Tortious for Dummies

Tortious:

Hey there, I'm here to help you understand what the word "tortious" means. Don't worry if it sounds complicated, I'll break it down into easy-to-understand parts. So, imagine this - you're walking down the street, minding your own business, when suddenly someone comes out of nowhere and intentionally pushes you down for no reason at all. That act of pushing you down, my friend, can be called "tortious."

But wait, what does "tortious" really mean?

Well, when we say something is "tortious," it refers to an action that causes harm or injury to someone else. It means that someone has done something wrong, like breaking a rule or doing something bad on purpose, which results in someone being hurt physically or emotionally.

Think of it like this: imagine a soccer game. The players have agreed to play fairly and follow the rules. But one player decides to intentionally trip another player, causing them to fall and potentially get hurt. That action can be called "tortious." It's like breaking the agreement to play fairly and causing harm instead.

Now, I mentioned earlier that "tortious" can have more than one definition. Aside from referring to intentional harm, it can also mean someone doing something careless or negligent, which ends up causing harm or damage.

For example, let's say you're playing catch with a friend, but instead of catching the ball, your friend accidentally throws it too high and it hits a window, breaking it. Even though your friend didn't mean to break the window, their careless action still caused harm or damage, making it a "tortious" act.

So, in summary, "tortious" means doing something wrong that causes harm, either intentionally or unintentionally. It could be purposefully hurting someone or being careless and causing damage or injury. Remember, it's important to treat others with kindness and avoid any actions that can be considered "tortious."