Introduction
People who volunteer to assist nonprofit organizations or government agencies or programs run the risk that their actions, while well-intentioned, may cause harm to another. If those actions are deemed negligent, the volunteer may face civil liability for damages caused by the negligent conduct.
For instance, suppose a volunteer—Vicki Volunteer, let us say—loves dogs and works for free in her local animal shelter, a community nonprofit organization. Unfortunately, Vicki unintentionally but negligently fails to properly secure a dog cage, resulting in the escape of a dangerous stray dog which then bites and seriously injures a child. A lawsuit is filed against both the shelter (which has only a small amount of insurance and no real assets) and Vicki (who is rich and has plenty of free time to volunteer).
Potential damages arising from such an incident can obviously be large, and the risks of such liabilities may inhibit volunteerism. The VPA was motivated by such concerns.
Read more about this topic: Volunteer Protection Act
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