Culpa

Lat.

In the common law. Fault; blame; misconduct; culpable conduct; conduct for which a party may be punished, or held to answer in damages or a penalty. Culpa est immiscere se rei ad se non pertinenti. It is culpable conduct for a man to meddle with a thing not belonging to, or concerning him. 2 Inst. 208. Culpa tenet [teneat] suos auctores. Misconduct binds [should bind] its own authors. It is a never-failing axiom that every one is accountable only for his own delicts. Ersk. Inst. b. 4, tit. 1, § 14. Id. b. 4, tit. 4, § 103. Culpae poena par esto. Let the punishment be proportioned to the offence. Branch's Princ.