How is "contributory negligence" defined under Utah law?

Under Utah law, "contributory negligence" is defined as a legal doctrine that reduces damages awarded to a plaintiff if it is found that the plaintiff contributed to their own injury through negligent behavior. This means that if a plaintiff is partially at fault for their injuries, the amount of damages they can recover may be diminished in proportion to their degree of fault. For instance, if a plaintiff is found to be 30% responsible for an accident, their damages may be reduced by that percentage.

This principle is an essential aspect of negligence law, fitting into Utah's approach of modified comparative negligence, where a plaintiff can still recover damages as long as their level of fault does not exceed that of the defendant. Understanding this concept is crucial as it directly affects the outcome of tort cases where both parties may share some level of responsibility for the incident in question.