causantes

Causantes is a noun form used in Latin and in some Romance languages to mean those who cause something, i.e., the agents or sources of a consequence. In legal and formal contexts, the term causante refers to the party whose actions give rise to a harm, loss, or obligation, and who is therefore considered responsible in the relevant causal chain.

Etymology and usage notes: causante comes from Latin causans, causantis, the present participle of causare “to cause,” from causa “cause.” In modern Spanish and Portuguese, causante designates the agent responsible for an event or result; the plural causantes can refer to multiple responsible parties. In English-language law, the exact term is less common, but the concept corresponds to the responsible party or proximate cause.

Legal context: In civil liability, the causante is the actor whose conduct is the proximate cause of damage, against whom a plaintiff may seek compensation or against whom an insurer may pursue subrogation. In criminal law, if a defendant’s actions are the direct cause of injury or death, they may be described as the causante of the harm. The term emphasizes agency and responsibility within the causal connection rather than mere correlation.

Other contexts: Beyond law, causante can appear in philosophical discussions of causality to designate an initiating or generating cause within a causal sequence. In everyday language, phrases such as “el causante del accidente” are used to identify the party responsible for a given outcome.

See also: Causality, Proximate cause, Causal chain, Liability, Damages.