Liability and Accountability

Liability and Accountability

Introduction

All individual are liable for his or her actions and should be held accountable when his or her actions are performed in the wrong manner. There are many cases where individuals invade other’s privacy causing harm to that person. There are other cases where individuals purchase products that have defects and the producer or seller does not want to repair or replace the product. When products have defects, there are many dangers that pose to the public and the legal system. Each and every person should be held responsible or his or her actions.

Invasion of Privacy

Invasion of privacy is one of the categories underneath intentional torts, but in few cases can be related to defamation or slander. Invasion of privacy occurs when an individual places themselves in the middle of another’s personal life without permission or reason (Editorial Board, 2012). However, it also extends to situations where information is shared in a wrong manner, placing an individual in bad light. Other situations include using an individual’s name or identity without his or her permission and making private information about an individual public. Invasion of privacy includes torts such as, invasion of solitude/seclusion, public disclosure of private fact, false light, and appropriation. When a plaintiff files a case involving invasion of privacy, he or she must be able to show that the action resulted in harm.

Invasion of solitude/seclusion occurs when an individual intentionally places him or herself into the private life of another, whether physically or electronically, and the individual felt it was highly offensive (Editorial Board, 2012). In filing a case in this situation a plaintiff must establish that the defendant intentionally invaded his or her life without consent and that the invasion would be offensive to a reasonable individual. The plaintiff also has to establish that the matter in which the defendant entered upon was a private matter, and that it caused him or her mental anguish or suffering (Citizen Media Law Project, 2008).

False light claims are similar to those claims of defamation. These claims occur when an individual states information, whether true or not, about another individual to the public, causing the public to view the individual in a different light. When the plaintiff files a case involving false light, he or she has to prove that the information was published widely, and that it identifies him or herself. Furthermore, the plaintiff also must prove that the publication places him or her in false light, and that it would be highly offensive to a reasonable person (Citizen Media Law Project, 2008).

Public disclosure of private fact involves taking private information about an individual, that is true and reporting it to the public when