Prem Bought a Radio from Hedy for $75

Essay

Prem bought a radio from Hedy for $75. He paid with a cheque, rather than with cash. When Hedy tried to obtain payment, however, the bank refused to cash the cheque. The bank explained that the cheque was invalid because it was so poorly written that it was largely illegible. Rather than contact Prem, Hedy immediately called the police and said that Prem had committed the crime of fraud by deliberately writing an ineffective cheque. She also suggested that Prem was likely to leave town soon, and that his crime should therefore be addressed promptly. The next day, the bank unexpectedly contacted Hedy and explained that, following its own investigations, it was clear that the defective nature of the cheque was due to Prem's sloppiness, rather than any intentional wrongdoing. Hedy thought about passing that information along to the police, but because she was still angry at Prem for causing such a hassle, she decided to remain silent. Later that same day, a police officer arrived at Prem's house, put him into handcuffs, drove him to a police station, and locked him into a cell. Prem was released several hours later after convincing the arresting officer that while he has dreadful handwriting, he is not a criminal. Upset and embarrassed by the episode, Prem now wants to sue Hedy in tort. Explain whether or not Hedy had committed any of the torts discussed in Chapter 4.