What Are the Most Common Reasons People Sue Others

There is no doubt that suing others and getting your rights has become more accessible and easier than it was because of the emerging laws that protect your rights and the growing number of professional and experienced attorneys available nowadays. According to statistics, there are 40 million lawsuits filed in the US every year.

There are a lot of different reasons to sue someone and even more loopholes in the law. However, most of the time, the reason behind starting a lawsuit revolves around you/ or your organization not being dealt with fairly, you have been harmed, or there has been injustice in your rights.

Harm could happen in different forms. If you ask a question like: “Can I sue someone for stabbing me?" You know the answer would be clearly yes; however, if you ask, "Can I sue someone for causing me emotional distress?" the answer isn't as direct and straightforward.

Although there are various types of lawsuits and causes behind them, the most common ones fall under these categories nevertheless. Let's get into the top reasons people sue others.

1. Warranty infringement

When someone buys a product, there are product features that represent what the product will do. The manufacturer or the merchant creates a warranty with the product to guarantee that the product does what it is promised to do. Warranties can be written, said orally by the salesperson, or implicitly communicated by marketing–and none is more credible than the other. If a product doesn't do what's communicated in its warranty, you have the right to file for a breach of warranty.

2. Property claims

As a homeowner, you lawfully have the right to live peacefully in your house. If your neighbors or someone nearby causes a safety issue, hazard, or any type of trouble for you, you are allowed to sue them. You have the right to sue them for things as simple as making noise at night or spraying unpleasant odors in the neighborhood.

3. Discrimination

Discrimination has been one of the most common reasons why people sue each other around the world because of the amount of trouble it causes, including huge emotional distress. Discrimination is when you get biased and unfair treatment based on your age, disabilities, race, ethnicity, gender, or any characteristic. You are protected by the law against discrimination caused by these characteristics.

Discrimination can happen in any place: workplace, restaurants, public transportation, while dealing with a business or entity – it can basically happen anywhere and in any situation. You are allowed to sue someone if you suspect their acts toward you are discriminatory.

4. Physical or material damages

Usually, physical harm is compensated for using monetary compensation. If someone intentionally or unintentionally harms you physically, you have the right to sue them and make them pay for medical bills or lost wages. If the harm has taken a more long-term toll on you, like emotional distress that doesn't allow you to be in the same emotional state if you were in pre-incident, you are allowed to sue them for that too and receive further compensation for emotional distress.

Physical harm can be simple or severe – the intensity of it isn’t a factor in whether or not the case will be considered, only the compensation provided. It can be food poisoning you got after eating at a restaurant, a physical attack, or a car accident.

Also, you can sue someone and demand compensation if someone, again, intentionally or unintentionally damages something that you own. For instance, if someone hits your car while parking next to it, if someone's dog ruins your garden, if someone draws on your house's walls, etc..…

5. Malpractices

When people hear the word malpractice, the first thing that comes to mind is medical malpractice, but that's not just it. You can use other professionals such as accountants or lawyers because they didn't use the normal skill needed to pursue their profession and caused you harm by doing so, intentionally or unintentionally.

Each professional is obliged by law to practice their profession following some rules and standards, and if they cause harm, whether physical or financial, because they failed to follow or practice their profession professionally, you can sue them and receive compensation for the damage they have caused you.