Superior-Servant Doctrine Law and Legal Definition
Superior servant doctrine is a common law principle that an employee who is in charge and control of those working with or under him is the alter ego of his master, and not the fellow servant of his subordinates, and that the master is liable for his negligence. The master is liable for the negligence of any person engaged as superintendent, manager, foreman, or any other person in charge or control of works, plants, or machinery, or by the negligence of any person in charge of or directing the particular work in which the employee was engaged at the time of the injury or death. This doctrine was adopted by judicial decision in some of the U.S. states before the enactment of statutes on the subject. However at present, the doctrine has been abrogated by workers'-compensation statutes.
