Domestic Violence Torts: Righting a Civil Wrong
Domestic Violence Torts: Righting a Civil Wrong Camille Carey* I. INTRODUCTION Tort law defines what constitutes wrongful conduct in particular situations and dictates how tortfeasors legally compensate for their wrongful conduct. Sometimes tort law governs conduct in intimate relations, and other times it oversees the conduct of strangers or corporations. Tort law, especially personal injury law, has become an integral aspect of American society. It guides how individuals and companies conduct themselves and dictates how and when injured parties are compensated for their harms. Domestic violence harms have been conspicuously absent from the development of tort law. Domestic violence is pervasive, and its harms are serious. Pain and suffering, physical injuries, and even death arising out of abusive relationships are compensable through tort law, but these claims are rarely filed or discussed. In its current iteration, tort law offers a number of well-suited but underused remedies for domestic violence victims. These common law claims were not created to provide redress for intimate partner violence, and historically were not allowed to do so. However, in contemporary times, tort claims are effective tools for legal recourse for domestic violence victims and should be pursued aggressively and frequently.1 * Associate Professor, University of New Mexico School of Law. I would like to thank participants in the faculty workshops at the University of New Mexico School of Law and the William S. Boyd School of Law, University of Las Vegas, the members of the Joint University of Colorado Law School and University of Denver Sturm College of Law Clinicians’ Work in Progress Series, Max Minzner, Dawinder Sidhu, Ernesto Longa, Glenn Beard, and Robert Solomon.
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