Exam 9: Torts

Maria intentionally attempts to have Patty break a contract Patty has with Alfred. Maria will be liable under which theory of tort?

"Tort" comes from the Latin term "tortus," which means "crooked, dubious, or twisted."

The widest range of tort liability arises in the area of:

The tort of invasion of privacy always requires the misappropriation of another's name or likeness.

A shopkeeper may lose the shopkeeper's privilege if:

The media enjoy a qualified privilege for stories that turn out to be false.

Torts are classified as:

Slander of title and trade libel are collectively known as product __________.

An absolute privilege is available as a defense to slander liability when:

Trespass to personal property requires:

Where the lawsuit is based on negligence, the defendant has the burden of proving himself or herself free of negligence.

A person who makes public information stored in a computer can never be held liable for invasion of privacy.

For tort liability to be imposed, the perpetrator of the tort must have acted with the intent to do wrong.

What type of damages is recoverable when the defendant's tortious conduct is accompanied by fraud, malice, or willful or wanton conduct?

Philip Laws leased an apartment from Candice Sutton. Laws had notified Sutton on more than one occasion that the wooden steps to his apartment were decaying and in need of repair. Laws claimed that he had to leave the outside light on to avoid portions of the steps that no longer would bear his weight when he came in at night. Sutton promised to repair the steps while Laws was away on a business trip. Accordingly, Laws did not leave lights on during his absence. When he returned three nights later, Laws was injured when one of the steps broke under his weight as he was entering his apartment. Laws sued Sutton. Sutton replied that she should not bear liability for Laws' injury because Laws knew of the condition of the steps and had not taken the customary precaution of lighting the area. Based on what you have learned in this chapter, decide the case.

A trespass to personal property is any unpermitted entry below, on, across, or above the land of another.

The tort of false imprisonment requires the detention of a person without his or her consent.

Today, the widest range of tort liability arises in the field of negligence.

Offensive or derogatory language used by one person to describe another constitutes the tort of slander.

Civil (noncriminal) wrongs, including breaches of contract, are governed by tort law.