The Three Types of Intent

There are two broad areas of tort offenses in the American legal system. One of those areas is the field of intent torts. These torts require that the offender have some sort of intent behind his or her actions that resulted in the harm alleged. There are three types of intent that an individual in a civil case can exercise in being found to have actually committed an intent offense.

The first type of intent can be called direct purpose. This type is shown in the cases when a defendant is alleged to have done something with a direct purpose. This can mean saying “I am going to hit you” or something similar. The statement or actions of the defendant leave little to the imagination as to what the defendant was trying to do at the time the plaintiff was injured.

The second type of intent is called reasonable certainty. A defendant with this type of intent went through with an action with a reasonable amount of certainty that the resulting injury would occur as a result. For example, if an individual hits a golf ball in the direction of a crowd, he or she can be reasonably certain that the golf ball will make contact with a person in the crowd and cause an injury.

The third type of intent is called transferred intent. This type of intent allows for the intent aimed at one person to be transferred to another in the event that the original target is missed. For example, if a person swings at Person A and Person A ducks resulting in the person hitting Person B, the intent to hit Person A transfers to Person B.

Contact a Jacksonville Personal Injury Lawyer

If you have been injured by another individual’s intentional or negligent actions, contact the Jacksonville personal injury lawyers of the Law Offices of Donald Guthrie at 904-296-1088.