What is the primary purpose of tort law?

The primary purpose of tort law is to compensate injured parties for harm or loss they have suffered due to the actions or negligence of another party. Tort law seeks to provide remedies to individuals who have faced injury—whether physical, emotional, or financial—by allowing them to seek damages in a civil court. This compensation is designed to restore the injured party, as closely as possible, to the position they were in before the harm occurred.

Tort law encompasses various types of cases, including personal injury claims, medical malpractice, defamation, and more. The overarching goal is to ensure that those who have been wronged are made whole again, promoting accountability and deterrence against harmful behavior.

While other legal frameworks focus on establishing criminal penalties or creating legislative statutes, tort law's unique focus on civil remedies for private wrongs differentiates its objective clearly.