In the United States, the legal definition of malicious injury is any injury committed with malice, hatred or one committed spitefully or wantonly. Such an action must be willfully committed with the knowledge that it is liable to cause injury.



Malice is a legal term referring to a party's intention to do injury to another party. Malice is either expressed or implied. Expressed malice occurs when a party gives notice of the intention to commit a crime. Learn more about this with the North Carolina personal injury lawyer.

Implied malice occurs when, in the course of nefarious or unlawful doings, a party causes the death of another party or does harm to another. Malice, in a legal sense, may be inferred from the evidence and imputed to the defendant, depending on the nature of the case.

In many kinds of cases, malice must be found to exist in order to convict. In civil law cases, a finding of malice allows for the award of greater damages, or for punitive damages. The legal concept of malice is most common in Anglo-American law, and in legal systems derived from the English common law system. Visit the North Carolina personal injury lawyer to learn more about this.

Malice could be shown if the acts were done in the knowledge of invalidity or lack of power and with knowledge that it would cause or be likely to cause injury. Malice would also exist if the acts were done with reckless indifference or deliberate blindness to that invalidity or lack of power and that likely injury.

These elements, with respect, are consistent with the views of the majority albeit that some of those views were expressed tentatively having regard to the basis upon which the case before them was presented.

In the United States, the malice standard was set in the Supreme Court case of New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, allowing free reporting of the civil liberties campaign. The malice standard decides whether press reports can be considered defamation or libel. For more information regarding personal injuries and legal issues arising from it, then visit the North Carolina personal injury lawyer for more details.