Entrepreneurship · Lesson Plan
Business Tort Law
Torts are the civil wrongs that businesses must guard against. This lesson covers intentional torts (battery, assault, false imprisonment, invasion of privacy) and their defenses (privilege, consent, self-defense), then the tort of negligence and its elements — duty of care, proximate cause, and damages — so students understand a business’s civil liability.
For Teachers
Lesson at a glance
- Topic
- Entrepreneurship
- Grade Level
- Grades 11–12 / College
- Resource Type
- Lesson + Worksheet
- Estimated Time
- 45–60 minutes
- Format
- Lesson + worksheet
- Materials
- Printable lesson, activity sheet, whiteboard
What Students Learn
Learning objectives
- Define a tort and distinguish it from a crime
- Identify the main intentional torts
- Describe defenses to intentional torts
- List the elements of negligence
- Recognize civil liability in business
Materials
What you’ll need
- Printed lesson and worksheet (one per student)
- Pencils
Key Terms
Vocabulary
- Tort
- A civil wrong for which a court gives a remedy in damages.
- Battery
- Intentionally causing harmful bodily contact.
- Assault
- Intentionally causing offensive contact or fear of it.
- False imprisonment
- Restraining another person’s movement.
- Negligence
- Failing in a duty of care, causing harm.
- Proximate cause
- The legal cause of an injury (foreseeability).
For Teachers
Lesson plan
Estimated time: one 45–60 minute class period.
Lesson sequence
- Tort vs. crime (10 min). How torts differ from crimes.
- Intentional torts (15 min). Battery, assault, false imprisonment, invasion of privacy.
- Defenses & negligence (15 min). Privilege, consent, self-defense; the elements of negligence.
- Worksheet (15 min). Students classify torts and identify negligence elements.
Assessment
Assess the worksheet for correct tort classification and the elements of negligence.
Discussion
Discussion questions
- How does a tort differ from a crime?
- What are the main intentional torts?
- What defenses apply to intentional torts?
- What are the elements of negligence?
- How might a business face tort liability?
Printable Lesson & Activity
Business Tort Law — Lesson & Worksheet
A printable business-law lesson on intentional torts, their defenses, and the elements of negligence, with classification practice.
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