In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court of Canada has created a new tort of intimate partner violence that will allow people to sue for damages when they have been subject to abuse in a relationship.
Justices ruled 6 to 3 in landmark case
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The Supreme Court of Canada building in Ottawa is seen on Oct. 6, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court of Canada has created a new tort of intimate partner violence that will allow people to sue for damages when they have been subject to abuse in a relationship.
“Intimate partner violence is a pernicious social ill deserving of the full attention of the law,” the summary of the majority judgement says in defining intimate partner violence.
“Best understood, it is not confined to conduct that inflicts physical or psychological injury, but includes all abusive conduct by which one intimate partner coerces and controls the other, thus depriving them of their autonomy.”
The six-to-three decision further defines the new tort as covering acts of physical violence, isolation tactics, manipulation, humiliation, surveillance, economic abuse, sexual coercion and intimidation.
Torts are not criminal laws that allow the prosecution of individuals or companies, but are part of civil law and are designed to allow victims of physical or financial harm to seek financial compensation and deter conduct.
More to come
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