Which of the following is NOT one of the elements the plaintiff must prove in a negligence case?

In a negligence case, the plaintiff is required to demonstrate several key elements in order to establish their claim. One of these foundational elements is the existence of a duty of care, which establishes the obligation that the defendant had towards the plaintiff. Following this, it must be proven that the defendant breached that duty, which means that they failed to meet the standard of care expected in the situation. Additionally, the plaintiff must show that they suffered an injury as a direct result of that breach.

However, the aspect that is not required for negligence is that the defendant acted intentionally. Negligence is fundamentally about carelessness or failure to act as a reasonable person would in similar circumstances, rather than intentional wrongdoing. Thus, proving intentional action is not a necessary component of a negligence claim, making it the only choice that does not fit within the expected elements of negligence.