Schenectady Tort Lawyers

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Litigation Lawyers in Schenectady

In Schenectady, New York, a "tort" is any wrongful act, besides a breach of contract or a crime, that the legal system can remedy.

When a tort is committed in Schenectady, New York, thereby giving the victim the legal right to sue the person who allegedly harmed them, the victim's right to sue is identified as a "cause of action."

The law in Schenectady, New York 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 Schenectady, New York

Negligence: In Schenectady, New York, negligence is the most frequently-litigated tort. It is defined as a failure to act (in any situation) with a reasonable level of care, and causing harm as a result of that carelessness. For example, if a store that's open to the public fails to remove ice from its front entrance, or put up any kind of warning, even though it knows that the ice is there, it is not exercising reasonable care. If someone is injured as a result, the store owner will likely be required to compensate them for their injuries. This is, obviously, just an example.

Fraud: In Schenectady, New York, fraud is a fairly prevalent tort that the local court system has to deal with, though it may not be quite as prevalent as negligence. To put it in the simplest terms possible, fraud is a deliberate lie that causes tangible harm (such as financial loss) to the person to whom the lie is told. Fraud is committed in a wide variety of contexts, but it most often occurs when someone is trying to sell a product for more than it's worth. They might lie to a prospective buyer about the product's quality or value. If the buyer relies on this misrepresentation when deciding to buy the product, they are the victim of fraud, and have a right to sue the seller for their financial losses, and possibly recover punitive damages.

harmful or offensive, and non-consensual. For example, slapping someone on the face would be a clear case of battery, because that contact is harmful, and probably offensive as well. Unwanted physical conduct, particularly of a sexual nature, is considered offensive by just about everyone, and would also be considered battery even if it causes no physical injuries. Occasionally, a doctor will operate on the wrong body part, which the patient did not consent to be operated on. And, occasionally, doctors have performed entire operations while the patient was unconscious, which the patient didn't consent to. This is also battery, and can result in a very costly lawsuit for the doctor, though such cases are quite rare.

Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress: Intentional infliction of emotional distress, also known as IIED, was not recognized in Schenectady, New York as a valid tort until the early to mid 20th Century. However, since it became available as a cause of action, it has become one of the most common sources of civil litigation in the tort context. IIED is committed when a person engages in "outrageous" conduct towards another person, with actual intent of causing mental trauma or distress, and then truly causes the intended result. Physical injuries are not necessary to prove IIED, but if the emotional trauma is so severe that it causes physical symptoms (such as a heart attack, in the most extreme cases), the defendant will be liable for them, as well.

How Can A Schenectady, New York Tort Lawyer Help?

If you think that someone might have committed a tort against you in Schenectady, New York, you can sue the alleged wrongdoer to seek compensation for your injuries. And, of course, if you are being sued for a tort (or anything else), you are absolutely entitled to put up the best legal defense you can.

In either case, a Schenectady, New York 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.

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Life in Schenectady

Schenectady, New York is a city in Schenectady County. It has a population of approximately 61,000 people, making it the ninth-largest city in New York State.

The name is a bit of a mouthful, and was derived from a Mohawk word that roughly translates to "near the pines" or "beyond the pines." It is part of the Albany Metropolitan Area.

The area was first settled by Europeans in 1661, as part of the Dutch colony of New Netherland, which comprised most of what is now the state of New York. In the 19th Century, Schenectady became an important transportation hub, connecting the Hudson River to the Great Lakes. In 1887, Thomas Edison moved Edison Machine Works to the city, and it then became the headquarters of General Electric, founded by Edison,which is now one of the largest companies in the world.

Modernly, Schenectady, New York is coming out of the hard economic times which many cities in Upstate New York endured throughout the second half of the 20th Century, but its economic outlook is improving.

If you live in Schenectady, New York and need an attorney, you probably won't have any problem finding the Schenectady, New York lawyer who is right for you.

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