Business Law 301 - Ch. 12 (Torts)
GUARANTEED PASS A+
Actionable - Capable of servings as the basis of a lawsuit
Actual Malice - A condition that exists when a person makes a statement with either
knowledge of its falsity or a reckless disregard for the truth.
Assault - Any word or action intended to make another person fearful of immediate
physical harm; a reasonably believable threat
Assumption of Risk - A defense against negligence that can be used when the plaintiff
was aware of a danger and voluntarily assumed the risk of injury from that danger
Battery - The unprivileged, intentional touching of another
Business Invitees - Those people, such as customers or clients, who are invited onto
business premises by the owner of those premises for business purposes.
Causation in Fact - An act or omission without (but for) which an event would not have
occurred
Comparative Negligence - A theory in tort law under which the liability for injuries
resulting from negligent acts is shared by all parties who were negligent (including the
injured party), on the basis of each person's proportionate negligence
Compensatory Damages - A money award equivalent to the actual value of injuries or
damages sustained by the aggrieved party
Contributory Negligence - A theory in tort law under which a complaining party's own
negligence contributed to or caused his or her injuries.
Conversion - The wrongful taking, using, or retaining possession of personal property
that belongs to another
Defamation - Any published or publicly spoken false statement that causes injury to
another's good name, reputation, or character
Disparagement of Property - An economically injurious false statement made about
another's product or property. A general term for torts that are more specifically referred
to as slander of quality or slander of title
Dram Shop Act - A state statute that imposes liability on the owners of bars and taverns,
as well as those who serve alcoholic drinks to the public, for injuries resulting from
