Which term describes a direct invasion of a person's legal rights, with examples including assault, battery, false imprisonment, defamation, or invasion of privacy?

• A. Intentional Tort
• B. Negligence
• C. Strict Liability
• D. Unintentional Tort

Answer: (A)

Direct invasion of a person’s legal rights is described by intentional torts. In healthcare, intentional torts are civil wrongs committed on purpose, such as assault (causing fear of harmful contact), battery (actual harmful contact), false imprisonment (unjustified restraint), defamation (false statements harming reputation), and invasion of privacy (unreasonable disclosure of private information). The key point is that the act is intentional and infringes rights, not merely careless. This distinguishes it from negligence, which involves harm from a failure to exercise reasonable care; and from strict liability or unintentional tort, which don't require intentional wrongdoing.