What are the elements of IIED (intentional infliction of emotional distress)?

Study for the MBE Critical Pass Test. Enhance your knowledge with flashcards and multiple choice questions. Prepare thoroughly for your exam with detailed hints and explanations.

IIED requires four elements: the conduct must be extreme or outrageous, the defendant must act with intent to cause distress or with reckless disregard for the likelihood of causing distress, there must be causation, and the plaintiff must suffer severe emotional distress. The option that best fits this is the one describing conduct as intentional or extreme or outrageous and showing that it causes severe emotional distress. That captures the essential link between outrageous behavior and the actual harm felt by the plaintiff. Saying the conduct need not cause distress ignores the need for a causal, required emotional impact, which is not how IIED works. The other choices mix in unrelated claims like battery and assault or breach of contract, which are not elements of IIED.