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tort

tort

43 9.1
A wrong action that harms someone and can lead to a court case for money
  • noun
  • /tɔrt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : acto ilícito civil
  • Negligence resulting in injury can be grounds for a civil tort claim in court.
  • tort law
  • tort liability
  • tort claim

Whether it's an exam for contracts or con law or torts or whatever.

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Examples

  • A wrongful arrest claim is regarded as a part of a tort claim according to Korean courts.

    Academic text (2017)
  • Generally, damages in tort are awarded simply to restore the plaintiff back to the position he or she was in before tort occurred.

  • And this was very close to what we used to have in tort law for a while.

  • Thus, the vast majority of mass tort cases are settled by agreement between the parties.

    Academic text (2017)
  • Beyond the politics and rhetoric of tort reform, is there a "crisis" in civil justice?

    Academic text (1994)
  • So the general standard for tort liability was negligence.

  • The court is concerned with how closely the tort or statutory claims relate to the underlying contract claims.

    Academic text (2017)
  • For the most part, however, personal injury mass torts continue to be adjudicated outside of the class action arena.

    Academic text (2017)
  • Further, it involved a high-stakes tort suit against a corporation in which the plaintiff sought punitive damages.

    Academic text (2017)
  • The classification of marine pollution as a maritime tort has both jurisdictional and substantive relevance.

    Academic text (1990)

Synonyms

civil wrong
vstort
  • Specialized
1 8.1

An action or not doing something that harms another person and can lead to a lawsuit for money

is narrower by excluding harms arising from contractual obligations

Compounds

tort-feasor
  • Specialized
9.9

A person who causes harm and must pay for it by law

Surface Forms

tort singular
torts plural

Etymology

The word tort comes from an old Latin word tortus meaning 'twisted', from torquere 'to twist'. That's why a tort is a 'twisted' or wrong act that causes harm and can make someone legally responsible, and you can see the same root in the words distort and torture.