Assignment #2
Question 1: What is the purpose of tort law? What types of damages are available in tort lawsuits?
Primarily, the purpose of tort law is to provide relief to injured parties for harms and/or damages caused by the person being sued for tort as well as to impose liability on parties responsible for the harm, which is ultimately aimed to deter others from committing harmful acts, whether intentional or unintentional. In tort law, damages extend not only to physical injury sustained and/or personal safety, but also to another person’s property, dignity, and reputation (emotional pain and suffering) that is recognized by statute or common law (protected interest) as a legitimate basis for liability.
In tort
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Punitive damages can be enormous and are often higher than compensatory damages. However, these damages are reserved for only a few special types of lawsuits and their amount maybe capped depending on the type of case. Punitive damages are normally available mainly in intentional torts and rarely in negligence lawsuits.
Question 2: What are two basic categories of torts? The two basic types of torts are intentional torts and unintentional torts (negligence). Intentional torts are done purposely to harm a person or property. Unintentional torts or negligence is the failure to use reasonable care which resulting in harm to a person or property. The classification of a tort depends largely on how the tort occurs (intentionally or negligently) and the surrounding circumstances.
Question 3: What is defamation? Name two types of defamation.
Defamation is a tort, a wrongful act where somebody has made false statements and the intent of the statement is to harm a person’s good name and/or reputation. Defamation can be either one of the two types: slander, which are written defamatory statements or libel which are defamatory statements made
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Duty - is the first element of negligence which refers to the legal obligation imposed on someone requiring them to adhere to a certain standard of reasonable care while performing any acts that could harm