The basic test comes down to the simple, if not obvious one
of deciding what is the real purpose
of the contract, the true benefit intended to be obtained by the injured party, the extent to which the misperformance by the defendant goes beyond falling short
of what was desired by the
victim of the
breach and
involves the complete denial to him
of any benefit from the performance that was provided.
Generally, negligence cases
involve examining the duty owed to the
victim, whether there was a
breach of that duty, and if the behavior was the actual or proximate cause
of the damages.