What is the legal term for hurting someone?
Asked by: Dr. Reece Effertz | Last update: January 26, 2026Score: 5/5 (56 votes)
The legal terms for hurting someone vary but generally fall under assault (threat/attempted harm, causing fear) and battery (actual harmful or offensive physical contact), which are often linked as "assault and battery". In civil law (torts), it's a personal injury claim, while criminal charges can range from simple assault to aggravated assault, depending on severity and weapon use, with specific offenses like using poison or acid also defined.
What crime is it when you hurt someone?
Many people believe that assault is a crime that requires actual physical injury, but that isn't always the case. The crime of assault includes any threat of or attempt to physically harm another individual.
What are the 4 types of offenses?
Offences against person, property or state. Personal offences, fraudulent offences. Violent offences, sexual offences. Indictable/non-indictable offences etc.
What is the legal term for emotional damages?
Intentional infliction of emotional distress (IIED; sometimes called the tort of outrage) is a common law tort that allows individuals to recover for severe emotional distress caused by another individual who intentionally or recklessly inflicted emotional distress by behaving in an "extreme and outrageous" way.
What is harm in legal terms?
harm n. : loss of or damage to a person's right, property, or physical or mental well-being.
It Hurts To Hurt Someone | Maryann Jacobi Gray | TEDxUCLA
What is the legal definition of hurt?
According to this sec.:- whoever causes bodily pain, disease or infirmity to any person is said to cause hurt.
What are the four main types of damages?
The four main types of legal damages are Compensatory (to cover actual losses like medical bills, lost wages), Consequential (indirect but foreseeable losses, like lost profits), Punitive (to punish egregious behavior), and Nominal (symbolic awards for rights violated without major harm). Sometimes, Liquidated damages (pre-set amounts in contracts) are also considered a key category.
Can you sue someone for emotionally damaging you?
Yes, you can sue if you are suffering from emotional distress after an accident caused by someone else. California law recognizes the severe impact of emotional distress on your life, and courts allow you to seek compensation for it.
What is being emotionally hurt called?
Words for being hurt emotionally include wounded, pained, distressed, saddened, heartbroken, devastated, anguished, or experiencing grief, sorrow, torment, or emotional anguish, with synonyms like traumatized, mortified, offended, shattered, or crushed depending on the intensity and cause.
How to explain emotional abuse to a judge?
How to Document Emotional Abuse in Court: A Step-by-Step Guide
- Record Each Incident with Specific Details.
- Use Direct Quotes to Capture What Was Said.
- Save and Present Evidence When Possible.
- Describe How the Abuse Affects You and Your Children.
- Keep Documentation Safe and Organized.
- A Note on Safety and Support.
What is the most serious type of offense?
A felony is the most serious type of crime. It carries the potential sentence of at least one year and one day in state prison.
What are the 8 focus crimes?
"8 focus crimes" typically refers to the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program's Part I offenses in the U.S. (murder, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, theft, vehicle theft, arson) or, in the Philippines, the Philippine National Police (PNP) list (murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, robbery, theft, carnapping of vehicles/motorcycles). These lists cover serious, frequent crimes that law enforcement tracks closely, though the specific categories differ slightly between systems.
What are the four core crimes?
ICL outlines four main categories of international crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression.
What is the punishment for hurting someone?
Description. Whoever, except in the case provided for by section 334, voluntarily causes hurt, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees, or with both.
What is the legal word for pain and suffering?
Plain and simple: pain and suffering is the legal term that refers to physical and emotional stress caused from an injury. This is a form of General Damages.
What is tortious liability?
"Tortious liability arises from the breach of a duty primarily fixed by law which results in an infringement of private legal right of another and for which, civil action for unliquidated damages, injunction, specific restitution of property or even self-help, as the case may be, can be maintained."
What are the 7 signs of emotional abuse?
The 7 signs of emotional abuse often center on control, isolation, criticism, gaslighting, manipulation, disregard for your feelings, and possessiveness, leading you to feel demeaned, confused, and constantly walking on eggshells, with patterns including constant put-downs, isolating you from friends, making you doubt your reality, controlling your actions, giving the silent treatment, extreme jealousy, and blame-shifting.
What is a fancy word for hurt?
Some common synonyms of hurt are damage, harm, impair, injure, and mar. While all these words mean "to affect injuriously," hurt implies inflicting a wound to the body or to the feelings.
What do you call a person who hurts others emotionally?
Sadists and psychopaths. Someone who gets pleasure from hurting or humiliating others is a sadist. Sadists feel other people's pain more than is normal. And they enjoy it. At least, they do until it is over, when they may feel bad.
What legally qualifies as emotional distress?
Emotional distress refers to mental suffering as an emotional response to an experience that arises from the effect or memory of a particular event, occurrence, pattern of events or condition.
What are the five signs of emotional suffering?
The 5 Signs of Emotional Suffering, popularized by the Give an Hour organization, are: Personality Changes, Agitation/Moodiness, Withdrawal/Isolation, Poor Self-Care, and Hopelessness, indicating significant shifts in typical behavior that suggest someone may need support, much like recognizing signs for physical emergencies.
Can you sue someone for ruining your relationship?
Although alienation of affection defendants are usually a spouse's lover, you can sue anyone thought to be responsible for the breakup, including counselors and therapists, clergy members, or family members.
How to prove damages in court?
Proof: What evidence do you have to prove your side
Collect evidence proving your position. If you are the plaintiff, this could be evidence showing the damage, cost of repairing the damage, and who's responsible for the damage. This might include a police report, photographs, repair bills, proof of payment.
What are the 3 C's of a contract?
The "3 Cs of a contract" usually refer to Character, Capacity, and Capital, used by surety bond underwriters to assess contractor risk, but can also mean Certainty, Commitment, and Consideration in basic contract formation, or even Contracts, Communication, and Client Documentation for A&E firms. The most common interpretation, especially in construction, focuses on the surety's evaluation of a contractor's integrity (Character), ability to perform (Capacity), and financial strength (Capital).
What are the three most common types of civil cases?
The three major types of civil disputes often cited are Contract Disputes, involving broken agreements; Tort Claims, covering personal injury or harm (like negligence); and Property Disputes, concerning ownership, boundaries, or usage of real estate. These categories cover a vast range of disagreements, from business conflicts and car accidents to neighbor disagreements and landlord-tenant issues.