Midterm Exam Flashcards
3 major categories of liability wherein a plaintiff can sue and recover against the defendant
- Intentional torts
- Negligence
- Strict liability
Weaver v. Ward
A person may be held civilly responsible in tort for injuries he/she causes to others, unless the injuries were caused totally w/o his/her fault.
Brown v. Kendall
- P must prove D acted intentionally or failed to use ordinary care for intentional acts (ie. negligent) for it to be D’s fault
- To be held liable, D’s act must be voluntary
- The burden of proof is usually on the Plaintiff (from this case on)
Involuntary v. Voluntary act
Involuntary
- Act against the persons will
- Not controlled by the person (ex. Seizures, sleepwalking)
Voluntary
- An act willed by one’s brain
- Voluntary movement
Garratt v. Dailey
- Children 5 yo and older will be held liable in intentional tort.
- Intent may be established by established by proving either that the D acted with i- specific intent (“purpose intent”)
- D desires to bring an unlawful act/tort - general intent (“knowledge intent”)
- D has knowledge to a substantial certainty that an unlawful act/tort will result from D’s action
- Intent to do harm is NOT required to hold a D liable, but only the intent to act w/ substantial certainty.
Parvi v. City of Kingston
- False imprisonment required
- either P’s conscious awareness of confinement at the time the confinement takes place
- OR harm from confinement
Hardy v. LaBelle’s Distribution Co.
- A person who is free to leave but who chooses to remain does not have a viable false imprisonment action. (moral persuasion not sufficient)
- Person may be falsely imprisoned through threat to another or valuable property
- No minimum time restraint (even the briefest moment)
- Shopkeepers privilege
State Rubbish Collectors v. Siliznoff
- IIED = intentionally causing severe emotional distress to another
- Nominal damages can’t be recovered for IIED
Slocum v. Food Fair Stores of Florida
- By society standards, if it is extreme and outrageous and intends to cause mental damages of a very serious kind = actionable claim
- Extreme and outrageous conduct is measured Objective standard
- Unless D knows that P is sensitive
Taylor v. Vallelunga
- D’s intent must be proven by P to recover for IIED
- D’s knowledge of P’s presence is a necessary element to alleging either the D’s specific or general intent or reckless state of mind
Physical TTL (2)
- No actual harm is required
- Nominal damages are permitted
What type of damages are required for Nonphysical TTL
Actual physical damages required
Doughterty v. Stepp
- Trespass of land is intentionally causing entry onto the real property of another.
- The only intent required is intent to action. Mistake does not negate intent.
- Every unauthorized entry into the close (e.g land, boundary, property line, or fence) of another = TTL
- TTL protects one’s right to exclusive possession of one’s land
- Nominal damages & compensatory damages if damages were caused.
Herrin v. Sutherland
- Possession of land includes the surface as well as space upward and downward within limitations that are reasonable
- Nominal damages can be used to enforce rights
Rogers v. Board of Road Commissioners
- Discusses a continuous TTL
- Permission to enter someone’s property may be limited by
- Time
- Area
- Purpose - In sum, trespass action will lie if D enter P’s land with permission but then overstayed duration of permission (object also applies)
Glidden v. Szybiak
- TTC- intentionally intermeddling w the possession of another’s chattel by causing:
(1) dispossession of the chattel or
(2) actual impairment of the condition, quality or value of the chattel
(3) or deprivation of the chattel’s use for a substantial time
Surrocco v. Geary
- Public necessity is a complete defense (D pays $0 damages)
- D does not have to be a government official. Any person can act as the champion of the public.
- Necessities = D is acting to prevent a threatened injury from some force of nature or other independent causes not connected to P
- This case discussed public necessity
What is a champion of the public privileged to do? (5)
- Privileged to destroy damage or use real or personal property
- If she or he reasonable believes
- It is necessary to avert
- Imminent
- Public disaster
Bonkowski v. Arlan’s Department Store
Shopkeeper’s Privilege = shopkeeper/merchant is privileged to detain for reasonable investigation whom he reasonably suspects to have taken chattel unlawfully
Complete defense in TN: (1) reasonably suspects (2) reasonable manner and (3) reasonable period of time
Hodgenden v. Hubbard
One dispossessed of chattel is privileged to use reasonable force immediately after dispossession
- Limited to hot pursuit;
- Must be a demand that person return chattel; and
- Limited to reasonable force under the circumstances
Katko v. Briney
- A land owner is prohibited from setting out spring guns or otherwise using deadly force to protect real property unless human life is in danger
- Policy reason: Consideration of human lives.
- Human life is more important than property
- Bottom line: one may not use deadly force.
- May use reasonable force to protect property.
