Torts Flashcards
Are a plaintiff’s super-sensitivities to be taken in to account in an intentional torts case?
No, unless the defendant knew of them in advance.
Can a defendant lack the capacity to have intent to commit an intentional tort?
No.
A person intends the consequence of her action if it was her ____________ to bring about the consequence, or if she was ____________ __________of the consequences.
purpose; substantially certain
Intent can transfer from intended to actual _________ and ______.
person and tort.
What are the elements for a prima facie case for battery?
- harmful or offensive contact, to
2. Plaintiff’s person.
What is offensive contact?
Contact that is “unpermitted” or offensive to a reasonable person
What is contact to a Plaintiff’s person
The person herself or anything connected with the plaintiff.
What are the elements to the prima facie elements for assault?
- Apprehension of
2. an immediate batter.
For assault, must the persons apprehension of a battery be reasonable?
Yes.
Is apprehension equivalent to fear or intimidation?
No - the person does not have to be scared.
For assault, must the defendant actually have the ability to commit a battery for apprehension to be reasonable?
No, apparent ability may create reasonable apprehension.
Can words alone create a reasonable apprehension of imminent bodily harm?
No, mere words are not enough. Must have words coupled with conduct.
What are the elements to the prima facie elements for false imprisonment?
- Sufficient act of restraint
2. Bounded area
Is a threat enough to be a sufficient act of restraint for false imprisonment?
Yes.
EXAMPLE: “If you leave I’m going to kill you.”
Is inaction enough to be a sufficient act of restraint for false imprisonment?
Yes, so longa s there was an understanding that the defendant would act.
Must the plaintiff be aware of the confinement to sustain an action for false imprisonment?
Yes, unless the plaintiff is harmed by their confinement.
The length of time of confinement is ___________ for false imprisonment.
Irrelevant.
What constitutes a bounded area for false imprisonment?
The person’s freedom of movement is restricted.
A mere inconvenience ___________ enough for false imprisonment.
is not.
An area is not bounded if there is a _____________ means of escape f which the plaintiff is aware.
reasonable
What are the elements to the prima facie elements for intentional infliction of emotional distress?
- Outrageous conduct
2. Damages
Can conduct become outrageous because the conduct is continuous?
Yes.
Can a person bring a successful claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress for everyday insults?
No. We do not want to open floodgates to allow claims for everyday insults.
Which types of plaintiffs is conduct assumed to be more outrageous against?
Young children, elderly people, and pregnant women.
For which types of defendants make otherwise ordinarily insulting conduct outrageous?
Common carriers and innkeepers
A relationship must exist between defendant and plaintiff
If a common carrier or innkeeper insults a person at a restaurant, is their conduct classified as outrageous?
No - a relationship must exist.
What damages must be proven to establish a prime facie case for IIED?
severe emotional distress.
Must a plaintiff show physical damages to establish a prima facie case for IIED?
No.
What intent is sufficient to establish IIED?
Recklessness can suffice.
Is transferred intent available for IIED?
Normally, no.
What are the elements to the prima facie elements for trespass to land?
- Act of physical invasion
2. To land.
Must a defendant know he or she is crossing a property line for trespass?
No.
Propelling a physical object onto property _________ suffice for a trespass action.
will.
What is included in “land” for a trespass action?
All airspace above and the subsurface below the surface so long as the owner could make reasonable use of the space.
What are the elements to the prima facie elements for trespass to chattels or conversion?
- Act of physical invasion
2. Personal property
What is the difference between trespass to chattels and conversion?
Level of damage or interference with the property.
What intent is required for trespass to chattels and conversion?
Intent to do the act that brings about the interference.
Consent is a defense to…
defamation, nuisance, and all intentional torts.
Who lacks capacity to consent?
- Children
- People with mental impairments
- Those coerced or forced to consent
- Those who consent on the basis of fraud or mistake
What is implied consent?
Consent that arises through custom and usage or through a plaintiff’s own conduct.
What amount of force is a person justified to use in self-defense?
Reasonable force to prevent what she reasonably believes to be an imminent threat of force against her.
