| Tort Law versus Criminal Law |
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| Apart from legislation granting a right to sue for a specific harm, personal injury law generally consists of tort law and the civil procedure for enforcing it. This article discusses some of the distinctions between tort law and criminal law.More... |
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| Tort Actions against Municipalities |
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| Most municipalities have enacted either charter provisions or ordinances that state that the municipality will not be liable for damages unless timely notice has been provided to the municipality prior to the filing of an action against it. The notice is a condition precedent to the filing of a tort action against the municipality.
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| Unusual Defenses to Defamation |
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| Defamation lawsuits are not easy to win because the plaintiff must both prove the difficult elements of his or her case and avoid the many defenses to defamation. This article discusses two unusual "defenses" to defamation, the insubstantial but practical defense of I-dare-you-to-sue, and the real but rare defense of consent.More... |
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| Proving Defamation Damages |
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| A lawsuit for defamation has the following basic elements: (1) making a false statement; (2) about a person; (3) to others; and (4) actual damages (if the harm to the person is not apparent). There is a fifth element when the person is a public official or public figure. In such a case, the person who made the statement has to have made it with a known or reckless disregard of the truth. This article discusses the fourth element, actual damages.More... |
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| Alienation of a Spouse's Affections |
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| Under the common law, there existed a tort for the alienation of a spouse's affections. Although most states have enacted statutes that have abolished the tort, there are approximately nine states that permit such a tort action to be brought against a third party.
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