Which term is used to describe harm caused when the intended target is different from the actual victim harmed?

Which term is used to describe harm caused when the intended target is different from the actual victim harmed?

• A. General Intent
• B. Specific Intent
• C. Negligence
• D. Transferred Intent

Answer: (D)

Transferred intent is the idea that the defendant’s wrongful intent to harm one person can be treated as though it were aimed at the actual victim who is harmed. If someone intends to kill or injure a particular person but ends up harming someone else, the intent transfers to the actual victim, making the defendant legally responsible for the harm done to that person as if they were the target. This focuses on the direction of the moral wrong—acting with the intent to harm—rather than the precise person targeted. It’s different from general or specific intent, which describe the state of mind regarding the planned result, and from negligence, which involves failing to exercise reasonable care.

Transferred intent is the idea that the defendant’s wrongful intent to harm one person can be treated as though it were aimed at the actual victim who is harmed. If someone intends to kill or injure a particular person but ends up harming someone else, the intent transfers to the actual victim, making the defendant legally responsible for the harm done to that person as if they were the target. This focuses on the direction of the moral wrong—acting with the intent to harm—rather than the precise person targeted. It’s different from general or specific intent, which describe the state of mind regarding the planned result, and from negligence, which involves failing to exercise reasonable care.