Tort

Tort (French, “wrong”), in law, a wrongful act against a person or their property for which that person can claim damages as compensation. It is distinguished from a crime, which the state will prosecute; it is up to the injured party to sue for redress of a tort. The same wrongful act, an assault for example, may be both actionable as a tort and prosecuted as a crime. Torts range from personal injury to slander or libel; they include trespass and damage or injury arising through negligence. Wrongful breach of an agreement, however, is covered by the law of contract.