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---56# Evidence & Liability Summary78Synthesizes collected evidence into a structured negligence liability analysis (duty, breach, causation, damages) for plaintiff-side personal injury litigation.910## Prerequisites1112Gather before starting:1314- **Incident facts** — date, time, location, parties, basic chronology15- **Evidence collected** — documents, witness statements, photos/video, medical records, digital evidence16- **Medical records** — treatment history, bills, prognosis, expert reports if available17- **Jurisdiction** — governing state/federal law18- **Defendant info** — identity, relationship to plaintiff, applicable standard of care1920## Workflow2122Mark the output **PRIVILEGED AND CONFIDENTIAL — ATTORNEY WORK PRODUCT**.2324### Step 1 — Case Overview2526| 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 |3233Write for a lawyer unfamiliar with the matter.3435### Step 2 — Evidence Catalog3637For each item, record:3839| 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 |4849Flag chain-of-custody gaps, authentication needs, compelling evidence, and discovery gaps.5051### Step 3 — Negligence Element Analysis5253#### A. Duty of Care5455- **Source**: statute, regulation, professional standard, common law, special relationship56- **Standard**: reasonable person, industry standard, professional code — cite authority57- **Defense anticipation**: expected denial of duty with counter-analysis5859#### B. Breach of Duty6061- Identify specific acts/omissions constituting breach62- Map each to supporting evidence by exhibit #63- Compare conduct against applicable standard64- Reference expert testimony where technical knowledge required65- Address anticipated defenses (industry compliance, regulatory adherence)6667#### C. Causation6869| 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 |7475#### D. Damages7677| 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 |8283- Support amounts with bills, employment records, estimates, expert testimony84- Include present-value calculations for future damages85- Address mitigation and pre-existing conditions8687### Step 4 — Conclusions & Recommendations8889Rate each element:9091| Element | Strength (Strong / Moderate / Weak) | Key Risk |92|---|---|---|93| Duty | | |94| Breach | | |95| Causation | | |96| Damages | | |9798Then provide:99100- Case valuation range with comparable verdict/settlement basis101- Discovery gaps and recommended next steps102- Expert witnesses to retain103- Settlement target range and strategy104- Motion practice opportunities105- Statute of limitations status and procedural deadlines106- Risk assessment — recommend proceed / settle / ADR107108### Step 5 — References109110- Legal authorities in Bluebook format111- Evidence cross-reference table (exhibit #, description, file location)112- Expert reports (name, credentials, date, key opinions)113114## Pitfalls & Checks115116- Every factual assertion must trace to a specific exhibit — no unsupported conclusions117- Use `[VERIFY]` for any citation not confirmed against primary sources118- Address jurisdiction-specific negligence standards (comparative vs. contributory)119- Acknowledge weaknesses candidly — plaintiff-side framing must still be honest about defense arguments120- Consider ethical obligations regarding candor in merit evaluation