Torts Flashcards
What are the requirements for all intentional torts?
Act, intent to bring effect, effect legally caused by defendant’s act.
Intentional torts: How can intent be achieved?
Direct intent when D has desire or purpose to bring about effect, or indirectly when D knows with substantial certainty that particular effect will occur.
Can transferred intent provide requisite intent?
Yes - EXCEPT with respect to conversion/IIED
Causation
Effect legally caused by D’s act or some action set in motion by D. Or D’s act was substantial factor.
Elements for battery
Intent, harmful or offensive touching, contact.
Battery: what constitutes “harmful touching”?
Causes pain or bodily damage
Battery: what constitutes “Offensive” touching?
Offends reasonable person’s sense of dignity
Battery: What constitutes “contact”
Direct or indirect, includes contact with object closely identified with plaintiff’s body.
Assault
Intentional causing of an apprehension of an imminent harmful or offensive contact.
Does plaintiff need to be aware of an assault?
Yes.
Assault: what constitutes “imminent” contact
defendant must have apparent present ability to carry out the threat.
IIED
Intentional or reckless inflection of severe emotional or mental distress caused by defendant’s extreme and outrageous conduct.
How is the intent element of IIED satisfied?
desire/purpose to cause distress, knowledge with substantial certainty that distress will result, reckless disregard of high probability emotional distress will occur.
For IIED: What constitutes extreme and outrageous conduct?
Conduct beyond all possible bounds of decency
When can a third person recover for IIED?
P physically present and known by D to be present, and is close relative of 3rd; OR P was physically present and known to be present, and plaintiff suffers bodily harm as a result of emotional distress. (heart attack) (If you suffer bodily harm , doesn’t matter if you were close relative)
False imprisonment
D causes P to be bound to area; P must be aware.
Trespass to land
Intentional physical invasion of land of another; entering or remaing or placing object on land w/o permission.
Trespass to chattels
Intentional interference with person’s use or possession of chattel
Conversion
Intentional interference with plaintiff’s possession of property that is so sbustantial, warrants requiring defendant to pay property’s full value.
What are the intentional torts?
Assault, Battery, Trespass (Land and Chattels), IIED, Conversion, False Imprisonment
Defenses to intentional torts
Consent, self-defense, defense of others, defense of property (warning required); recapture of chattels, shopkeeper’s privilege (temp detain shoplifters); arrest under a legal authority, necessity
Elements: Negligence
Duty, Breach, Actual Cause, Proximate Cause, damages
What is the general duty a care?
Duty to act as a reasonable person.
To whom is the duty of care owed?
All forseeable plaintiffs in the zone of danger.
What is the standard of care?
Act as reasonable person under the circumstances.
When is there an affirmative duty to act?
Special relationship, D caused danger, D volunteered assistance.
What is the duty of care for professionals?
knowledge and skill of member of their profession in good standing.
Standard of care for children (and exceptions)
Duty to conform to conduct of child of like age, intelligence, experience UNLESS child engaged in adult activity - potentially dangerous activity.
Duties - Bailment
Bailor - gratuitous bailment, bailor must inform of known, dangerous defects. Bailment for hire: bailor inform of defects which he is aware. Bailee: standard of care low for bailee where sole benefit is for bailor.
Duties for Owners and Occupiers of Land - Outside the Premises
No duty to protect from damage caused by hazardous natural conditions on premises; duty exists to prevent damage caused by unreasonable risk of harm for dangerous artificial hazards.
Duties for Owners and Occupiers of Land - Damage on the premises - trespasser
No duty except known or frequent trespasser, attractive nusance (forseeable injury to children)
Duties for Owners and Occupiers of Land - Damage on the premises - invitee (business)
Duty to make reasoanble inspection to find hidden dangers and make necessary repairs)
Duties for Owners and Occupiers of Land - Damage on the premises - licensee
Owner has duty to warn of all known dangerous conditions licensee unlikelyto discover. NO duty to repair or inspect.
Duties for Owners and Occupiers of Land - Damage on the premises - Landlord/Tenant
Lessee: maintain property. Lessor: warn of existing dangers lessee not likely to discover, repair not negligently, maintain common areas.
Duty: attractive nuisance
Owner knows kids trespass, condition poses unreasonable risk of serious injury/death, children don’t realize danger due to youth, benefit to owner and expense to remedy slight compared to risk, owner FAILS to use reasonable care to eliminate danger.
When is a defendant negligent per se (for. violating statute)?
Violates statute without excuse, plaintiff within class of persons statute designed to protect, statute designed to guard against type of risk suffered by plaintiff.
Negligence per se - when is defendant’s violation excused?
Compliance would great greater risk of harm, defendant incapacitated, defendant unaware of factual circumstances that made the statute applicable.
Does compliance with a statute itself establish defendant not negligent?
No
What constitutes a breach of duty?
Defendant’s conduct fails to conform to applicable standard of care.
Res ipsa loquitor
“the thing speaks for itself” - can be used to establish breach of duty - accident type that doesn’t occur w/o negligence, other causes eliminated by evidence.