Tort Law - Generally

Apart from legislation granting a right to sue for a specific harm, personal injury law generally consists of tort law and the civil procedure for enforcing it. This article discusses the words used to describe those who commit torts and how tort law is a particular collection of accepted legal theories for suing people for money.

Trade Libel

If a defendant publishes false statements that injure or disparage a plaintiff's business, he may be liable for trade libel. Trade libel is different from libel because trade libel only applies to a plaintiff's property, whereas libel applies to a plaintiff's reputation.

Scope of Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act

The Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act applies to any employer who employs workers for maritime work or in a maritime occupation, either full-time or part-time, on the navigable waters of the United States or in adjoining waterfront areas.

Claims against the Government

Under the legal doctrine of sovereign immunity, the government cannot be sued without its permission. Sovereign immunity protects the federal government, state and local governments, and government agencies from personal injury lawsuits. However, most governments (including the federal government) have passed laws that waive their sovereign immunity under certain circumstances.

No Strict Liability for Defamation

A lawsuit for defamation has the following basic elements: (1) making a false statement (2) about a person (3) to others, and (4) actual damages (if the harm to the person is not apparent). There is a fifth element when the person is a public official or public figure. The person who made the statement has to have made it with a known or reckless disregard of the truth. This article discusses a matter related to the fifth element, the prohibition against strict liability.