https://legal.excellentwiki.com/germany/tort-law/ Recent content in tort law on ExcellentWiki - Legal Encyclopedia Hugo en-US Mon, 06 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://legal.excellentwiki.com/germany/tort-law/german-tort-law/ Mon, 06 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://legal.excellentwiki.com/germany/tort-law/german-tort-law/ <h2 id="sources-and-structure">Sources and Structure</h2> <p>German tort law (Deliktsrecht) is codified in the Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch (BGB) §§ 823–853, forming part of the Law of Obligations (Schuldrecht). Unlike the open-ended general clauses of French law, the BGB adopts a three-tort system, each protecting different interests through distinct mechanisms. The system has been substantially supplemented by judge-made law and specialised statutes.</p> <h2 id="the-three-general-torts">The Three General Torts</h2> <p><strong>§ 823(1) BGB — Injury to Absolute Rights.</strong> The first general tort provides that a person who intentionally or negligently injures the life, body, health, freedom, property, or &ldquo;other right&rdquo; of another is bound to compensate the resulting damage. The provision protects a closed list of absolute rights (Rechtsgüter) and requires the invasion to be either intentional (vorsätzlich) or negligent (fahrlässig).</p>