Act of God

**Act of God**

An act of God refers to an unpredictable and overwhelming natural event that occurs without human intervention. These events, such as extreme weather, earthquakes, or other natural disasters, are considered beyond human control. In legal contexts, an act of God is often used as a defense to exempt a person or entity from liability for damages, injuries, or loss of life, under the principle that the event was unavoidable and could not have been prevented through reasonable care or foresight. In Scottish law, this concept is referred to as *damnum fatale*.

In contract law, an act of God may serve as a defense under the doctrines of impossibility or frustration. This occurs when an unforeseen and unavoidable event makes the fulfillment of a contract impossible or commercially impracticable. For example, if a venue is destroyed by a natural disaster before a scheduled event can take place, the parties may be excused from their contractual obligations. However, the application of this defense depends on whether the event was truly unforeseeable; if a risk was known or could have been mitigated through reasonable diligence, the "act of God" defense may not apply.

In the law of torts (civil wrongs), an act of God can be viewed as an intervening cause that breaks the chain of liability. While a natural event might trigger an accident, a party may still be held responsible if their negligence contributed to the harm—such as failing to secure a volatile cargo against a lightning strike. While generally used to excuse liability, some insurance policies specifically include natural disasters as "insured perils," meaning the insurer assumes the financial risk of such events.