What common law defense allowed employers to escape liability for employee injuries caused by another employee's carelessness?

The Fellow Servant Rule is a common law principle that historically allowed employers to avoid liability for injuries that employees sustained due to the negligence of their co-workers. Under this rule, employers were not held responsible for injuries resulting from the carelessness of fellow employees, as it was believed that workers assumed the risks related to the conditions of their employment, including potential negligence by their peers.

This rule stems from an era when the legal system placed a significant burden on employees to recognize and accept the risks inherent in their occupation. Thus, if a worker was injured because a co-worker acted carelessly, the employer could use the Fellow Servant Rule as a defense against any claims for compensation, arguing that they were not at fault since the injury arose from the actions of another employee, not from any negligence on the part of the employer.

In modern contexts, the Fellow Servant Rule has been largely set aside in favor of more employee-friendly laws that allow for workers' compensation and greater employer liability for workplace injuries. However, understanding this historical rule is important as it highlights the evolution of labor laws and the concept of employer liability.