ort is concerned with civil wrongs caused by individuals and

other legal entities. Tort has two main objectives. One is to

offer compensation to the victims of civil wrongs for the loss, damage
or injury that they have suffered. The most common remedy
for tortious conduct is money, referred to as damages. Tort also acts
as a deterrent, and aims to reduce the harm caused by making
the tortfeasor responsible for providing a remedy.
Another type of remedy is an injunction, where the court orders a person not to do
something, for example, not to publish an article in a newspaper. It may also be used to
compel a person to do something, although this is less common.
There are three main elements to a tort claim. First, it must be proved that there was
a wrongful act or omission (=failure to act) by the defendant. Second, that the
claimant suffered loss, damage or injury as a result. Third, that the defendant had
a duty to act in a certain way but didn’t, meaning he was at fault.
The most litigated tort is the general tort of negligence, where A’s careless act or
omission causes damage to B. Other torts include defamation, where A suffers as a
result of B’s spoken or published lies; trespass, where B wrongfully goes onto A’s
land; and nuisance, where B disturbs A’s enjoyment and use of his land (for example,
by allowing dogs or cats to run freely there).
In certain cases, such as defective products that cause harm to consumers, strict
liability is used. This means that the defendant will be found liable regardless of
fault.
There are some overlaps between tort law and criminal law, and sometimes the same set
of facts may lead to both a criminal prosecution and an action in tort. A
famous example of this was the US case of The People v. Orenthal James Simpson. This
criminal trial involved the former American football star and actor O. J. Simpson, and
was heard at the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, California. Simpson
was charged with two counts of murder following the deaths of his ex wife
Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman in June 1994. Simpson was
eventually acquitted. However, the Brown and Goldman families
then sued Simpson for damages in a civil suit. The jury unanimously found there
was a preponderance of evidence to find Simpson liable for
damages in the wrongful death of Goldman and battery of Brown.
The standard of proof in civil cases, the preponderance of the evidence, is much
lower than in criminal cases, the facts of which have to be proved beyond
reasonable doubt.
Another difference between civil law and criminal law are the consequences of
a finding of liability and a finding of guilt. Damages are awarded in tort cases, and
are meant to compensate the injured party for wrongs caused, and to deter
others from acting negligently. A finding of guilt can subject the defendant to a number of
different punishments, including imprisonment and fines (=a sum of money exacted
as a penalty by a court of law or other authority). Some jurisdictions are also able
to award punitive damages, which can be extremely high, in addition
to compensatory damages, where the tort in question has been particularly
serious.