INTENTIONAL TORTS - TORTS INVOLVING PERSONAL INJURY Flashcards
EXPLAIN TRANSFERRED INTENT
An actor may intend to commit an intentional tort against one person but instead commit:
- a different intentional tort against that same person
- the same intentional tort against a different person or
- a different intentional tort against a different person.
When this occurs, the actor’s initial intent transfers to the tort that was actually committed or to the person who was actually harmed. This doctrine of transferred intent applies to five intentional torts, including assault. Assault occurs when a defendant (1) intends to inflict harmful or offensive contact (or imminent apprehension of such contact) and (2) causes the plaintiff reasonable apprehension of imminent contact.
INTENTIONAL INFLICTION OF EMOTIONAL DISTRESS REQUIREMENTS
Intentional infliction of emotional distress (IIED) requires proof that the defendant was at least reckless as to the risk that his/her extreme and outrageous conduct would cause the plaintiff severe emotional distress. To establish this element in cases where the plaintiff’s distress stems from conduct that physically or emotionally harmed a third party, the plaintiff must generally prove the following facts:
- The plaintiff contemporaneously perceived (i.e., saw or overheard) the defendant’s conduct.
- The plaintiff was a close relative (i.e., immediate family member) of the harmed third party.
- The defendant knew that the plaintiff was present and closely related to the harmed third party.
generally only the actual target of the defendant’s extreme and outrageous conduct can recover damages for IIED.
FALSE IMPRISONMENT AND THE SHOPKEEPER’S PRIVILEGE
False imprisonment occurs when defendant:
- intentionally confines or restrains plaintiff within boundaries fixed by defendant
- defendant’s actions directly or indirectly result in such confinement and
- plaintiff is conscious of or harmed by confinement
In most jurisdictions, a defendant is not liable for false imprisonment when the shopkeeper’s privilege applies. This privilege applies when the defendant:
- reasonably believed that the plaintiff was shoplifting and
- detained the plaintiff for a reasonable amount of time and in a reasonable manner to investigate the facts.
The reasonableness of the detention is based on the totality of the circumstances, including whether the defendant (1) used greater force than was necessary to detain the plaintiff or (2) caused the plaintiff to suffer unnecessary humiliation, embarrassment, or discomfort.
Bystander theories of recovery
(Intentional v. Negligent infliction of emotional distress)
Conduct
Contemporaneous perception
Harm
IIED
- Intentional or reckless—ie, defendant knew plaintiff was:
- present and
- related to injured person
- Extreme & outrageous
Plaintiff saw or heard injury to close relative
Severe emotional distress
NIED
- Negligent
Plaintiff saw or heard injury to close relative
Serious emotional distress
When a plaintiff’s emotional distress stems from witnessing harm to a close relative, the plaintiff can sue for intentional infliction of emotional distress (IIED) under the bystander theory. Liability arises under this theory when the plaintiff proves all of the following facts:*
- The defendant engaged in extreme and outrageous conduct that emotionally or physically harmed the plaintiff’s close relative.
- The defendant’s conduct was intentional or reckless (i.e., the defendant knew that the plaintiff was present and closely related to the injured person).
- The plaintiff contemporaneously perceived that conduct and suffered severe emotional distress.
HOW IS CAUSATION DEFINED IN THE CONTEXT OF INTENTIONAL TORTS?
THERE WILL BE CAUSATION IF THE TORT IS THE RESULT OF THE D’S ACT, OR IF THE D SET IN MOTION A STRING OF ACTS THAT EVENTAULLY LED TO THE RESULT.
IN ADDITION, CAUSATION IS SATISFIED IF THE D’S CONDUCT WAS A SUBSTANTIAL FACTOR IN BRINGING ABOUT THE RESULT.
TO PROVE AN INTENTIONAL TORT, THE PL MUST PROVE THREE ELEMENTS:
- ACT
- INTENT
- CAUSATION
CHILDREN AND MENTALLY INCOMPETENT PERSONS CAN BE HELD LIABLE FOR INTENTIONAL TORTS IF THEY ACT WITH THE REQUISITE INTENT
ELEMENTS FOR A CAUSE OF ACTION FOR THE TORT OF BATTERY
- HARMFUL OR OFFENSIVE CONTACT (OBJECTIVE STD; NO ACTUAL HARM REQD)
- TO PERSON OF ANOTHER (OR ANYONE CONNECTED TO IT)
- CAUSATION (DIRECT OR INDIRECT)
- D’S INTENT
- SINGLE INTENT RULE - MAJORITY RULE - D MAY BE LIABLE IF D (i) INTENDS TO BRING ABOUT THE CONTACT ; D NEED NOT INTEND (ii) THAT THE CONTACT IS HARMFUL OR OFFENSIVE
- DOUBLE-INTENT RULE: D MUSTl (i) INTEND TO BRING ABOUT A CONTACT; AND (ii) INTEND THAT THE CONTACT BE HARMFUL OR OFFENSIVE
Elements of Tort Claim for Assault
Assault: An act or threat by the D intended to cause apprehension of imminent harm or offensive contact.
