Legal Definitions - intention

In legal terms, intention refers to the mental state where a person acts with a specific purpose or aim in mind, desiring a particular outcome or knowing that a certain result is highly likely to occur from their actions. It signifies a conscious decision to perform an act and the desired or foreseen consequences of that act, rather than an accidental or unintentional occurrence.

Here are some examples to illustrate the concept of intention:

• Example 1: Criminal Theft

  Imagine a person walking past a parked car and noticing a wallet left on the passenger seat. They pause, look around to ensure no one is watching, and then deliberately open the car door, take the wallet, and quickly walk away. In this scenario, the person's actions demonstrate clear intention to steal.

  This illustrates intention because the individual consciously decided to take the wallet, knew it did not belong to them, and desired the outcome of possessing it. Their actions were not accidental or impulsive in the moment, but rather a deliberate execution of a plan to acquire the property.

• Example 2: Contractual Agreement

  Consider a situation where a freelance web designer and a small business owner exchange emails and sign a written agreement for the creation of a new company website. The agreement specifies the project scope, payment schedule, and deadlines. Both parties understand and agree to these terms, intending to be legally bound by their promises.

  Here, intention refers to the mutual understanding and desire of both the designer and the business owner to enter into a formal, legally enforceable contract. They didn't just have a casual discussion; they deliberately structured their communication and agreement with the purpose of creating legal obligations and rights for each other, demonstrating an intention to create legal relations.

• Example 3: Intentional Harm (Tort Law)

  Suppose two individuals are arguing, and one person, out of anger, deliberately pushes the other, causing them to fall and sprain their wrist. The person who pushed intended to make physical contact with the other individual.

  This demonstrates intention because the act of pushing was not accidental; it was done with the conscious purpose of making physical contact. Even if the person who pushed did not specifically desire the sprained wrist, they intended the physical contact itself, and that deliberate act of contact is sufficient to establish intention in certain areas of law, such as battery (an intentional tort).