Litigation Lawyers in Erie

In Erie, Colorado, a "tort" is specified as any civil wrong, besides breach of contract, for which the law provides a remedy.

In Erie, Colorado, a tort is essentially any bad thing that one person can do to another, which the law says the victim can sue over. This is called a "cause of action."

Statutes and appellate court rulings in Erie, Colorado recognize a very massive number of different torts. However, most of these torts are largely relics of history, and are no longer litigated very frequently, if at all. There are only a few that the average person has a decent chance of dealing with at least once in their lives. They include, but aren't limited to, negligence, fraud, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and battery.

Types of Torts in Erie, Colorado

Negligence: Negligence is by far the most frequent tort that results in litigation in Erie, Colorado. Negligence is a failure to exercise the amount of care appropriate for a certain situation, and causing harm to someone else as a result of this carelessness. For instance, running a red light is inherently careless. If you run a red light, and cause personal injury or property damage, you are liable for the harm you caused. Of course, this is just one instance, and negligence can occur in basically any context.

Fraud: Fraud is an intentional tort, unlike negligence. It is also dealt with fairly frequently by courts in Erie, Colorado. Fraud is a lie that one person tells to another, with the intent to harm the other person, normally by inducing them to give money or property to the person committing the fraud. Fraud can occur in a wide number of different contexts. For instance, suppose a jeweler tries to sell a fake diamond to a customer, by passing it off as the real thing. If the customer believes the jeweler's lie, and bases his buying decision on it, the jeweler has committed fraud. If the customer discovers this fraud, he will be able to sue the jeweler, and recover, at the very least, the difference between the value of the fake diamond, and what he paid for it.

Battery: Battery is defined by the law of Erie, Colorado as any contact by one person, with the body of another, which is offensive or harmful. Any conduct that causes physical injury, pain, or emotional distress is battery. Also, you do not need to really touch a person with your own body to commit battery - simply directing harmful contact (say, by throwing a rock) toward another person is sufficient to create liability for battery. Battery can also arise from "offensive" contact, which is basically any physical contact that violates one's sense of personal dignity constitutes battery, and the victim could technically sue over it. Nonetheless, in most cases like that, the plaintiff hasn't sustained any real harm, and will only be able to recover nominal damages, which would be far, far less than the cost of filing a lawsuit.

Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress: This is a tort in Erie, Colorado that involves emotional distress, and does not need physical harm or financial loss. It is also known by the acronym IIED. IIED is committed when a person engages in outrageous conduct towards another, with the intent of causing emotional distress, and really causes the intended distress.

How Can A Erie, Colorado Tort Lawyer Help?

If someone has committed a tort against in you Erie, Colorado, you have a legal option to seek compensation. Additionally, if someone has sued you, alleging that you committed a tort, you have a right to mount a legal defense.

In either of those situations, you will almost definitely benefit from the counsel of a competent tort lawyer in Erie, Colorado. In addition to improving your chances of winning your case, should it go to trial, a seasoned lawyer will also make every effort to prevent the issue from going to trial in the first place, by attempting to negotiate a settlement with the other side that's acceptable to both parties.