What constitutes battery in legal terms?

Battery is defined in legal terms as the actual infliction of physical harm or offensive contact upon another person. This means that for an act to qualify as battery, there must be direct physical contact that is either harmful or offensive, and that contact must occur intentionally. The key components are the intent to cause the contact and the actual execution of that contact, whether it results in injury or simply constitutes an offensive touching. This distinguishes battery from related torts such as assault, which focuses on the apprehension of imminent harm without actual physical contact.

Additionally, intentional infliction of emotional distress refers to conduct that causes severe emotional trauma rather than physical intrusion. Unlawful threat of harm describes a situation where a person threatens another without necessarily executing that threat, and attempting to inflict harm may indicate intent but does not complete the action of causing actual contact or harm. Thus, the definition of battery specifically encompasses the completion of harmful or offensive physical contact, making that response the accurate understanding of battery in legal terms.