In terms of legal liability, which type of individual is owed a lower duty of care than an invitee?

The type of individual who is owed a lower duty of care than an invitee is a licensee. In the context of premises liability, an invitee is someone who is on the property for the benefit of the landowner, such as customers at a store. The landowner owes invitees a high duty of care, which means they must take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of the property.

On the other hand, a licensee is someone who has permission to be on the property but is there for their own benefit, like a social guest. The owner has a lower duty of care towards licensees compared to invitees. This means the owner must address known hazards but is not necessarily required to inspect the property for unknown dangers.

The other categories, such as an agent or an employee, do not fall into the same framework of premises liability in the context of visitor types; they are typically subject to different obligations under the law due to their relationship with the property owner. A trespasser, while owed the least duty of care, is not directly comparable to a licensee because the owner has a special responsibility to refrain from willfully harming them. Thus, in this framework, the recognition that a licensee is owed a lower duty