Tort Liability: Legal Definition & Examples

Tort laws govern the rights of victims to pursue legal claims against tortfeasors. When a victim is harmed or suffers damages, the victim can pursue a claim in civil court under tort laws.

If the court finds the defendant liable under tort liability laws, the defendant is required to compensate the victim. In civil court, there’s no risk defendants will go to jail. The purpose is to determine if they committed a civil wrong against someone and if they should be required to make that victim whole–usually by paying monetary compensation for damages.

There are different legal rules that can result in a tortfeasor being held liable for committing a tort. These include negligence; intentional torts; vicarious liability; and strict liability.

Tort of Negligence

Negligence is extremely common. The tort of negligence occurs when a tortfeasor harms someone by failing to fulfill a legal duty to act with the required level of care.

In negligence claims, a victim does not have to show a tortfeasor harmed them intentionally. Instead, they must show:

• The tortfeasor had a duty to them. This could be the duty of a doctor to provide professional care for a patient or the duty of a store to offer customers a safe environment or the duty of a driver to exercise reasonably safe behavior on the roads.
• The tortfeasor failed to live up to the duty and was considered negligent. In some cases, a reasonable person standard is used, and a tortfeasor can be held liable for failing to exercise the level of care a hypothetical reasonable person would have. In other circumstances, a different standard is used. For example, in medical malpractice claims, a doctor’s acts or omissions are compared with what a similarly-trained medical professional would have done under the circumstances.
• The plaintiff was damaged as a direct result of the tortfeasor’s breached duty. The damage must have been a direct and foreseeable consequence of the negligent behavior.
• The plaintiff suffered compensable harm. This means showing actual losses occurred as a result of the negligence of the tortfeasor.

Negligence is the grounds for tort liability in many different kinds of cases, including many car accident claims, slip-and-falls, medical malpractice claims and other personal injury cases.

Intentional Torts

Sometimes, a tortfeasor faces liability for causing damages as a result of intentional wrongdoing. For example, if a tortfeasor punched or hit someone on purpose and hurt them with the blow, the victim could pursue a civil case under tort laws. This would proceed separately from any criminal trial for offenses like assault and battery.

In these situations, a plaintiff can show a tortfeasor should be held liable by demonstrating that intentional wrongdoing led to harm that the victim can be compensated for.

Vicarious Liability

Vicarious liability is another legal rule that makes a defendant liable to a victim. This is different from negligence or intentional torts because the defendant in a vicarious liability case can be held liable for damages a victim experienced even if the defendant did not directly or personally do anything negligent or wrongful.

Vicarious liability applies when a defendant is liable for the actions committed by their agent. One common example is when an employer is held responsible for compensating victims whom their employees hurt while performing work duties.

For a plaintiff to win a vicarious liability case, the plaintiff must prove the defendant should be held accountable for the actions of an agent or employee acting on their behalf.

Strict Liability

Strict liability is a special type of tort liability rule as well. It makes a defendant liable for all losses resulting from certain causes, even if the defendant did not act wrongfully or negligently.

Strict liability applies when a defendant is always responsible for a certain type of loss. Examples include states that apply strict liability rules to dog owners. In strict liability dog bite states, if a person’s dog bites someone, regardless of whether the owner was negligent or there was reason to believe the dog would bite, the dog’s owner is responsible for resulting damages.

Strict liability can also apply in products liability cases. If a product is used as intended and causes harm, the manufacturer and others along the supply chain can be held strictly liable for any resulting losses.

In a tort claim, a plaintiff typically seeks monetary compensation for damages resulting from torts committed by the defendant. If a plaintiff can successfully show tort liability and prove the defendant should be held liable for losses, the plaintiff can recover compensation for:

• Medical bills
• Lost wages
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Property damage

Wrongful death damages, including loss of the deceased’s companionship and remaining lifetime income, are also potential remedies when a tort has fatal consequences.

Plaintiffs can recover the compensation they are entitled to by negotiating an out-of-court settlement. Often, an insurer represents the tortfeasor. This could be a malpractice insurer, a car insurer or a home insurer. The insurer may make a settlement offer to the victim. If the victim agrees to settle, they receive a set payment but give up any future right to make claims arising from the incident that hurt them.

Plaintiffs can also file a civil claim in court to recover compensation for losses. They must act within the statute of limitations, which sets the deadline for making their claim. Otherwise, their case will be time-barred and no further legal remedies will be available to them.

Determining and proving tort liability can be complicated–especially for the tort of negligence where plaintiffs must establish the legal standard of care that applies and must show how it was breached.

It is a good idea for victims of a tort to get professional legal help. An experienced attorney guides them through the process of gathering evidence, making a successful claim and getting the compensation they deserve.