Exodus 22:5-6

"If a man shall cause a field or vineyard to be eaten, and shall let his beast loose, and it feed in another man's field; of the best of his own field, and of the best of his own vineyard, shall he make restitution. If fire break out and catch in thorns, so that the shocks of grain, or the standing grain, of the field are consumed; he that kindled the fire shall surely make restitutions."

The principle of a citizen's responsibility for any action of his that might cause loss or injury to another is firmly enunciated. Although the two examples here regarded the careless kindling of a fire and the allowance of animals to run loose, the principle behind the injunctions here are far more broad and comprehensive. Today, following the principle established here, society holds great corporations, as well as individuals, responsible for their actions which result in damage, loss, or injury to others.