Portland Tort Lawyers

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Litigation Lawyers in Portland

A "tort" in Portland, Oregon is essentially any legally-recognized harm for which the victim is legally entitled to pursue compensation from the perpetrator.

Essentially, a tort in Portland, Oregon 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 identified as a "cause of action."

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

Types of Torts in Portland, Oregon

Negligence: Negligence is the most frequently-litigated tort in Portland, Oregon'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 prevalent tort litigated in Portland, Oregon courts. Fraud is defined as the deliberate misrepresentation of facts made for financial, or other personal gain, which causes harm to someone else. Typically, 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 typically 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 essential 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 Portland, Oregon, intentional infliction of emotional distress is a fairly new cause of action, having not been recognized until the 20th century. In order to succeed in an IIED lawsuit, the plaintiff has to establish 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 directly 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 Portland, Oregon Tort Lawyer Help?

If someone has committed a tort against in you Portland, Oregon, you have a legal power to seek compensation. Moreover, if someone has sued you, alleging that you committed a tort, you have a right to mount a legal defense.

In either situation, a Portland, Oregon tort lawyer will be able to advise you of your rights, and ensure that you have the best possible chance of prevailing in your case.

Talk to a Law Attorney now!

Life in Portland

Portland may be the 3rd most populous city in the Pacific Northwest but it's one of the most popular. Known as one of the greenest cities in the world, Portland has used city planning and public transportation to lessen residents' impact on their surrounding environment. In fact, Portland has been named the second most eco-friendly place behind Reykjavik, Iceland by Grist Magazine, and in top 10 greenest cities by Move, Inc.

P-town residents live among some of the most innovative microbreweries and distilleries. Widmer Brothers, Henry Weinhard, and Michael "Beerhunter" Jackson even dubbed Portland beer capital of the world. Portland Mayor Tom Potter nicknamed the city "Beertown."

Most people probably know Portland as the location of the Nike Headquarters (known as the Nike Campus) but the city also plays host to KEEN, Adidas, Columbia Sportsware, U.S. Bank, Oregon Steel Mills, Willamette Industries, and Louisiana-Pacific. Since the city is known as a "green city" you won't be too surprised to find there are a number of alternative energy companies there like Vestas Wind Systems.

Portland is unique in that the city hosts the worlds largest, and even legally sanctioned in Portland court, naked bike ride. The annual World Naked Bike Ride began in 1999 with less than seven participants but has grown to over 13,000. Another legal oddity you may not know is that there are very strong speech protections in the Oregon constitution that extend to full nudity and lap dances in strip clubs. Not by coincidence, Portland has more strip clubs per capita than Las Vegas or San Francisco.

If you need some help navigating these sometimes confusing courts, consult a local Portland lawyer today.

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