term:

Mitigation Of Damages

mitigation of damages

1 : a doctrine in tort and contract law: a person injured by another is required to mitigate his or her losses resulting from the injury [whether the patient shares any fault and whether the patient has satisfied the requirements of mitigation of damages "D'Aries v. Schell, 644 A.2d 134 (1994)"]
;also
: an affirmative defense based on this doctrine called also avoidable consequences
2 : a reduction in the amount of damages awarded a party

Source: Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law ©1996. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. Published under license with Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.