tort may be defined as a personal injury; or as "a civil action other than a breach of contract."[sup][
citation needed][/sup]
a person who suffers a tortious injury is entitled to receive "damages", usually monetary compensation, from the person or people responsible or liable for those injuries. Tort law defines what is a legal injury and, therefore, whether a person may be held liable for an injury they have caused. Legal injuries are not limited to physical injuries. They may also include emotional, economic, or reputational injuries as well as violations of privacy, property, or constitutional rights. Tort cases therefore comprise such varied topics as
auto accidents,
false imprisonment,
defamation,
product liability (for defective consumer products),
copyright infringement, and environmental pollution (
toxic torts), among many others.
In much of the
common law world, the most prominent tort liability is
negligence. If the injured party can prove that the person believed to have caused the injury acted negligently that is, without taking reasonable care to avoid injuring others tort law will allow compensation.
However, tort law also recognizes intentional torts, where a person has intentionally acted in a way that harms another, and "strict liability" or
quasi-tort, which allows recovery under certain circumstances without the need to demonstrate negligence.