Personal Injury Newsletters

Federal Laws Regarding Recreational boating accident

Federal law will apply to a recreational boating accident when a lawsuit is brought in a federal district court based upon the federal court's admiralty or diversity of citizenship jurisdiction. A federal court's admiralty jurisdiction exists when the accident occurred on the high seas or on navigable waters. The high seas are waters that are within the jurisdiction of another country. Navigable waters are waters that are used in interstate or foreign commerce. Diversity of citizenship jurisdiction exists when the parties to the lawsuit are from different states.

Interference With a Prospective Advantage

A person may have an expectation that he will be entering into a contract or a relationship with another party or parties for a financial benefit in the future, and a defendant may interfere with that prospective advantage. If the defendant unlawfully does so, the injured party may bring an action against him.

False Imprisonment

Have you ever been detained for questioning at a department store because an item in your shopping bag set off an alarm at the exit? If so, you may have considered suing the store for false imprisonment. In most cases, however, you would lose.

Dram Shop Laws

Under a "dram shop law," a business that sells alcohol to an intoxicated customer may be liable when the customer injures a third party. Most dram shop cases involve drunk driving.

Tort Law Depends upon State Law

Apart from legislation granting a right to sue for a specific harm, personal injury law generally consists of tort law and the civil procedure for enforcing it. This article discusses how tort law depends upon state law.