Chapter 5Torts: Intentional, Negligent, and Strict Liability

Torts A TORT is a civil wrong based on the breach of duty

not created in contract or criminal law

A TORT is a wrong against an individual versus a CRIME which is against a society as a whole

For a TORT to exist, there must be a duty owed from the defendant to the plaintiff

INTENTIONAL UNINTENTIONAL

I. Intentional Torts Against Persons

Fraud/Deceit Remedies Defamation Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress Assault and BatteryAssault and Battery False Imprisonment Invasion of Privacy

A. Fraud / Deceit FRAUD is the misrepresentation of a material fact

made with both the knowledge of falsity and the intent to deceive, as well as damages suffered

[CC§ 1709]

1. MISREPRESENTATION The representation made by the defendant must be

proved to be false If a fiduciary relationship exists, then you must tell the

other person of relevant information even though they don’t ask for it

It is possible for fraud to be committed through conduct

A. Fraud / Deceit (cont.)2. MATERIAL – something is material if it would

influence a reasonable person’s decision

3. FACT – the misrepresentation must be a fact, not of an opinion [CC§ 1572(1)]

When one party possesses superior knowledge or special information regarding the subject of representation, a representation made by that party will be treated as a representation of fact

A. Fraud / Deceit (cont.)4. KNOWLEDGE – often referred to as SCIENTER or

“Guilty Knowledge”

5. INTENT – the court determines whether the representation was made with the purpose of getting the person to take action based on the representation

6. RELIANCE – if there is no reliance upon the representation by the plaintiff, there is no fraud, even if the representation is false

A. Fraud / Deceit (cont.)7. INJURY – if the plaintiff has not suffered any

damages, there is no cause of action for fraud

8. NEGLIGENT MISREPRESENTATION – occurs if a person makes a statement of fact that is not true, having no reasonable ground for believing it to be true

B. Remedies There are 2 remedies (rescission and affirmance)

available to a victim of fraud

RESCISSION OF THE CONTRACT

AFFIRMANCE OF THE CONTRACT

PUNITIVE DAMAGES

C. Defamation DEFAMATION –occurs when a person’s reputation is

harmed

1. DEFENSES – The best defense to a claim of defamation is that the statement was

true

PRIVILEGE ABSOLUTE PRIVILEGE – exists where publication has been made

in the proper discharge of an official duty or in any legislative, judicial, or other official proceeding authorized by law

QUALIFIED PRIVILEGEQUALIFIED PRIVILEGE - - offers protection only if malice is not offers protection only if malice is not presentpresent

MALICE – a feeling of hatred or ill will toward the plaintiff

Slander– is a false and unprivileged publication, orally uttered, and also

communications by radio or any mechanical or other means which:

1. Charges a person with a crime, or with having been indicted, convicted, or punished for crime

2. Imputes in him the present existence of an infectious, contagious, or loathsome disease

3. Tends directly to injure him in respect to his office, profession, trade or business, either by imputing to him general disqualification in those respects which the office or other occupation peculiarly requires, or by imputing something with reference to his office, profession, trade, or business that has a natural tendency to lessen its profits

4.4. Imputes to him impotence or a want of chastityImputes to him impotence or a want of chastity

5. Which, by natural consequence, causes actual damage [CC§ 46]

D. Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress

This tort is of increasing importance to business people today

More and more people claim actions of others have caused them extreme stress

When mental suffering has been caused by intentional and outrageous conduct, damage may be awarded

E. Assault and Battery

1. ASSAULT – occurs when a person is in apprehension of a battery

2. BATTERY – occurs when the defendant intentionally, and without consent or privilege, commits an act that results in a harmful or offensive contact with the plaintiff that causes damage, loss or harm

Both assault and battery are crimes as well as torts

3. DEFENSES – Consent Privilege

F. False Imprisonment Seldom arises in a business setting

“the unlawful violation of the personal liberty of another” [PC§ 236]

G. Invasion of Privacy In California, the right of privacy is a constitutional right. The

RIGHT OF PRIVACY entitles us to be free from physical or electronic intrusions or invasions

