1. Business Law
Tort Law

2. Today’s Objectives Define tort law.
Distinguish between a crime and a tort.
Identify common torts.
Explain penalties associated with torts.

3. What is tort law?

4. The Nature of Tort Law
Based on the idea that everyone has certain rights
Walk freely without being falsely arrested
Right to privacy
Right to a good name & reputation
Everyone has the duty to respect the rights of others.
Tort law enforces those rights and duties.

5. What is a tort?
A private wrong committed by one person against another.

6. Elements of a Tort Possession of certain rights by an innocent party
Violation of those rights by the tortfeasor
Resulting injury that somehow hurts the innocent party

7. Key Terms in Tort Law
Victim– the person who is injured; may be referred to as the plaintiff or innocent party
Tortfeasor – the defendant in the lawsuit; person who committed a tort

8. Tort Law vs. Criminal Law

9. Criminal Law vs. Tort Law
Committed against the public good
Follows criminal trial procedure
Purpose of criminal law is to protect society by punishing criminal offenders
Committed against a particular person or property
Considered a civil or private wrong
Purpose of tort law is to compensate a victim for injuries suffered
Crime
Tort

10. Intentional Torts
Intentional torts are actions that deliberately hurt, embarrass, or scare people.

11. Intentional Torts
Torts Against Persons

12. Assault and Battery
An assault is threatening to harm an innocent person
An assault has occurred as soon as you are afraid of immediate harm to your body.
Example: someone pulls a knife on you
Battery involves the unlawful, unwanted touching of another person.
Can also be touching something closely associated with a person’s body (like a backpack or hat)
Example: pulling a chair out from under someone

13. False Imprisonment People have a right to move around freely.
Example – security guards must have reasonable grounds to suspect a shoplifter and may only hold the person in a reasonable way for a reasonable amount of time

14. Defamation
Defamation occurs when someone lies about another person in a way that hurts the innocent person’s reputation.
Libel – written, printed, or recorded lies about a person
Slander – verbal or spoken lies

15. Invasion of Privacy Interfering with a person’s right to be left alone
Examples:
Patient confidentiality at the doctor’s office
Permission required to use your photograph, likeness, or name for advertising, publicity or marketing

16. Torts Against Property
Intentional Torts
Torts Against Property

17. Trespassing Interfering with someone’s real property (land)
Includes things built on the land (storage shed) and things attached to the land permanently (house or tree)

18. Nuisance Anything that interferes with the enjoyment of property
Examples:
Loud music at night
Foul odors

19. Unintentional Torts
Negligence

20. Accidents Happen…
Negligence is a tort that results when one person carelessly injures another.
Negligence is being less careful than a reasonable person should be in the same situation.
To succeed in a tort suit for negligence, the plaintiff must prove that all four elements existed.

21. Elements of Negligence
Defendant owed the plaintiff a duty of care
Defendant breached that duty by being careless
Defendant’s carelessness was the cause of the harm
Plaintiff was actually harmed by the defendant’s carelessness

22. Elements of Negligence
Obligation to use a reasonable standard of care to prevent injury to others
Reasonable Person Test – a reasonable person considers how likely a certain act is to cause harm, how serious the harm would be, and the burden involved in avoiding the harm
Duty
Breach

23. Elements of Negligence
Action or behavior must be the proximate cause of injury
Proximate cause, also called legal cause, exists when the link between the negligent conduct and the injury is strong enough to be recognized by law.
The victim must suffer an injury, have property destroyed, or lose a lot of money.
Cause
Actual Harm

24. Unintentional Torts
Liability

25. Strict Liability
Strict liability is a legal doctrine that says that some activities are so dangerous that liability will always follow any injury that results.
These activities involve a great risk to people and property … the risk is so great that no amount of care will eliminate it.
Example: using explosives, keeping wild animals as pets

26. Product Liability
When people are injured by defective products, both the firm that manufactured the product and the seller of the products are liable for injuries.
Fault does not matter.

27. Limits to Product Liability
Does not apply if the seller does not usually sell that type of item
Does not apply if the only damage done by the product is to the product itself

28. Penalties

29. Penalties Associated with Torts
Damages can be awarded to the injured party.
The plaintiff gets something (like money) from the defendant.
Court may issue an injunction to the defendant.
The court orders the defendant to do or NOT do something.