Special-Sensitivity Rule Law and Legal Definition
Special-sensitivity rule is a principle that a defendant is liable for a plaintiff’s unforeseen and uncommon reactions to the defendant’s negligent or intentional acts. This rule is applied in tort law. This principle is also known as eggshell-plaintiff rule, thin-skull rule, old-soldier’s rule, and eggshell-skull rule.
Pursuant to this rule, if ‘A’ negligently scratches ‘B,’ and B turns out to be hemophiliac, then A would be liable for the full extent of the plaintiff’s injuries, although the same act on another person would have caused only minor harm to the other person. The special sensitivity of the plaintiff is not taken into account while awarding damages.
