Unless you went to law school (or you just like brushing up on legal terms), a lot of legal jargon can sound almost foreign to you. When you’re pursuing litigation—whether it’s for a personal injury case, a tractor-trailer accident, slip and fall incident, or a workers’ compensation case—it’s important that you understand your legal team clearly, so you can be on the same page.
If you’re pursuing a personal injury case or possibly a wrongful death case, you might hear the phrase “intentional tort” tossed around. But what does it mean? How does it apply specifically to your case?
Let’s break down what intentional tort means, and how it may be applicable to your situation.
INTENTIONAL TORT DEFINITION
According to Georgia law, a “tort” is an “unlawful violation of a private legal right other than a mere breach of contract, express or implied. A tort may also be the violation of public duty if, as a result of the violation, some special damage accrues to the individual.”
An intentional tort is when a person deliberately causes harm to another person or their property. There are many different types of intentional torts such as fraud, misrepresentation, slander, libel, false imprisonment, assault and battery, and sometimes wrongful death. An example of an intentional tort would be if a person intentionally assaults someone in a parking lot and severely injures them.
Another type of tort is called an “accidental tort.” The accidental tort is exactly what it sounds like—a person accidentally inflicted harm on someone else (such as a distracted driver on a cell phone who hits a pedestrian).
There are four elements to a tort: duty, breach of duty, causation, and injury. To seek compensation under Georgia law, a plaintiff has to establish that all these four elements were met.
HIRING LEGAL REPRESENTATION TO ESTABLISH AN INTENTIONAL ACT
If you or any of your family members have been injured by another party or by a faulty product, you may be entitled to compensation for medical expenses or pain and suffering. Seek out a legal team who is well versed in tort claim recoveries and solutions in Georgia to represent you in a personal injury, wrongful death, or assault and battery case.
If you’re looking for legal representation in Georgia, consider the experienced and knowledgeable services of the Fry | Goehring. Click here for more information and to set up a consultation with one of our experienced and skilled Attorneys.
