Legal Definitions - outrageous conduct

Outrageous conduct refers to behavior that is so extreme and offensive that it goes beyond all possible bounds of decency and is considered intolerable in a civilized community. This high legal standard is often required to prove certain claims, such as intentional infliction of emotional distress.

In legal terms, outrageous conduct refers to behavior that is so extreme, offensive, and shocking that it goes beyond all possible bounds of decency and is considered utterly intolerable in a civilized community. This standard is typically applied in cases where someone seeks to recover damages for severe emotional distress caused by another person's actions. The conduct must be more than merely insensitive, annoying, or rude; it must be truly appalling and designed to inflict severe emotional suffering.

Here are some examples illustrating what might be considered outrageous conduct:

• Example 1: Workplace Harassment

  A supervisor, over several months, systematically and publicly mocks an employee's physical disability, spreads false rumors about their personal life to colleagues, and deliberately sabotages their work projects, causing the employee to suffer a severe anxiety disorder and be unable to return to work.

  Explanation: This scenario goes far beyond typical workplace conflict or even rude behavior. The supervisor's sustained, malicious campaign, designed to humiliate and distress the employee based on a disability and personal life, demonstrates a level of cruelty and disregard for human dignity that would be considered outrageous.

• Example 2: Exploiting Vulnerability

  A group of individuals, knowing a person has a severe fear of heights, tricks them into going to the top of a very tall building and then, as a "prank," pretends the elevator is stuck and the building is collapsing, causing the person to suffer a severe panic attack requiring hospitalization.

  Explanation: While some pranks might be harmless, this act is not merely insensitive. It involves a deliberate exploitation of a known severe phobia, designed to inflict extreme terror and distress, which crosses the line into behavior that is utterly intolerable and outrageous.

• Example 3: Post-Death Mishandling and Deception

  A funeral home mistakenly cremates a body and then, upon realizing the error, attempts to cover it up by providing the grieving family with the wrong ashes, fabricating a story about the deceased's final wishes, and making callous jokes about the situation when confronted by the family.

  Explanation: The mishandling of remains is serious, but the subsequent actions of deception, fabrication, and making cruel jokes to a grieving family demonstrate a profound lack of empathy and respect. This conduct, especially in such a sensitive context, would be considered outrageous due to its extreme insensitivity and malicious intent to deceive and further distress the family.