IIED (Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress)

Category: legal

Extreme and outrageous conduct that is calculated to cause, and does cause, severe emotional distress.

IIED is a high bar. Courts don’t care about "hurt feelings" or "insults." The behavior must be so beyond the pale of civilized society that it is "outrageous." If the defendant’s conduct makes a reasonable person say "that is truly appalling," IIED may apply.

Common Examples

• The debt collector’s campaign of nightly threatening calls, falsely claiming the debtor’s children were in danger, met the standard for IIED.
• IIED cases are notoriously difficult to win, requiring objective evidence that the distress resulted in a severe mental health crisis.