Elements:
- Conduct or other circumstances - (Mere words not enough)
- Pl must have reasonable apprehension and awareness of D’s act or threat;
- Imminent threat of harm
- Intent (includes transferred intent)
INTENTIONAL INFLICTION OF EMOTIONAL DISTRESS
D must intend to cause severe emotional distress or must act with recklessness as to the risk of causing such distress.
INTENT OR RECKLESSNESS
- Extreme and outrageous conduct by D (beyond human decency, outrageous)
- Transferred intent does not apply to IIED when D intended to commit a DIFFERENT intentional tort (e.g. battery) against a different victim)
- Transferred intent may apply to IIED if, instead of harming the intended person, D’s extreme conduct harms another
CAUSATION (Factual cause test) D’s action must be a cause in fact of the Pl’s harm.
DAMAGES Severe emotional distress ( beyond resonable person’s endurance or D knows of P’s heightened sensitivity)
INTENTIONAL INFLICTION OF EMOTIONAL DISTRESS
When are the courts more likely to find conduct or language to be extreme or outrageous sufficient for a claim of IIED?
- The D is in a position of authority or influence pver the Pl; or
- The Pl is a member of a group that has a heightened sensitivity (such as young children or the elderly)
IIED AND PUBLIC FIGURES/PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND CONSTITUTIONAL LIMITATIONS
Can public figures recover on a claim for IIED?
Public figures and public officials cannot recover unlss they can show that the words contain a false statement of fact that was made with “actual malice”.
Actual malice: With knowledge that the statement was was false or with reckless disregard of its potential falsity.
IIED AND CONDUCT TOWARD THIRD PARTIES
If the D directed extreme and outrageous conduct toward one party and ended up causing severe emotional distress to antoher party, the doctrine of transferred intent may make him liable for IIED.
Only in certain circumstances
- Immediate family member of the victim who is present at the time of the conduct and perceives the conduct may recover for IIED regardless of whether that family member suffers bodily injury as a result of the distress.
- Bystander can recover for IIED if present at the time of the conduct, perceives the conduct, and suffers distress that results in BODILY INJURY (i.e. physical manifestation of the distress)
Different intentional tort: If the D commits a different intentional tort toward one victim, thereby causing severe emotional distress to another, the same rules apply.
TORTS - IIED THIRD PARTY
WHEN CAN A THIRD PARTY MAKE A SUCCESSFUL CLAIM FOR IIED?
Intentional infliction of emotional distress (IIED) requires proof that the defendant was at least reckless as to the risk that his/her extreme and outrageous conduct would cause the plaintiff severe emotional distress. To establish this element in cases where the plaintiff’s distress stems from conduct that physically or emotionally harmed a third party, the plaintiff must generally prove the following facts:
- The plaintiff contemporaneously perceived (i.e., saw or overheard) the defendant’s conduct.
- The plaintiff was a close relative (i.e., immediate family member) of the harmed third party.
- The defendant knew that the plaintiff was present and closely related to the harmed third party.
ELEMENTS OF THE INTENTIONAL TORT OF FALSE IMPRISONMENT
- D intends to confine or restrain another within fixed boundaries;
- The actions directly or indirectly resut in confinement; and
- Pl is conscious of the confinement or harmed by it.
Area need not be stationary or small. Pl can be confined in a moving van if PL cannot leave the van.
FALSE IMPRISONMENT: METHODS OF CONFINEMENT TO MAKE A CLAIM
- Use of physical barriers, physical force, threats, invalid invocation of legal authority, duress, or refusing to provide a safe means of escape
- A court may finde false imprisonment when the D has refused to perfrom a duty to help a person escape.
FALSE IMPRISONMENT AND THE SHOPKEEPER’S PRIVILEGE
A shopkeeper can, for a reasonable time and in a reasonable manner detain a suspected shoplifter.