When is force allowed to protect real property? (3)
- Plaintiff is trespassing
- Defendants has a reasonable belief that force is necessary AND
- Defendant requested Plaintiff trespasser to leave (or it would be useless to make such a request)
CompuServe Inc. v. Cyber Promotions Inc.
- This case discusses the difference between TTC and Conversion
- Damage is calculated by the decrease in value of the chattel- TTC
- Damages of conversion is calculated by market value of the chattel at the time of the conversion
Technical Injuries for Conversion
Substantial interference or destruction of personal property
Pearson v. Dodd
- This court ruled that the tort of conversion protects only tangible personal property
- Why no conversion action?
- Because the physical documents were not converted and the information in the documents that were photocopied in this case is not the type of property protected by conversion law - According to this court, what information, if any, containing in documents may be protected by conversion law?
- Literary property
- scientific invention
- secret plans for the conduct of commerce are the types of property protected by conversion law
Technical Injuries for Battery
Harmful or offensive contract
Technical Injuries for Assault
Reasonable apprehension of imminent battery
Technical Injuries for False Imprisonment
Confinement to a defined (i.e. bounded) area
Technical Injuries for IIED
Severe emotional distress
Technical Injuries for Trespass to land
Entry onto real property
Technical Injuries for Trespass to chattel
Intermeddling or dispossession of personal property
Technical Injuries for Conversion
Substantial interference or destruction of personal property
Spivey v. Battaglia
In order to be liable for the intentional tort of battery, defendant must have
Intended and caused harmful or offensive contact or
Believed that harmful or offensive contact was substantially certain to follow, despite not anticipating the consequences of Defendants actions
The court is not saying that the defendant wouldn’t be liable for unanticipated injuries, rather they are saying the defendant must have foreseen some offensive or harmful contact
Negligence (risk)
Eggshell skull plaintiff rule:
defendant liable for a plaintiff unforeseeable and uncommon physical consequence caused by the defendant’s negligent or intentional act
Defendant is liable for all resulting damaged, regardless of how unforeseeable they are
Ranson v. Kitner
D’s mistake, even if made in good faith does not negate intent
Good faith and “mistake” does not negate intent sufficient for imposing liability on D for intentional tort
McGuire v. Almy
Mental Illness does not negate intent for an intentional tort = insanity is not a defense for an intentional tort
Mentally ill are responsible for the damage caused by intentional torts like the manner of others
Altieri v. Colasso
Transferred intent doctrine
When defendants intends any 1 of the 5 specified intentional torts and accomplishes the technical injury for any 1 of the 5 torts, intent is established, whether intended for the plaintiff or for another person
Intent may be established even when the precise injury accomplished is not the one intended by the defendants
Wallace v. Rosen
Battery requires intentional physical harmful/offensive touch to the person of another
Offensive contact - would an ordinary person find it offensive, not just unduly sensitive as to personal dignity.
The injury is the contact
Elements of Battery
Crowded space: non-hostile touching does not amount to battery
Ie. tapping on the shoulder to tell you I need to pass
Fisher v. Carrousel Motor Hotel, Inc.
Offensive battery includes unpermitted and intentional contact with anything so connected with the plaintiff’s body as to be customarily regarded as part of the plaintiff’s person
Mental damages are recoverable in the case of willful battery, without the necessity to show an actual physical injury
Western Union Telegraph Co. v. Hill
Assault = intentionally causing apprehension of an imminent battery (i.e offensive or harmful bodily contact)
Words alone or words negating imminent of bodily contact are insufficient for assault
Only apparent ability needed not actual
Apprehension, not fear is required for assault
P can recover for assault, despite actual physical harm to the body
P.S: Vicarious liability and respondeat superior - employers are liable for the wrongful acts of their employees committed within the course and scope of their employment
What is an exception to false imprisonment?
- If there is a reasonable means of escape (without P losing dignity) it is not false imprisonment
What are the damages recoverable under false imprisonmet?
* Damages recoverable: Compensatory damages Nominal damages Punitive damages Mental suffering
Big Town Nursing Home v. Newman
False imprisonment: The direct restraint of a person of their physical liberty without adequate legal justification (eg. no court order for P’s confinement)
Means of escape - losing dignity
You can revoke consent to confinement and still be false imprisonment
Koffman v. Garret
- Consent means that P was in fact willing for the tortious conduct to occur.
- The question of consent is a question of fact.
- In sports, players don’t consent to actions that are prohibited by the rules if the rules are made to keep players safe
Definition of Chattel
tangible, moveable personal property
General rule in Defense of real property
Owner of property is authorized to use reasonable force to eject the trespasser but cannot use deadly force unless necessary in self-defense or to prevent a felony
Defense of Others Majority Rule
Defendant steps into the shoes of 3rd party whom the Defendant is defending
When is someone privileged to use force in Defense of others
- Intervention is necessary
- When defendant reasonably believes the 3rd party is privileged to use force in self-defense