Delict

In civil law

The act by which one person, by fraud or malignity, causes some damage or tort to some other. In its most enlarged sense, this term includes all kinds of crimes and misdemeanors, and even the injury which has been caused by another, either voluntary or accidentally, without evil intention. But more commonly by "delicts" are understood those small offenses which are punished by a small fine or a short imprisonment. Private delicts are those which are directly injurious to a private individual. Public delicts are those which affect the whole community in their hurtful consequences. Quasi delicts are the acts of a person who, without malignity, but by an inexcusable imprudence, causes an injury to another.

Poth. Obi. note 116; Ersk. Prac. 4. 4. 1.

DELICTUM (Lat.) A crime or offense; a tort or wrong, as in actions ex delicto. 1 Chit. PL A challenge of a juror propter delictum is for some crime or misdemeanor that affects his credit, and renders him infamous.

3 Bl. Comm. 363; 2 Kent, Coram. 241.

Some offense committed, or wrong done.

1 Kent, Comm. 552; Cowp. 199. 200.

A state of culpability. Occurring often, in the phrase "in pari delicto melior est conditio defendentis." So, where both parties to a broken contract have been guilty of unlawful acts, the law will not interfere, but will leave them in pari delicto.

2 Greenl.

Ev. § IIL