What is Tort Law?

• A. A breach of contract
• B. A crime
• C. A property dispute
• D. A civil wrong other than breach of contract

Answer: (D)

Tort law covers civil wrongs that cause harm to a person or their property, and the law provides remedies like monetary damages or injunctions to make the harmed party whole. It’s about duties imposed by law to avoid harming others, not about promises made in a contract. That’s why it’s separate from contract law, which deals with breaches of negotiated agreements, and separate from criminal law, which involves offenses against the state and punishment. In tort law, the usual framework is that there must be a duty of care, a breach of that duty, causation linking the breach to the harm, and actual damages. Examples include negligence that leads to injury, intentional harms like assault or defamation, and certain strict-liability scenarios where the actor is responsible regardless of fault. Torts can touch on property rights as well (such as trespass or nuisance), but the core idea is harm-causing conduct that leads to civil remedies rather than criminal punishment or contract-based remedies.