Civil Assault Law and Legal Definition
A civil assault is an assault considered as a tort and not a crime. Although the same assaultive conduct can be both a tort and a crime, civil assault isolates the legal elements that results in civil liability.
In a civil assault case the assailant is liable in a civil action. The victim may be entitled to monetary damages from the assailant.
The following is an example of a case law defining the term:
Civil assault is a conduct that causes another to reasonably fear the infliction of bodily harm. [Collins v. Bankers Life & Cas. Co., 1999 U.S. App. LEXIS 22396 (4th Cir. 1999)].