1. INTRUSION – plaintiff must show that invasion or intrusion was highly offensive to a reasonable person

2. PUBLIC DISCLOSURE OF PRIVATE FACTS

3. PLACED IN FALSE LIGHT – Equivalent to a libel claim Highly offensive to a person of ordinary sensibilities and broadly

published

4. COMMERCIAL APPROPRIATION OF PLAINTIFF’S NAME OF LIKENESS

II. Intentional Torts Against Property

Trespass to Land Nuisance Conversion

A. Trespass to Land When there is an unlawful interference with another

person’s property, a trespass has occurred

May be intentional, negligent, or reckless

ACTUAL DAMAGES

NOMINAL DAMAGES

DEFENSES – Consent Necessity

B. Nuisance Anything which is injurious to health, including, but not

limited to, the illegal sale of controlled substances, or is indecent or offensive to the senses, or an obstruction to the free use of property, so as to interfere with the comfortable enjoyment of life or property or unlawfully obstructs the free passage or use, in the customary manner, or any navigable lake, or river, bay, stream, canal, or basin, or any public park, square, street, or highway, is a nuisance [CC§ 3479]

C. Conversion Exercising the wrongful dominion over the personal

property of another

DOMINION refers to the person’s ownership of the property or his or her right to the property

A conversion infers that the person committing the conversion has not simply damaged the property but has impaired the ownership or right to the property

III. Negligence Duty Breach Causation Injury to the Plaintiff Negligence Per Se DefensesDefenses Assumption of the Risk

Negligence The tort of NEGLIGENCE occurs when someone

fails to exercise care under circumstances where they owe a duty of reasonable care to those around them

The 4 basic elements that must be proved in a successful claim of negligence are:

1. Defendant owed a legal duty to the plaintiff to use ordinary care;

2. Defendant breached that duty that was owed to plaintiff;3. The breach was the cause, and4. The plaintiff suffered injury as a result of the breach

A. Duty Civil Code Section 1714 imposes a duty on all of us

to use ordinary care in our activities and daily life

When the defendant is able to foresee a risk, he is expected to mitigate his actions so that the plaintiff is not harmed

B. Breach When the defendant fails to exercise the level of care

called for under the circumstances, he will be found to have BREACHED his duty

C. Causation The plaintiff must also prove that the defendant’s

carelessness caused the injuries suffered

In California, the SUBSTANTIAL FACTOR standard is used to determine cause in fact (“but for” test)

PROXIMATE CAUSE is the other part of causation which simply stated, if the injuries of the plaintiff were foreseeable to the defendant, there is proximate cause.

D. Injury to the Plaintiff If the plaintiff suffers no harm from the defendant’s

action, liability will not be present

Without damages, negligent acts do not lead to a legal cause of action

E. Negligence Per Se Where the defendant’s actions violate a statute, ordinance, or

regulation of a public entity, it will be presumed that the defendant failed to exercise due care

This presumption will be made when the following are present:

1. If the violation caused death or injury to a person or property;

2. The death or injury resulted from an occurrence of the nature that the statute, ordinance, or regulation was designed to prevent;

3. The person suffering the death or injury to his person or property was one of the class of persons for whose protection the statute, ordinance, or regulation was adopted [EvC§ 669]

F. Defenses COMPARATIVE NEGLIGENCE is the predominant defense

used in California. In determining the liability of the defendant under pure comparative negligence, the damages will be diminished in proportion to the amount of fault attributable to the plaintiff.

CONTRIBUTORY NEGLIGENCE is an “all or nothing” rule that prevents the plaintiff from recovering any damages from a negligent defendant if the plaintiff has also failed to exercise due care and this failure contributes to his injuries.

G. Assumption of the Risk PRIMARY ASSUMPTION OF THE RISK occurs when the

plaintiff voluntarily participates in the activity and there is no legal duty owed by the defendant to protect the plaintiff from harm

SECONDARY ASSUMPTION OF THE RISK occurs when the defendant owes the plaintiff a duty of care but the plaintiff knowingly encounters the risk created by the defendant’s negligent actions

IV. Strict Liability

Strict Liability

When one engages in an ultra-hazardous or abnormally dangerous activity, the courts will impose liability regardless of fault

Chapter Summary Intentional Torts Against

Persons Fraud / Deceit Remedies Defamation Intentional Infliction of Emotion

Distress Assault & Battery False Imprisonment Invasion of Privacy

Intentional Torts Against Property Trespass to Land Nuisance Conversion

Negligence Duty Breach Causation Injury to the Plaintiff Negligence Per Se Defenses Assumption of the Risk

Strict Liability