Peoria Tort Lawyers

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Litigation Lawyers in Peoria

A "tort" is specified in Peoria, Illinois as a legal wrong, not criminal in nature, for which the law provides compensation to the victim.

Essentially, a tort in Peoria, Illinois is any wrongful action committed by one individual against another, which gives the victim of the wrongdoing the legal right to sue the wrongdoer. This is recognized as a "cause of action."

The law of Peoria, Illinois recognizes many dozen different torts, but only a few of them are really litigated with any frequency, and many of them are relics of a bygone age. However, there are a few torts that are litigated very commonly. These torts are negligence, fraud, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and battery.

Types of Torts in Peoria, Illinois

Negligence: Negligence is the most commonly-litigated tort in Peoria, Illinois's civil litigation system. Negligence occurs when somebody does not exercise the level of care that a "reasonable person" would exercise in a similar situation, and causes an injury as a direct result. As an example, most people know that running a stop sign at high speed is very careless, and no reasonable person would be expected to do such a thing. Doing so clearly falls below the ordinary standard of care. So, if a person runs a stop sign at high speed, and hits another car, causing injuries and property damage, they will be liable to the person they harmed for the cost of whatever harm they caused.

Fraud: Fraud is another frequent tort litigated in Peoria, Illinois courts. Fraud is defined as the deliberate misrepresentation of facts made for financial, or other personal gain, which causes harm to someone else. Normally, fraud is committed when a product or service is sold, and the seller lies about the nature or quality of the thing being sold. If, in deciding to buy what the fraudster is selling, the victim relies on the false statements, the seller has committed fraud. The buyer can then sue the seller, to seek compensation for their losses. At the very least, they will normally receive the difference between the fair market value of the thing they bought, and what they paid for it.

element of battery is pretty straightforward: if you engage in physical contact with another that causes pain and/or injury, you've committed battery. It's crucial to note that the contact does not need to be harmful to amount to battery - it can also be offensive. What constitutes "offensive" contact is largely subjective, and unless the conduct is truly sleazy (unwanted sexual contact, for example), a battery lawsuit is pretty unlikely to result. One of the more grave forms of battery can occur when a patient is in surgery, and the surgeon, for whatever reason, operates on the wrong body part. Because the patient did not consent to this contact, the surgeon has committed a severe form of battery.

Intentional infliction of emotional distress: Also known as IIED in Peoria, Illinois, intentional infliction of emotional distress is a fairly new cause of action, having not been recognized until the 20th century. In order to win in an IIED lawsuit, the plaintiff has to show that the defendant engaged in some kind of "outrageous" conduct, which was severe enough to "shock the conscience" of a reasonable person. They must also prove that the defendant really intended to cause emotional distress, and did, in fact, cause severe emotional distress. Proving that the plaintiff suffered trauma or distress as a result of the defendant's conduct is not as easy as it may sound, and usually requires the testimony of a psychiatric professional who has examined the plaintiff.

How Can A Peoria, Illinois Tort Lawyer Help?

If you believe that you've been the victim of a tort in Peoria, Illinois, you have a right to go to court and try to prove your case. On the other hand, if you find that you are being sued for a tort, and believe that you aren't accountable, you have every right to defend yourself in court.

In both cases, a seasoned Peoria, Illinois tort lawyer will probably prove indispensable. The best thing you can do early in the process is make a good-faith effort to negotiate a settlement with the other side, to prevent the matter from going to trial in the first place, which will often prove more costly than settling. Most tort lawyers are also skilled negotiators, and will be able to help you on this front, too.

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Life in Peoria

Peoria, Illinois is a city in Peoria County, of which it serves as the county seat. It has a population of about 115,000, making it the seventh-largest city in Illinois.

Peoria is named after the Peoria tribe of Native Americans. Peoria, Illinois is considered by many people, because of its demographics and mainstream values, to be the quintessential representation of the average American city, to the point that many marketers use the phrase "Will it play in Peoria?" as a shorthand for evaluating whether or not a product, service, piece of entertainment, etc. will appeal to a wide swath of the mainstream American public. Also, Peoria, Illinois is frequently used as a test market for new products, largely for the reasons just discussed.

Because Peoria, Illinois is such an accurate cross section of the United States, the lawyers of Peoria, Illinois are highly skilled in practicing the areas of law that average people are likely to face, like family law, personal injury, bankruptcy, etc.

So, the chances are very good that if you are in or around Peoria, Illinois, and need legal advice, there's a good chance that a Peoria, Illinois attorney will be able to help you with your issue.

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