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· 3/21/1904

Tinker v. Colwell

Citations

  • 193 U.S. 473
  • 24 S. Ct. 505
  • 48 L. Ed. 754
  • 1904 U.S. LEXIS 921

Syllabus

<p>The personal and exclusive rights of a husband with regard to the person ■ of his wife are interfered with and invaded by criminal conversation with ' her, and such an act constitutes an assault even when the wife consents to the act, as such consent cannot affect the rights of the husband against the wrongdoer; and the assault constitutes an injury to the husband’s rights and property which is both malicious and willful within the meaning of subdivision 2 of section 17 of the Bankruptcy Act of 1898, and a judgment obtained by the husband on such a cause of action is not released by the judgment debtor’s discharge in bankruptcy.</p>

How courts have described this case

Verbatim parenthetical descriptions written by other courts when citing this decision. Ranked by citation-network relevance.

  • assessing extent to which previous interpretations of “malicious” remained viable after Supreme Court’s Geiger decision clarified “willful” to embody intent type discussed above
  • “Malice, in common acceptation, means ill will against a person, but in its legal sense it means a wrongful act, done intentionally, without just cause or excuse.” (emphasis added) (quoting Bromage v. Prosser, 4 Barn. & Cress. 247, 107 Eng. Rep. 1051 (K.B.1825

Source: CourtListener parenthetical corpus (CC0).

Judges: Peckham, Brown, White, Holmes

Read full opinion on CourtListener

Sourced from CourtListener / Free Law Project (CC0).

This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.