contributory : Idioms & Phrases

• noun (law) behavior by the plaintiff that contributes to the harm resulting from the defendant's negligence
  
  • in common law any degree of contributory negligence would bar the plaintiff from collecting damages

WordNet

• (Law), negligence by an injured party, which combines with the negligence of the injurer in producing the injury, and which bars recovery when it is the proximate cause of the injury.

Webster 1913