary
7
8Synthesizes collected evidence into a structured negligence liability analysis (duty, breach, causation, damages) for plaintiff-side personal injury litigation.
9
10## Prerequisites
11
12Gather before starting:
13
14- **Incident facts** — date, time, location, parties, basic chronology
15- **Evidence collected** — documents, witness statements, photos/video, medical records, digital evidence
16- **Medical records** — treatment history, bills, prognosis, expert reports if available
17- **Jurisdiction** — governing state/federal law
18- **Defendant info** — identity, relationship to plaintiff, applicable standard of care
19
20## Workflow
21
22Mark the output **PRIVILEGED AND CONFIDENTIAL — ATTORNEY WORK PRODUCT**.
23
24### Step 1 — Case Overview
25
26| Element | Content |
27|---|---|
28| Parties | All parties by legal designation (plaintiff, defendant, third parties) |
29| Incident | Date, time, location, circumstances |
30| Chronology | Pre-incident through aftermath timeline |
31| Gaps | Timeline gaps or inconsistencies needing investigation |
32
33Write for a lawyer unfamiliar with the matter.
34
35### Step 2 — Evidence Catalog
36
37For each item, record:
38
39| Field | Description |
40|---|---|
41| Exhibit # | Unique identifier |
42| Category | Documentary / Testimonial / Physical / Digital |
43| Date | Creation or collection date |
44| Source | Custodian or origin |
45| Description | Brief content summary |
46| Relevance | High / Medium / Low probative value |
47| Issues | Privilege, hearsay, authentication, admissibility concerns |
48
49Flag chain-of-custody gaps, authentication needs, compelling evidence, and discovery gaps.
50
51### Step 3 — Negligence Element Analysis
52
53#### A. Duty of Care
54
55- **Source**: statute, regulation, professional standard, common law, special relationship
56- **Standard**: reasonable person, industry standard, professional code — cite authority
57- **Defense anticipation**: expected denial of duty with counter-analysis
58
59#### B. Breach of Duty
60
61- Identify specific acts/omissions constituting breach
62- Map each to supporting evidence by exhibit #
63- Compare conduct against applicable standard
64- Reference expert testimony where technical knowledge required
65- Address anticipated defenses (industry compliance, regulatory adherence)
66
67#### C. Causation
68
69| Type | Test | Analysis |
70|---|---|---|
71| Actual (cause-in-fact) | "But for" test | Address alternative causes; show substantial factor |
72| Proximate (legal cause) | Foreseeability | Address superseding/intervening causes |
73| Multiple parties | Comparative fault / joint & several | Apportion under governing law if applicable |
74
75#### D. Damages
76
77| Category | Items |
78|---|---|
79| **Economic** | Past/future medical expenses, lost wages, lost earning capacity, property damage |
80| **Non-economic** | Pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of consortium |
81| **Total** | Low–high range |
82
83- Support amounts with bills, employment records, estimates, expert testimony
84- Include present-value calculations for future damages
85- Address mitigation and pre-existing conditions
86
87### Step 4 — Conclusions & Recommendations
88
89Rate each element:
90
91| Element | Strength (Strong / Moderate / Weak) | Key Risk |
92|---|---|---|
93| Duty | | |
94| Breach | | |
95| Causation | | |
96| Damages | | |
97
98Then provide:
99
100- Case valuation range with comparable verdict/settlement basis
101- Discovery gaps and recommended next steps
102- Expert witnesses to retain
103- Settlement target range and strategy
104- Motion practice opportunities
105- Statute of limitations status and procedural deadlines
106- Risk assessment — recommend proceed / settle / ADR
107
108### Step 5 — References
109
110- Legal authorities in Bluebook format
111- Evidence cross-reference table (exhibit #, description, file location)
112- Expert reports (name, credentials, date, key opinions)
113
114## Pitfalls & Checks
115
116- Every factual assertion must trace to a specific exhibit — no unsupported conclusions
117- Use `[VERIFY]` for any citation not confirmed against primary sources
118- Address jurisdiction-specific negligence standards (comparative vs. contributory)
119- Acknowledge weaknesses candidly — plaintiff-side framing must still be honest about defense arguments
120- Consider ethical obligations regarding candor in merit evaluation
CaseMark