Comparative negligence

In the United States, comparative negligence is a partial defense that reduces the amount of damages that a plaintiff can recover in a negligence-based claim based upon the degree to which the plaintiff's own negligence contributed to cause the damages. When this defense is asserted, the fact-finder, usually a jury, must decide the degree to which the plaintiff's negligence versus the combined negligence of all sued defendants contributed to cause the plaintiff's damages. It is a modification of the doctrine of contributory negligence, which disallows any recovery by a plaintiff whose negligence contributed, even minimally, to causing the damages.
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Noun
1. (law) negligence allocated between the plaintiff and the defendant with a corresponding reduction in damages paid to the plaintiff
(hypernym) negligence, carelessness, neglect, nonperformance
(classification) law, jurisprudence

A principle of tort law which looks at the negligence of the victim and which may lead to either a reduction of the award against the defendant, proportionate to the contribution of the victim’s negligence, or which may even prevent an award altogether if the victim’s negligence, when compared with the defendant, is equal to or greater in terms or contributing to the situation which caused the injury or damage - (read more on Comparative negligence)