If an injured party is harmed or has property that is damaged by the intentional or negligent conduct of a defendant, he may bring an action to recover damages. Sometimes, the injured party recovers a verdict but only nominal, or minimal, damages.
Have you ever been detained for questioning at a department store because an item in your shopping bag set off an alarm at the exit? If so, you may have considered suing the store for false imprisonment. In most cases, however, you would lose.
Defamation lawsuits are not easy to win because the plaintiff must both prove the difficult elements of his or her case and avoid the many defenses to defamation. This article discusses two examples of one of the standard defenses to defamation: opinion.
When a person has died, has sustained injuries, or has sustained property damage as a result of the activities of military personnel or civilians who are employed by the military, the person or his or her representative may be entitled to recover damages from the federal government under the Military Claims Act (MCA).
When a plaintiff brings a personal injury action against a defendant for damages and the parties decide to settle the case, they may enter into a structured settlement to compensate the plaintiff for his injury. Structured settlements are monetary awards for damages that are paid in installments over a period of time. They are frequently used to settle tort cases involving severe injuries in which large damages are sought (e.g., products liability, medical malpractice, and wrongful death cases) because of the defendant's inability to pay the amount in one lump sum.
