What type of liability may individuals and businesses face even without proving negligence?

The correct answer is strict liability. This legal concept imposes responsibility on individuals and businesses for certain actions or occurrences, regardless of whether they acted with negligence or intent to cause harm. Strict liability is commonly applied in cases involving inherently dangerous activities or defective products, where the law requires an entity to be responsible for any damage resulting from their actions, irrespective of the precautions taken or intent.

For example, in the context of product liability, if a consumer is harmed by a defective product, the manufacturer can be held strictly liable even if they did not act negligently in the design or production process. This approach is designed to protect consumers and encourage businesses to engage in safer practices.

In contrast, nominal liability refers to a situation where a legal wrong has occurred, but no substantial damage or loss has resulted, while foreseeable liability relates to the ability to predict the potential consequences of actions, which ties back to negligence. Negligent liability indeed requires a demonstration of negligence, which disqualifies it as an answer in this context. Thus, strict liability is the correct choice as it encompasses circumstances that lead to liability without the necessity to prove negligence.