By itself, a tort is simply an action that constitutes a civil wrongdoing to another person. Often times, the harm caused by these actions is the result of an accident or oversight, though still harmful to the person to which they are intended. On the flip side, however, it is entirely possible for the actions of a court to be taken on purpose, with the intention of causing harm to another. This type of tort is known as an intentional tort. Common examples of intentional torts are assault, battery, defamation, false imprisonment, and trespass. In the United States, such intentional torts usually warrants a higher extent of damages. More specifically, the tortfeaser (the person offending) may be required to pay punitive damages — damages intended to punish the defendant in addition to deferring future actions of the same type. If punitive damages are in order, they will usually be added to compensatory damages and possibly aggravated damages.