- Time of confinement: Immaterial to the tort
- Intent
- Defendant must act:
- With the purpose of confining the Pl; or
- KNowing that the Pl’s confinement will not be liable under the intentional tort of false imprisonment
- Transferred intent applies
- Defendant must act:
- Damages: Pl can recover nominal damages; actual damages are also compensable.
DEFENSES TO INTENTIONAL TORTS INVOLVING PERSONAL INJURY
- Consent
- Self Defense
- Defense of Property
- Defense of Others
- Privilege of Arrest
- Parental Discipline
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Defense to an intentional Tort involving personal injury
Consent: What are the parameters of this defense?
The plaintiff expressly consents if he, by words or actions, manifests the willingness to submit to the D’s conduct. The D’s conduct may not exceed the scope of the consent.
Consent by mistake is a valid consent unless the D caused the mistake or knew of it and took advantage of it.
Fraud: Consent induced by fruad is invalid if it goes to an essential matter. If the fraud only goes to a collateral matter, consent can still be a valid defense.
Implied Consent: The Pl’s consent is implied when the Pl is silent (or otherwise nonresponsive) in a situation in which a reasonable person would object to the D’s actions.
- Emergencies: When immediate action is required to save the life or health of apatient who is incapable of consenting to treatment, sucn consent is ordinarily unnecessary. Court generally say that consent is “implied in fact”.
- Even in an emergency situation, a competent and consciou patient’s right to refuse treatment cannot be overridden.
- Injuries arising from athletic contest: Consent may be implied bu custom and usage (e.g. participation in a contact sport).
- The majority of jurisdictions have considered the issue of when a participant in an athletic contest can recover –the injured player can recover only for a reckless disregard of a player’s safety, such as a violation of a safety rule designed primarily to protect participants from serious injury.
- Mutual consent to combat
Capacity: Lack of capacity may undermine the validity of the consent (e.g. youth, intoxication, incompetency)
Defenses to Intentional Torts Involving Personal Injury
Self-Defense - What are the parameters of this defense?
A person may use reasonable force to defend against an offensive contract or bodily harm that he reasonably believes is about to be intentionally inflicted upon him.
- The force must be reasonably proportionate to the anticipated harm.
- A person’s mistaken belief that he is in danger, so long as it is a reasonable mistake, does not invalidate the defense.
Duty to retreat: Traditionally, most courts required retreat before one could use deadly force. Now you do not need to retreat before using reasonably proportionate force.
- Initial aggressor: not permiteed to claim self-defense unless the other party has responded to nondeadly force with deadly force.
Injuries to bystanders: A person acting in self-defense is not liable for injury to bystanders as long as the injury was accidental and the actor was not negligent toward the bystander.
Self Defense and the Florida “Stand Your Ground” Rule
**Focus for self-defense is on the reasonableness of the conduct in response to provocation.
Common Law;
A person has a privilege to use self-defense and may use (i) reasonable force, when he (ii) reasonably believes it is necessary, so long as the force is (iii) reasonably proportionate to the threat. Reasonable mistake does not invalidate reasonable belief.
Florida Statute - Stand your Ground - Alters self-defense law to make it more favorable to Ds.
- Imposes a reasonable belief presumption in some circumstances
- i.e. when an intruder breaks into a home or an occupied vehicle
- No duty to retreat prior to using deadly force if:
- A person is where he ahs a right to be;
- Is not engaging in criminal activity; and
- He reasonably believes it is necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm.
- Immunity - There is actual immunity (not just a defense) from civil suties where justifiable force was used.
- D will get attorney fees for costs incurred if found immune.
Reasonable belief presumption applies when:
- Unlawful and forceable entry by the intrude into another’s dwelling, residence, or occupied vehicle; OR the attempted forcible removal of another from a dwelling, residence or vehicle; AND
- The person who used force knows or had reasong to believe of the unlawful and forcible entry.
Residence: Where you live
Dwelling: Can be a tent, front porch, etc (broader)
- Does not apply when:
- The person against whom force was used had a legal right to be in the dwelling, residence or vehicle
- Person against whom force is sued is attempting forcible removal of their child, grandchild, or one over whom they have lawful custody
- Unlawful activity taking place in the dwelling, residence, or vehicle by the person using force.
- THE LEO EXCEPTION: The person against whom force is used is a law enforcement officer and the person using force knew or reasonably should have known.
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