{"id":353512,"date":"2017-03-29T15:16:30","date_gmt":"2017-03-29T20:16:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/injury\/torts-and-personal-injuries\/self-defense-defense-of-others-and-intentional-torts.html"},"modified":"2023-08-21T11:09:43","modified_gmt":"2023-08-21T16:09:43","slug":"self-defense-defense-of-others-and-intentional-torts","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/injury\/torts-and-personal-injuries\/self-defense-defense-of-others-and-intentional-torts.html","title":{"rendered":"Self Defense, Defense of Others, and Intentional Torts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Self Defense, Defense of Others, and Intentional Torts<\/h1>\n\n
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\n By FindLaw Staff<\/a> | Legally reviewed by Robert Rafii, Esq.<\/a>\n | Last updated\n
\n \n <\/i>\n Legally Reviewed\n <\/summary>\n\n
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This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n\n

\n \n <\/i>\n Fact-Checked\n <\/summary>\n\n
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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n

If you are sued for personal injury in civil court, you might use a self-defense strategy. This defense means you only caused the injury because you were protecting yourself (or someone else) from immediate harm.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The law grants us the right to defend ourselves and our loved ones in certain situations. But what happens when self-defense results in you being sued for personal injury? Luckily, there may be legal defenses available to you.<\/p>\n

The law in the United States has evolved through court decisions and civil code. Law based on court precedent is known as\u00a0common law<\/a>. Laws legislated into civil codes are known as\u00a0statutory laws<\/a>. Torts and self-defense laws in the United States are rooted in common law.<\/p>\n

Read on to learn more about intentional tort law, self-defense, and the defense of others. You can also find a personal injury defense lawyer<\/a> in your state who can give you specific legal advice.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What Are Intentional Torts?<\/h2>\n

A “tort” is a\u00a0personal injury<\/a>\u00a0caused by a civil, rather than a criminal, wrong. Tort claims (causes of action) are brought in civil cases and do not involve criminal law. An act that leads to a tort case could catch the eye of a government prosecutor. A county district attorney or a city prosecutor can bring\u00a0criminal charges relating to an underlying tort action<\/a>. But in the civil context, where a private party sues another in a trial court, a plaintiff seeks money.<\/p>\n

While criminal lawsuits might involve prison time and fines, civil tort cases focus on monetary compensatory damages<\/a>\u00a0for injuries. The burden of proof in a civil personal injury case is\u00a0a preponderance of the evidence<\/a>. This means the plaintiff in a tort case has to prove that their allegations are more likely than not to have occurred.<\/p>\n

Tort lawsuits can arise from a variety of events, including:<\/p>\n