For self-defense, a belief that the defendant was in danger must be _____________.
reasonable.
When may a person use deadly force?
When the defender reasonably believes that she faces a threat of death or serious bodily harm.
When is retreat required?
COURTS ARE SPLIT!
Modern trend requires retreat, unless you are in your own home or in face of deadly force.
What force may a person use in defense of others?
In the same manner and under the same conditions as the person attacked would be entitled to defend himself.
Is a defender liable for his actions in defense of another when acting under a mistaken belief?
No, so long as he reasonably believed that another person was endangered.
What level of force may a person use to defend his real or personal property?
Reasonable force - deadly force may never be used to protect property alone.
A person may use ___________ force to retrieve wrongfully taken property when in hot pursuit.
reasonable.
How may a shopkeeper detain a suspected shoplifter?
In a reasonable manner for a reasonable amount of time.
Public necessity is a(n) ____________ privilege to protect ______ of people
unlimited; a lot
Private necessity is a(n) _____________ privilege to protect __________ of people.
qualified; limited
A defendant must still pay damages even after a successful claim of _________ necessity
private.
What are the elements to the prima facie elements for negligence?
- Duty
- Breach of duty
- Actual
- Proximate cause
- Damages
To whom is a duty owed?
All people who are foreseeable victims of your failure to take precautions.
Rescuers are _________ foreseeable.
always
What level of care must a person exercise?
The amount of care a reasonable prudent person under the same or similar circumstances.
Is a defendant expected to use superior skill or expertise he possesses for the plaintiff’s benefit?
Yes.
Are a defendant’s physical disabilities attributed to the reasonable prudent person standard?
Yes
Are a defendant’s mental disabilities attributed to the reasonable prudent person standard?
No
What level of care must a child exercise?
The degree of care that a reasonable child of like age, intelligence, and expertise would exercise under the circumstances.
What level of care is a child held to who engages in adult activities.
An adult standard.
What standard of care must a professional exercise? (e.g., doctor/lawyer)
the knowledge and skill of an ordinary member of the profession in good standing.
Who is held to a professional standard of care?
A person who holds himself out as a learned professional.
For a medical malpractice action, what must a doctor show?
Informed consent
What must the plaintiff show in a legal malpractice action?
Causation.
What duty does a person owe to an undiscovered trespasser of land?
No duty.
What duty does a person owe to a discovered trespasser for conduct of activity on land?
Duty of reasonable care.
What duty does a person owe to a licensee for conduct of activity on land?
Duty of reasonable care.
What duty does a person owe to an invitee for conduct of activity on land?
Duty of reasonable care.
What duty does a person owe to discovered trespassers for static conditions on land?
Must warn of artificial, highly dangerous, concealed and known to you.
What duty does a person owe to licensees for static conditions on land?
Duty to warn of any concealed condition known to owner or occupier.
What duty does a person owe to invitees for static conditions on land?
Duty to inspect, i.e. reasonable care.
Liable for any conditions known about or he could have learned about by reasonable inspection.
Who owes a duty to invitees?
Those who hold land open to the public at large.
When does a statutory standard of care apply?
When the statute is designed to protect the class of persons and class of risk.
Generally, is there an affirmative duty to rescue?
No
When does a person have an affirmative duty to rescue
- When the defendant put the plaintiff in peril
- Close relationship between parties (close family relationships, common carriers and innkeepers, Invitor-Invitee relationships),
- Duty to control third persons (must have an actual ability and authority to control)
What act Is required to establish a prima facie case of an intentional tort?
A volitional movement.
Causation is satisfied if defendant’s conduct was a ____________ factor in bringing about the injury.
substantial
Are damages required in a battery action?
No.
Are damages required in an assault action?
No.
Is the length of time a person is confined relevant to a false imprisonment claim?
No.
What constitutes extreme and outrageous conduct?
Conduct that transcends all bounds of decency.
