Tort

Introduction
Functions of tort
- Punishment and appeasement
- Deterrence
- Compensation
- Loss spreading
Comparative classification
Protection of life, limb, and freedom of movement
- Intentional interference
- Negligence
- Gray areas
Protection of property
- Land and its enjoyment
- Chattels
- Negligently inflicted pure economic loss
Protection of honour, reputation, and privacy
Liability without fault
- The growing dissatisfaction with fault
- Vicarious liability
- Presumptions of fault and responsibility
- Strict liability statutes
Tort law and alternative methods of compensation
Contemporary trends

References & Edit History Related Topics

At a Glance

tort summary

Related Questions

How are lost wages calculated in a personal-injury lawsuit?
How can circumstantial evidence be used to prove negligence?
How can community customs affect the standard of care in negligence cases?
How did Roman law distinguish intentional damage from unintentional damage?
How did tort law develop separately from criminal law?
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How do courts compensate for pain and suffering when it cannot be calculated exactly?
How do courts limit claims for emotional harm in tort cases?
How do punitive damages differ from compensatory damages?
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What does it mean for damages to be a natural and proximate result of a wrongful act?
When may a court award punitive damages in addition to compensatory damages?
Why are speculative losses usually not awarded as damages in tort cases?
Why are torts treated as civil wrongs rather than breaches of contract?
Why can a damages award include future medical costs and lost earning capacity?
Why can a person be liable under strict liability even after taking careful precautions?
Why do courts usually reject wrongful-life claims brought by children?
Why does negligence law focus on unreasonable risks instead of requiring people to eliminate all risks?
Why does negligence law usually not consider a defendant's lack of experience or intelligence?
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External Websites

Kenya School of Law Digital Repository - The Law of Torts (basic overview) (PDF)
Federation of American Scientists - Introduction to Tort Law
University of West Florida Pressbooks - Legal Fundamentals of Healthcare Law - Torts
University of Iowa Pressbooks - Business Law, Ethics, and Sustainability - Introduction to Tort Law
St. John's University School of Law Research - Personal Injury Tort Claims as Core Proceedings in Bankruptcy Courtsï¿½Broad, Narrow, and Intermediate Approaches Courts
University of Sunderland - What is tort law?
Boston University - The Crime/Tort Distinction: Legal Doctrine and Normative Perspectives (PDF)
University of Michigan Law School Scholarship Repository - What Does Tort Law Do? What Can it Do? (PDF)
National Center of Biotechnology Information - Tort
Cornell Law School - Legal Information Institute - Tort Law
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy - Theories of the Common Law of Torts
Business LibreTexts - Tort Law

Tort

law

Written by

Basil S. Markesinis

Professor of European Private Law, University College, University of London. Professor of Anglo-American Law, State University of Leiden, The Netherlands. Author of The German Law of Torts: A Comparative...

Basil S. Markesinis

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Nov. 4, 2026 •History

Tort, in common law, civil law, and the vast majority of legal systems that derive from them, any instance of harmful behaviour, such as physical attack on one’s person or interference with one’s possessions or with the use and enjoyment of one’s land, economic interests (under certain conditions), honour, reputation, and privacy. The term derives from Latin tortum, meaning “something twisted, wrung, or crooked.” The concept encompasses only those civil wrongs independent of contracts. Other...

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