Respondeat superior establishes which party's liability for an employee's wrongful acts?

• A. Employer
• B. Employee
• C. Patient
• D. Insurance company

Answer: (A)

Respondeat superior is the principle that an employer can be held liable for wrongful acts committed by its employees when those acts occur within the scope of employment. The idea is that the employer controls the work environment and benefits from the employee’s actions, so victims can seek damages from the party that stands to answer for the employee’s conduct. In this context, the party whose liability is established is the employer. The employee may also be liable in many cases, especially if the act is outside the job duties or intentional, but the doctrine focuses on making the employer responsible for acts done as part of the job. Patients or insurance companies aren’t automatically liable simply because an employee acted in the course of work.