LGS Chapter 6 Flashcards
define the term- a civil wrong not arising from a breach of contract; a breach of legal duty that proximately causes harm or injury to another
Tort
What 2 notions serve as the basis of all torts?
Wrongs and Compensation
Tort law that is designed to compensate those who have suffered a lessor injury due to another person’s wrong act is under which notion? Wrongs or Compensation
Wrongs
In a tort action, one person or group brings a lawsuit against another person or group to obtain compensation (monetary damages) or other relief of harm suffered and is under which notion? Wrongs or Compensation?
Compensation
What is the purpose of tort law?
to provide remedies for the violation of various protected interests
When society recognizes an interest in protecting property, and *** law provides remedies for acts that cause destruction of or damage to property. This scenario is an example of what?
Tort Law
Define the term- a monetary award sought as a remedy for a breach of contract or a tortious act
Damages
Define the term- term that refers to harm or injury to persons or property
Damage
Define the term- a money award equivalent to the actual value of injuries or damage sustained by the aggrieved party
Compensatory Damages
Special damages and General damages can be classified as punitive or compensatory?
Compensatory Damages
Define the term- an amount awarded to compensate the plaintiff for quantifiable monetary losses, such as medical expenses, property damage, and lost wages and benefits ( now and in the future)
Special damages or general?
Special Damages
Define the term- an amount awarded to compensate individuals for non monetary aspects of the harm suffered, such as pain and suffering; not available to companies
Special damages or general?
General Damgaes
Define the term- money damages that may be awarded to a plaintiff to punish the defendant and deter future conducts
general, compensatory, punitive or special damages
Punitive Damages
Define the term- an intentional failure to perform a manifest duty in reckless disregard of the consequences of such a failure for the life or property of another
Gross Negligence
T/F- Punitive damages can only be used in intentional tort actions?
False, punitive damages are available in intentional tort actions and only rarely in negligence lawsuits
T/F- Punitive damages are subject to limitations under the U.S. Constitution’s due process clause
True
What is it called when state laws may limit the amount of damages- both punitive and general- that can be awarded to the plaintiff
Legislative Caps on Damages
What are the 2 classifications of torts?
Intentional and Unintentional
What is the most widely used defense in negligence actions?
Comparative Negligence
Define the term- who is the person or persons called who intend to commit an act, the consequences of which interfere with another’s personal or business interest in a way not permitted by law
Tortfeasor, one who commits the tort
In tort law, *** means only that the person intended the consequences of his or her act or knew with substantial certainty that specific consequences would result from the act
Intent
a legal principle under which a person who intends to harm one individual, but unintentionally harms a different individual, can be liable to the second victim for an intentional tort is known as?
Transferred Intent
any word or action intended to make another fearful or immediate physical harm; a reasonably believable threat is defined as?
Assault
T/F-An assault can occur even if there is no actual contact with the plaintiff, provided that the defendant’s conduct creates a reasonable apprehension of imminent harm in the plaintiff
True
the unprivileged, intentional touching of another
Battery
T/F-Physical injury has to occur for it to be called battery
False
Ivan threatens Jean with a gun then shoots her
The point of the gun at Jean is classified as?
The firing of the gun (if bullet hits Jean) is what?
Assault, Battery
The intentional confinement or restraint of another person’s activities without justification
False Imprisonment
T/F-The confinement of false imprisonment can be accomplished through: - the use of physical barriers
the use of physical restraint
threats or physical force
True
Person playing blackjack in a casino
• Casino believes the person to be cheating, so they remove the person from the floor and take him into another area of the building – a back hallway.
• The employees accused the person of counting cards (which is not illegal in Maryland) and demanded his identification. They detained the person until provided with an ID so that the casino could ban him from the premises.
• Person provides ID and is eventually released.
• A federal district court found the casino was liable for a ** claim because the casino personnel had no legal justification for detaining him.
False Imprisonment
To be actionable, the act must be extreme and outrageous to the point that it exceeds the bounds of decency accepted by society. What act occurs here?
Example-Repeated annoyances (such as those experienced by a person who is being stalked), coupled with threats
Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress
Repeated annoyances (such as those experienced by a person who is being stalked) coupled with threats. Is an example of what?
Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress
A father attacks a man who has had consensual sexual relations with the father’s nineteen-year-old daughter.
The father handcuffs the man to a steel pole and threatens to kill him unless he leaves town immediately.
The father’s conduct may be sufficiently extreme and outrageous to be actionable as an intentional infliction of emotional distress.
What is this case an example of?
Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress
any published or publicly spoken false statement that causes injury to another’s good name, reputation, or character
Defamation
defamation in writing or in some other form (such as a digital recording) having the quality of permanence is known as?
Libel
defamation in oral from ( think “spoken” word) is known as?
Slander
T/F- A successful defense releases the defendant from partial or full liability for the tortious act.
True
What is a common defense to intentional torts against persons?
Consent
T/F- When a person consents to the act that damages her or him, there is generally liability
False, there is no liabilty
An evil or harmful motive is required for torts?
False
Hustler magazine once printed a false advertisement that showed a picture of the late Reverend Jerry Falwell and described him as having lost his virginity to his mother in an outhouse while he was drunk. Falwell sued the magazine for intentional infliction of emotional distress and won, but the United States Supreme Court overturned the decision. The Court held that parodies of public figures are protected under the First Amendment from intentional infliction of emotional distress claims. (The Court uses the same standards that apply to public figures in defamation lawsuits, discussed next.)
An action limited by the First Amendment that limits claims that could cause emotional distress
Making a negative statement about another person is not defamation unless the statement is false and represents something as a fact rather than a personal opinion. What requirement is this?
Statement of Fact Requirement
Publication here means that the defamatory statements are communicated (either intentionally or accidentally) to persons other than the defamed party. What requirement is this?
Publication Requirement
A person receives a service from a business and then provides an online review
The person is negative about the service and intentionally globs on inaccurate details about the service
The person names a specific employee of a business
-employee is not a public figure
The persons “publishes” the review on the internet by pressing submit
Is an example of?
Defamation