LAW 122 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Ultra Vires, White-Collar Crime, Corporate Crime

• School: Ryerson University
• Department: Law and Business
• Course: LAW 122
• Professor: Jonsin

Document Summary

A tort is an offence against a particular person. A crime, in contrast, is an offence against the state. Significantly, however, while crimes are offences against the state, they very often are based on actions that are committed against a person. Take a simple case in which ann punches bob. She has committed the tort of battery against him personally. But she has also committed a crime against society. Bob obviously has an interest in not being punched. He does not want to suffer personal injury or the indignity of being hit. But even beyond that, society has an interest in ensuring that people are not punched. A community cannot properly function if it condones a great deal of violence. The basic differences between a tort and a crime are reflected in the ways in which the two concepts are addressed.