A person is not liable for every negligent act which he commits. There has always been some control device which has identified and limited the situations in which a person may be held legally liable for the consequence of his negligence. The principle control device today is the requirement that the defendant must owe the plaintiff a duty of care. In light of the statement trace the development of law with aid of case laws, with regard to duty of care in negligence and the formal requirements that must be satisfied before a duty of care is held to exist.