The law of Tort - Teresa Clyne - Author and lecturer

The law of Tort

A tort is a civil wrong, tort is a French word for wrong, or the Latin word ‘tortum or twisted”, a tort occurs when a person commits a civil wrong against another person causing them damage.  Tortfeasor is the person who commits the tort.  Under tort law, an injured party can bring a civil case to seek compensation for a wrong done to the party or the party’s property.

Simply put; the law of tort is a branch of law which helps people to make a claim for compensation (usually a money payment) from another person who hurts them or their property. For instance, when one driver hurts another driver because he or she was not paying attention (negligent), the driver who caused the hurt (defendant) may have committed a tort.  If a person (plaintiff) is hurt by another person (defendant) they may be able to sue them (civil litigation) and get compensation (usually money).  Most torts are accidents, like car accidents or slippery floors where people can fall down and get hurt.  But some torts are done on purpose.  These are called intentional torts.  For example, if one person punches another person, this could be an intentional tort called battery.

Most torts cause physical harm to people, however, some torts cause damage to property, like a broken window (trespass to property).  Some torts can harm other things, like someone’s reputation or a business.(defamation).