Hacker News Reader

Comment by usernew | Hacker News Reader

"contracts" is civil law. to be illegal it would have to be criminal law. defamation is legal. it's a tort, you can get sued for it and lose. in civil court.

there is contract law, but breaking contract law is not illegal. a tort for example, is a tort, not a crime.

View on HN

Criminal law isn't the only law, so not the only source of illegality.

I am sorry to have to say this, as it detracts from discussion. you really need to read the full text of things to which you are replying, before replying. you are wrong, and your exact point was already explained. yes - criminal law is the only source of illegality. that is literally the definition of the word.

> criminal law is the only source of illegality. that is literally the definition of the word.

Your definition is not compatible with any common understanding of the word, or with any major dictionary.

Maybe you should check the definition of the word before taking a position on what it is, next time.

I give up. Enjoy doubling down Pooty, and take your own advice. Look up what a crime is (this is illegal) and look up what a tort is. There is a reason we have civil and criminal courts.

Torts are just as illegal as crimes. (And of course, in most usage, torts are just a particular subtype of crimes.) If torts weren't illegal, there'd be no justification for fining you after you committed a tort.

Breaking civil law is a tort, it is not illegal.

Contracts are civil law. It is not illegal to breach a contract. It is a tort.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com