Peculiar risk doctrine
The peculiar risk doctrine is a legal doctrine in the U.S. state of California by which an owner or employer can be held vicariously liable for damages caused by an independent contractor negligently performing their work. The doctrine was created "to ensure that innocent third parties injured by the negligence of an independent contractor hired by a landowner to do inherently dangerous work on the land would not have to depend on the contractor's solvency in order to receive compensation for the injuries.