Which tort involves non-consensual touching during medical care?

Which tort involves non-consensual touching during medical care?

• A. Battery
• B. Assault
• C. False Imprisonment
• D. Abandonment

Answer: (A)

Non-consensual touching in a medical setting is battery—the intentional act of making contact without the patient’s consent. Consent is what authorizes any touch or procedure; when consent isn’t given (or can’t be obtained) and contact occurs, that contact is considered a battery, regardless of whether harm results. Assault, on the other hand, involves the threat or attempt to cause harmful contact or creating fear of such contact, not the actual touching. False imprisonment would be restricting a patient’s freedom of movement without justification, and abandonment means stopping care without arranging appropriate continuation. So the scenario described fits battery because it centers on intentional, unwanted contact during medical care.

Non-consensual touching in a medical setting is battery—the intentional act of making contact without the patient’s consent. Consent is what authorizes any touch or procedure; when consent isn’t given (or can’t be obtained) and contact occurs, that contact is considered a battery, regardless of whether harm results. Assault, on the other hand, involves the threat or attempt to cause harmful contact or creating fear of such contact, not the actual touching. False imprisonment would be restricting a patient’s freedom of movement without justification, and abandonment means stopping care without arranging appropriate continuation. So the scenario described fits battery because it centers on intentional, unwanted contact during medical care.