7 Types of Intentional Tort Personal Injury Cases

You may know what types of accidents are included in personal injury claims, but you may have never heard of intentional torts. These occur when someone’s intentional actions cause harm to another person. While most personal injury cases are based on negligence, these types of cases are not caused by accidents but by an act done on purpose. Keep reading to learn about 7 types of intentional tort personal injury cases:

1. Assault and Battery

One of the most common types of torts is assault and battery. While assault and battery are typically linked together, they are distinct from one another. Assault is when a person acts in a way that causes another person to fear a harmful act. Battery is when a person’s intentional act actually causes harmful contact with another person.

2. False Imprisonment and Arrest

The next type of tort is false imprisonment and arrest. This occurs when a person confines another person’s freedom of movement through force or a threat of force. A false arrest is when a person unlawfully detains another person at the time of arrest. This tort may apply to a store owner, a private security guard, or a police officer.

3. Conversion

Conversion is an intentional tort that can be considered the civil law equivalent of theft. It can happen when a person exercises control over someone else’s property without permission. You can still pursue damages for conversion even if the property was returned, and the amount of damages will depend on how long your property was gone or if it was lost or destroyed.

4. Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress

This type of tort occurs when someone intentionally or recklessly causes emotional distress to another person by behaving in an extreme or outrageous way. While the behavior is hard to define in exact terms, it is usually determined by a judge or jury.

5. Fraud and Deceit

Fraud is an intentional tort that can be used to describe misrepresentations, scams, and more. Deceit is a more specific type of fraud where someone intentionally acts to misrepresent another person.

6. Trespassing

Trespassing happens when someone does not have permission to be on a specific piece of property or interferes with someone else’s property. A person may be liable for trespassing even if they do not know not to enter the property. All that is required is for someone to prove that the trespasser intentionally entered the property.

7. Defamation

Defamation is when a person makes a false statement of fact about a person or entity that causes harm or damage to their reputation. Opinions are not included in defamation torts. Damages you can recover from defamation include emotional distress and financial loss.

Now you know about the most common types of intentional torts in relation to personal injury cases. At our office, we specialize in personal injury claims that deal with negligence instead of intentional torts. If you believe you have been the victim of a negligent act, reach out to one of our personal injury attorneys today to discuss next steps.