Needham Tort Lawyers

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Litigation Lawyers in Needham

A "tort" is defined in Needham, Massachusetts as a legal wrong, not criminal in nature, for which the law provides compensation to the victim.

In Needham, Massachusetts, when a tort is committed, and the victim of the tort is vested with a right to sue the person who committed the tort, they are said to have a "cause of action."

The law in Needham, Massachusetts recognizes dozens of different torts. Some of them are fairly obscure, and don't come up often, and are largely relics of the common law. The torts that a person is most likely to deal with at some point in his or her life are negligence, fraud, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Types of Torts in Needham, Massachusetts

Negligence: In Needham, Massachusetts, negligence is, far and away, the most prevalent tort that the civil litigation system has to deal with. Negligence is a failure to exercise the level of caution that's necessary in a given situation, and causing harm (physical injury or property damage) as a direct result of this failure. An obvious example is drunk driving. If a person is drunk behind the wheel, and causes an accident, they are clearly going to be required to compensate the victim for whatever harm they cause, since driving while intoxicated is extremely careless, and everybody should know this. Of course, there are many other situations, most of them far less apparent, where negligence can occur.

Fraud: Fraud is an intentional tort, unlike negligence. It is also dealt with fairly often by courts in Needham, Massachusetts. Fraud is a lie that one person tells to another, with the intent to harm the other person, typically by inducing them to give money or property to the person committing the fraud. Fraud can occur in a wide variety of different contexts. For example, 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 Needham, Massachusetts 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 directly 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 typically any physical contact that violates one's sense of personal dignity constitutes battery, and the victim could technically sue over it. However, in most cases like that, the plaintiff hasn't suffered 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: Intentional infliction of emotional distress, or IIED, is a relatively new tort in Needham, Massachusetts. It is committed when someone deliberately causes emotional distress or trauma to another person by engaging in outrageous conduct, with the intent of causing such distress. Note that the defendant does not need to cause physical injuries to the plaintiff to be liable for IIED, but the plaintiff does have to produce evidence that they suffered emotional distress. This evidence typically comes in the form of a report from a psychiatrist who evaluated the plaintiff's mental condition.

How Can A Needham, Massachusetts Tort Lawyer Help?

If you believe that you've been the victim of a tort in Needham, Massachusetts, you have a right to go to court and attempt 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 responsible, you have every right to defend yourself in court.

In either of those cases, you will almost certainly benefit from the counsel of a competent tort lawyer in Needham, Massachusetts. In addition to improving your chances of winning your case, should it go to trial, a knowledgeable 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.

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Life in Needham

Needham, Massacheutts is considered one of the more desireable suburbs of the state's capital of Boston because of the great school system, thriving professional community, and strong sense of community that Needham fosters in its 30,000 residents. Originally founded in 1680, Needham was a rather unsuccessful farming community before realizing success in other industries. There is still some colonial charm in the city-- it still governs itself with a representative town meeting. With only one public high school and middle school, the small town feel is also felt in the city's education. A commuter suburb of Boston, many successful professionals have also set-up office in Needham. For instance,Needham is home to a packing plant for popular market chain Trader Joes. In addition to great supermarkets,Needham also has great lawyers. Lawyers specializing in a range of legal practices are available to help their fellow citizen with any issue he or she may find find themselves confronted with.

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