Conduct that is not normally outrageous may become so if it is:
- Continuous in nature,
- Conduct directed at certain types of plaintiffs (e.g., children, elderly, pregnant women)
- Conduct by common carriers or innkeepers
Is a reasonable mistake allowed in defense of property?
Yes as to whether an intrusion has occurred or whether a request to desist is required.
No mistake is allowed as to whether the entrant has a privilege, unless the entrant conducts the entry so as to lead the defendant to reasonably believe it is not privileged.
How may a person recover possession of real property?
At common law, under force if the other came into possession unlawfully.
At modern law, ejectment
When may force be used to recover chattels?
Only when in hot pursuit of the person who wrongfully obtained the possession.
When is a timely demand to return a captured chattel before force?
Always, unless clearly futile or dangerous.
When may a person enter onto a wrongdoer’s land to remove a chattel?
In a reasonable time and a reasonable manner.
When may a person enter onto an innocent person’s land to remove a chattel?
In a reasonable time and in a peaceful manner after the landowner has been given notice of the presence of the chattel and refuses to return it.
When may a person enter onto another person’s land to remove a chattel on their own fault?
Never.
Is mistake allowed regarding a defendant’s right to recapture chattels?
Generally, no.
Exception is shopkeepers.
Is mistake allowed regarding a defendant’s right to enter land to recapture chattels?
No.
How much force may be used to recapture chattels?
Reasonable force (not including force to cause serious bodily injury or death)
Is a person privileged to invade another’s land to effect an arrest?
Yes.
After a privileged arrest, can an actor be liable for failing to bring the arrested party before a magistrate, or other misconduct?
Yes.
When is an arrest for a misdemeanor privileged?
For breach of peace and if the action took place in front of the defendant.
When is a reasonable mistake allowed in a citizen felony arrest?
Only as to the identity of the felon.
No mistake is allowed as to whether or not the felony occurred.
What conditions must be satisfied for a shopkeeper to detain a suspected shoplifter?
- There must be a reasonable belief as to the fact of the theft;
- the detention must be conducted in a reasonable manner and only non deadly force can be used;
- The detention must be only for a reasonable period of time, and only for the purpose of making an investigation.
What force may be used by a parent or teacher in disciplining children?
reasonable force.
What are the elements of defamation?
- Defamatory language
- “Of or concerning” the plaintiff,
- Publication thereof by defendant to a third person, and
- damage to the plaintiff’s reputation
What additional elements of defamation must be proved for a defamation action involving matters of public concern?
- Falsity* of the defamatory language and
- Fault on the part of the defendant.
*At common law, falsity does not have to be proven in Plaintiff’s prima facie case - defendant can, instead, raise truth as a defense.
What is defamatory language?
language tending to adversely affect one’s reputation.
Is defamation of a dead person actionable?
No - Plaintiff must be living.
What is defamatory language “of or concerning” the Plaintiff?
Language that a reasonable reader, listener, or viewer would understand that the defamatory statement referred to the plaintiff.
If the statement does not refer to plaintiff on its face, ________ evidence may be offered to establish the statement refers to the plaintiff.
extrinsic.
When a defamatory statement refers to all members of a small group, how may a plaintiff establish the statements are “of or concerning” him?
By alleging he is a member of that group.
When a defamatory statement refers to all members of a large group, how may a plaintiff establish the statements are “of or concerning” him?
He can not.
When a defamatory statement refers to some members of a small group, how may a plaintiff establish the statements are “of or concerning” him?
If he can show that a reasonable person would view the statement as referring to him.
How is a defamatory statement published?
Communication to a third person.
Who may be liable to the same extent as an author or speaker of a defamatory statement?
- Primary publishers (e.g., newspapers, TV stations)
- One who repeats a defamatory statement (even if she states the source or makes it clear that she does not believe the defamation)
- Secondary publishers (e.g., someone who sells newspapers) if he knew or should have known the defamatory content.
General damages are ____________ in a libel claim.
presumed
Which statements are defined as slander per se?
- Adversely reflect on one’s conduct in a business or profession;
- One has a loathsome disease;
- One is or was guilty of a crime involving moral turpitude;
- A woman is unchaste.