Have You Been the Victim of Assault? In most jurisdictions, assault is both a crime and a tort. In California, there is no statute defining civil assault, but only one that defines criminal assault. Generally, civil assault can be defined as the attempt or the threat to inflict instant harm on another person. It typically must be apparent that the assaulter has a present ability to inflict the harm that is threatened or attempted. However, courts will not find thatRead More …