Legal Definitions - legal injury

A legal injury refers to any harm, damage, or violation of rights that is recognized by the law and for which a legal remedy, such as compensation or an injunction, may be available. It is distinct from a mere inconvenience or a moral wrong; it signifies a specific type of detriment that has legal consequences and can form the basis of a lawsuit or other legal action.

Here are some examples illustrating the concept of a legal injury:

• Example 1: Personal Injury from Negligence

  Imagine a pedestrian who is struck by a car while crossing the street because the driver was texting and ran a red light. The pedestrian suffers a broken leg and incurs significant medical expenses and lost wages due to their inability to work.

  This scenario demonstrates a legal injury because the driver's negligent act (texting while driving and running a red light) violated their legal duty to operate a vehicle safely. The physical harm, medical bills, and lost income suffered by the pedestrian are direct, legally recognized damages resulting from this violation, entitling the pedestrian to seek compensation.

• Example 2: Breach of Contract

  Consider a small business owner who hires a web design company to build a new e-commerce website, signing a contract that specifies the site must be fully functional and launched by a certain date. The company fails to deliver the website on time, causing the business owner to miss out on crucial holiday sales and lose potential revenue.

  Here, the web design company's failure to meet the contractual deadline constitutes a breach of contract. The resulting loss of sales and revenue for the business owner is a legally recognized financial harm directly caused by this breach, establishing a legal injury for which the business owner can seek damages.

• Example 3: Property Damage from Trespass

  Suppose a homeowner discovers that a neighboring construction crew, while working on an adjacent property, repeatedly drove heavy machinery across a corner of their lawn, damaging the landscaping and underground sprinkler system.

  This situation illustrates a legal injury because the construction crew's unauthorized entry onto the homeowner's property constitutes trespass, a violation of the homeowner's property rights. The damage to the lawn and sprinkler system represents a tangible, legally recognized harm to the homeowner's property, for which they can seek compensation for repairs.