Atlanta’s Top Rated Boutique Injury Law Firm

Call Don Singleton
(770) 889-6010

Call Don Singleton
(770) 889-6010

What is Tort Law

Donald Singleton
May 12, 2022

Injury victims are often left with more questions than answers. What should I do now? Who should I talk to? Should I file a lawsuit against the person or company that caused my injury?

A lot of people don’t know much about the law until they need it most. This blog post will answer these questions and more, including what this type of law is and how it can help you in your situation.

One of the first steps is to find out if you have any legal options.

What is tort law?

Tort law is the legal term for a civil wrong committed against someone or their property. This includes negligence, intentional torts and strict liability. While there are many different types of tort law, they all stem from one principle: to compensate people who have been wronged by another’s actions or inactions.

Infographics

Scroll down to our Tort Law infographic:

What is Tort Law

What is a tort case?

Tort cases allow injured people to seek justice when they are wronged. They can be filed in civil court against the person or company that caused injury, property damages, or death. The word tort is often used to describe any type of civil wrong, or injury, that can be the basis for a lawsuit. Tort cases are usually personal injury cases.

It’s a bigger challenge to get your life back on track after an injury than it is to deal with the pain and discomfort of recovery. But it can be done!

We have all heard stories about people who are paralyzed for life following an accident. It’s hard enough when you’re dealing with chronic pain from injuries that don’t seem to heal. You may also be experiencing financial setbacks because of medical bills or missed work time, which would lead to further frustration caused by not being able to provide for yourself and your family like before the injury occurred.

But there is hope on the horizon! We offer free consultations for those who want more information about how our team at Singleton Law Firm LLC. can help them recover financially from their injuries.

How is tort law different than criminal law?

Tort law is different than criminal law in many ways. First, there are civil remedies and penalties to consider when looking at tort cases while criminal cases typically only have punishments. Second, tort claims can be pursued by private citizens while the state prosecutes crimes.

Lastly, a plaintiff must prove that another person acted intentionally or negligently in order to win their case while proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt is required for a conviction of most crimes.

What is the most common tort?

The most common tort is negligence. It occurs when a person or company does not act with the care that an ordinarily prudent and careful person would act in a similar situation. A negligent driver, for example, will violate the standard of care by driving too fast for conditions or without paying attention to what is happening on the road.

What is the difference between tort and breach of contract?

Tort is a general term for any injury, harm, or loss that you suffer as a result of someone else’s actions. Tort law can be used to sue an individual who has caused physical injuries to another person through assault or negligence. Breach of contract on the other hand is a legal claim made by one party against another when they fail to fulfill their side of the bargain in terms agreed upon in their agreement.

Tort classification

There are three main ways in which torts can be classified in order to identify them.

Intentional Torts

Injuries can be sustained by an intentional tort, which is the act of inflicting emotional or psychological injury upon someone else with the intention to cause harm. Intentional torts can include defamation, slander and false light invasion of privacy.

The law defines an intentional tort as “an egregious and malicious wrong inflicted without just cause or excuse on one who has not provoked it”.

Negligence Torts

Negligence torts are those that are committed by a person who owed a duty to another person and then failed to uphold it. These duties can be anything from the duty of care, the duty of loyalty, or even the duty of honesty.

There is no set list of what these duties might entail but in general, they deal with protecting your rights and not infringing on someone else’s rights. To be found negligent you must have breached one or more of these duties through either an action or omission; failing to act when there was a clear obligation to do so.

Strict Liability Torts

The term “strict liability” means that someone is liable for damages, without a need to show fault or negligence. There are two main kinds of strict liability torts: those based in contract law and those based in tort law.

Strict liability torts primarily happen when there is an injury caused by a defective product or dangerous condition at business premises such as slipping on something wet while walking into the store (liability for negligence).

Types of Tort Law

In the United States, there are about 30 different types of tort law. These range from assault and battery to false imprisonment and defamation. Tort law in the U.S. is a term that encompasses all civil wrongs for which one person can be held liable for damages suffered by another; these may include intentional acts or negligence.

Injuries are a common part of life. In fact, it’s safe to say that we all have our share of scars and medical records. So when you’re injured, how do you know which type of tort law will apply?

The four main types of torts are negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress (IIED), assault and battery.

Negligence is the most commonly used tort in personal injury cases because it applies to any situation where someone violates their duty to act with reasonable care or skill-including accidents involving cars, trucks and other motor vehicles; slips and falls on sidewalks or stairs; dog bites; defective products like food packaging or machinery; construction site injuries, etc.

Intentional infliction of emotional distress (IIED) is a civil tort in which one individual purposefully causes severe mental or emotional anguish to another. This type of lawsuit can be filed if an individual intentionally causes harm by:

The first step is to identify where the defendant acted negligently or willfully and caused injury to another person. Then, it’s important to show how this action led to severe mental anguish or suffering.

Assault and battery are separate breaches. However, they often occur together and in this situation, they are mostly known as “assault and battery” offence. In acts of physical violence by one person against another, the assault is often accompanied by battery. In personal violence, assault refers to the act of making the victim aware of imminent bodily harm, and assault refers to the actual act of causing bodily harm.

 

Infographic

What is Tort Law - Infographic
Donald Singleton

Donald Singleton

Author

A Georgia native, Don founded Singleton Law Firm in 1999 as a continuation of his lifetime commitment to serving his state and community. He has concentrated his trial practice to representing victims of serious injury and wrongful death arising out of trucking, car, bus and motorcycle accidents, premises liability and a wide variety of other causes.

Results in Automobile accidents cases

Here are just a few outstanding cases we have won

MARTA BUS Claim

$7.4 million

Bus v. Auto - Recovery of

$4.1 million

Auto V. Motorcycle

$1.5 million

In Atlanta, GA, we fight aggressively to obtain 100% of the compensation available under the law.

Our services

Car accident attorney

Atlanta automobile accidents attorney with over 30 years of experience. Contact us and we will find the best way out for you!

Personal Injury attorney

Atlanta personal injury attorney who fights aggressively to obtain 100% of the compensation available under the law. Get a free quote.

Truck accident attorney

Did you get involved in a truck accident in Georgia? Contact our Atlanta trucking accident attorney – we can help you with your case.