Torts: Arkansas Judges Lecture Flashcards
Judges way to look at it
Organize it like Windows Files
Torts (and their defenses) can be classified according to:
- The nature of the interests invaded.
- The mental state of the actor.
- The quality of the actor’s behavior.
Three Broad Categories of Tort Liability
- Intentional Torts
- Negligence
- Strict Liability
**4. Product Liability
Basic Elements of Intentional Torts
- Wrongful Volitional Act
- Intent
- Cause Injury to Plaintiff
Wrongful Volitional Act
Some voluntary muscular movement or act.
Not something beyond control.
Intent
Subjective State of mind about the consequences of the act.
Types of Intent:
1. Purpose or desire to bring about consequence
OR
2. Knows with substantial certainty.
Transferred Intent
Two Ways to prove:
1. From the intended victim to the actual victim.
AND
2. From the intended tort to the actual tort.
**Assault, Battery, False Imprisonment, Trespass to Land/Chattel
Substantial Certainty Test
Inference from the circumstances.
Objective inquiry.
What about infancy or insanity?
No automatic bar
Jury could find that the actor is not able to form the requisite intent.
Causation
Both cause-in-fact AND proximate
**May be willing to trace chain further
Damages of Intentional Torts
Need not be proved but may be assumed
Intentional Torts
- Assault
- Battery
- Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress
- Trespass to Land
- Trespass to Chattel
Battery
- harmful or offensive contact
- Contact to the Person of another
- Intent
- Causation
Harmful or Offensive Contact
Harmful Contact causes bodily harm.
Offensive contact must be offensive to a reasonable person.
Does the person need to be aware of the contact?
No, you do not have to be aware at the time.
Person of Another
The body.
Things physically close to the body (clothing, pocket book, umbrella)
Battery Intent
Intent to the contact not the harm.
Battery Causation
Need not personally touch.
Can be through a chain reaction leading to the contact.
Battery Damages
Not required to prove actual damages.
Can be presumed.
Defendant can be liable for entire harm (proximate cause) whether they intended it or not.
Assualt
An act intent to cause:
- Apprehension of Contact
- Imminent Contact
- Causation
- Intent (can be transferred)
Apprehension
Reasonable expectation of the contact.
Two Aspects:
- Objective Aspect
- Subjective Aspect
**Not fear
Objective Aspect of Apprehension
Act must be one that would create apprehension of an imminent battery in the mind of a reasonable person.
Subjective Aspect of Apprehension
The plaintiff must actually be aware of the threat and experience such apprehension
Imminent Contact
The apprehension created must be of contact about to occur with no significant delay, not to any contact that might occur at some time in the future.
**Verbal threats not enough, UNLESS supplemented with circumstances.
**Words can negate a threat
**Even if it couldn’t happen, you look at the apprehension.