Impute Definition and Legal Meaning

On this page, you'll find the legal definition and meaning of Impute, written in plain English, along with examples of how it is used.

What is Impute?

It refers to relating or referring to a particular cause or source of such happening thereby holding them responsible. Such as imputing business success to the employees. It also means to assigning or ascribing or credit to as in child and parents, employers and employees or any relation where such relation becomes the cause of responsibility.

History and Meaning of Impute

The term "impute" has its origins in Latin, coming from the word "imputare" which means to reckon, attribute or charge. The term is commonly used in law and refers to the act of assigning responsibility or blame or the attribution of liability to a person or entity for a particular action or event. It is also used in different contexts including accounting, statistics, and even morality.

In legal terms, impute is often used when a person is held responsible for the actions of another party, such as an employer being held accountable for the actions of their employees. It is also used in cases of negligence, where a party may be held responsible for any injuries or damages caused by someone acting under their authority, even if they did not directly cause the harm.

Examples of Impute

  1. If an employee embezzles funds from a company, the employer may be held responsible for the employee's actions as they were acting under the authority of the employer.
  2. In a marriage, the debts and liabilities of one spouse may be imputed to the other, even if they had no involvement in those debts or liabilities.
  3. In statistics, if data is missing for certain variables, it may be imputed based on other available data in order to complete a dataset.

Legal Terms Similar to Impute

  1. Vicarious Liability: Refers to a legal doctrine where a person or entity is held responsible for the actions of another party.
  2. Attribution: The process of assigning responsibility or credit to a particular person or entity.
  3. Negligence: When a party fails to take reasonable care, resulting in harm or injury to another person or entity.