Legal Definitions - injuria

In Roman law, injuria refers to a wrongful act that causes an affront to a person's dignity, honor, or physical integrity. It is not primarily about causing financial loss (which is covered by other legal concepts), but rather about actions designed to humiliate, degrade, or wound someone's self-respect in the eyes of others or through a direct attack on their person.

Here are some examples to illustrate the concept of injuria:

• Example 1: Public Humiliation

  Imagine a scenario where a disgruntled former employee publicly posts a series of fabricated and highly embarrassing stories about their previous employer on social media, specifically targeting the employer's personal character and professional integrity, with the clear intent to shame and discredit them within their community and industry.

  This illustrates injuria because the act is designed to wound the employer's self-respect and humiliate them in the view of others, attacking their honor and reputation rather than causing direct physical or financial harm.

• Example 2: Affront to Physical Dignity

  Consider a situation where, during a heated argument, one person deliberately and publicly throws a drink in another person's face. While this action might not cause serious physical injury, it is a clear act of disrespect and degradation, intended to demean and insult the individual in front of others.

  This demonstrates injuria as it constitutes an affront to the person's physical dignity and honor, designed to cause humiliation and shame rather than significant bodily harm.

• Example 3: Professional Degradation

  A senior manager, in a meeting with multiple team members, repeatedly and openly mocks a junior employee's ideas and intelligence, using demeaning language and gestures, not to provide constructive feedback but to belittle and undermine the employee's confidence and standing among their peers.

  This exemplifies injuria because the manager's actions are calculated to degrade the employee, attack their professional self-respect, and humiliate them in a public setting, thereby wounding their honor.