Introduction
When one party damages another party, in a non-criminal context, the aggrieved party is entitled to restitution. This is one of the most important concepts of tort law. In other words, making a party legally responsible for damages is the main purpose of tort law. A judge or jury will attempt to determine exactly what needs to be done when an aggrieved party can demonstrate damages, and what those damages should be in order to return the aggrieved party to the state that they were in prior to the alleged action. Of course, no one can go back in time and change what happened; therefore, damages are always paid in the form of money.
One reason why torts are important in a business context is that virtually all commercial enterprises deal with the public by providing products, services, or other commercially relevant activity. Unfortunately, consumers often suffer harm due to unintentional (or, rarely, intentional) damages caused by faulty products or negligent services.
Criminal penalties cannot be attached to business entities. If a crime is committed, the government charges speci?c individuals within the corporation who may be responsible, not the business entity. Yet, society recognizes that businesses, out of negligence, ignorance, or malfeasance, may cause injury to another party. Tort law imposes standards by which such injured parties can seek recompense from the corporation in civil court. Whereas an entire corporate entity cannot be tried in a criminal court, it can be a defendant in a civil court. Keep in mind that there is a significant difference between tort law and criminal law. Criminal penalties could be applied to individuals if there is evidence of an i
llegal motive or criminal negligence. Torts, on the other hand, typically involve negligence, which is a breach of a duty of care.
Overview
Tort law is based on the notion that if one party harms another intentionally or by being careless or reckless (“negligent”), then the aggrieved party may be entitled to restitution and be made “whole.” In some cases, there is strict liability, as in cases of defective products. If a product is found to be inherently unsafe or defective, strict liability is imposed; “strict” means that neither intent nor negligence needs to be proven.
Sometimes, a tort may also be a crime, as in the case of assault. Such a case can be brought both civilly and criminally. Here, we are only concerned with civil court cases. The court (using a judge or jury as fact-finder) will attempt to determine what damages are appropriate where a tort has been committed.
A court will attempt to determine exactly what needs to be done when an aggrieved party can demonstrate damages, and what those damages should be, in order to return a party to its state prior to the alleged action. This remedy is almost always money because, in reality, no one can go back and undo the wrongful action.
Preparation
The first step in preparing your case law analysis is to locate a published court decision and select an organization you believe would be impacted by the decision.
Choose a decision about tort law. To help you get started, use the Capella University Library Legal Research Library Guide and these well-known searchable databases of court cases. Try to imagine yourself as either the plaintiff or the defendant in the cases you review to make these cases meaningful to your life.