The courts
tort
A civil wrong that injures someone, giving them a claim for damages: negligence, defamation, product defects, trespass.
In full
Tort law is mostly state common law rather than statute. It is how the legal system prices harm that is not a crime and not a broken contract. The federal government's own liability in tort is limited to what the Federal Tort Claims Act waives, which is why suits against federal agencies so often turn on that statute rather than on the underlying injury.
Also written as: damages, negligence, liability
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A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.