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TORT LAW:For practical purposes, a tort occurs when one person causes injury to another person or to another’s property or reputation. The injured party (plaintiff) can take the alleged wrongdoer (defendant) to court. Tort law provides the injured party with a remedy, something to make up for what was lost . . . usually in the form of money damages.
Tort law also establishes standards of care that society expects from people. Most simply put, the law requires us to act with reasonable care toward people and their property. Failure to exercise reasonable care may result in legal liability.
Remember that a defendant’s unreasonable behavior is called a wrongful act when it violates his or her duty to others. A violation of one’s duty occurs when a person:
Does something he or she is not supposed to do (eg—hits someone in the face). • Fails to do something he or she is supposed to do (eg—fails to shovel the snow from the sidewalk in front of his or her house). • Does something he or she should do, or is allowed to do, but does it in a careless way that endangers others (eg—drives a car above the speed limit).