Causative Damages

A man owns a factory which doesn’t allow employees to bring cell phones onto the floor. He has a big clock – the only clock on the floor – which everything runs in accordance to. He hired someone to put up the clock and that worker didn’t set the time correctly. As a result of the clock being half an hour slow, deadlines were missed and earnings were lost. Does the worker who hung the clock have any culpability for the damages?

There is a threshold of how much investment income a taxpayer can have and still be eligible for the Earned Income Credit. Reuven told his money manager to make sure he doesn’t go over that threshold, as it would not be worthwhile to lose out on the credit. The money manager disobeyed his instructions and made him some extra money on an investment which caused him to lose the Earned Income Credit. Is he liable to pay him for that loss?

My bank offered a $750 promotion to any account holder who keeps $20,000 in his account for 90 days. I deposited that amount of money and told my secretary to make sure not to pay any bills from that account for 90 days. She didn’t listen and paid a bill from that account, which caused me to lose the $750. Can I demand that she reimburse me for the money?

Reuven bought software from a Jewish vendor. He loaded the software into his computer and discovered it carried viruses that caused damage to his computer. Is the vendor liable for the damages?