What is intentional infliction of emotional distress?
Intentional infliction of emotional distress, abbreviated IIED, is a type of tort law action that can be filed in civil lawsuits. In general, intentional infliction of emotional distress is brought against a person who deliberately acts in a manner that is designed to – and that does in fact cause – another person severe emotional anguish. An example of IIED is a doctor telling a patient’s wife that the patient died, even though the patient is perfectly healthy, simply for the purpose of causing the wife distress. Intentional infliction of emotional distress is one of the most difficult tort claims to prove, and some jurisdictions have historically viewed it as a frivolous cause of action.