business law CH 5 SLIDES

Tort

A wrongful act (other than breach of contract) that causes harm and leads to civil liability.

Compensatory damages

Damages intended to reimburse the plaintiff for actual losses.

Special damages

Compensatory damages for measurable monetary losses.

General damages

Compensation for non-monetary harm such as pain and suffering.

Punitive damages

Damages awarded to punish the defendant and deter future misconduct.

Intentional tort

A wrongful act knowingly committed.

Tortfeasor

A person who commits a tort.

Assault

An intentional threat of immediate harmful or offensive contact.

Battery

Intentional harmful or offensive physical contact.

False imprisonment

The confinement or restraint of a person without justification.

Intentional infliction of emotional distress

Extreme and outrageous conduct causing severe emotional harm.

Defamation

A false statement that harms a person's reputation.

Libel

Written defamation.

Slander

Spoken defamation.

Invasion of privacy

Unlawful intrusion into a person's private life.

Appropriation

Using a person's name or likeness without permission for commercial benefit.

Fraudulent misrepresentation

Intentional deception for personal gain.

Trespass to land

Entering or remaining on another's land without permission.

Trespass to personal property

Wrongfully interfering with another's personal property.

Conversion

Taking or keeping someone else's property for one's own use.

Negligence

Failure to exercise reasonable care.

Duty of care

The obligation to act with reasonable care to avoid harming others.

Reasonable person standard

A comparison to how a reasonable person would act in similar circumstances.

Breach of duty

Failure to meet the duty of care.

Causation

The connection between the defendant's conduct and the injury.

Proximate cause

The requirement that harm was foreseeable.

Injury

A legally recognizable harm suffered by the plaintiff.

Dram Shop Act

Laws that hold alcohol providers liable for injuries caused by intoxicated persons.

Assumption of risk

A defense where the plaintiff knowingly accepted the risk of harm.

Comparative negligence

A defense that reduces damages based on the plaintiff's share of fault.

Strict liability

Liability imposed without proof of fault.

Abnormally dangerous activity

An activity so risky that liability is imposed regardless of care taken.