kártérítési

Kártérítés is a Hungarian legal term referring to the obligation to compensate a person who has suffered damage as a result of another's fault or of a breach of contractual obligations. The aim of kártérítés is to restore the injured party to the position they would have been in had the damaging event not occurred, as far as possible.

Kártérítés can be pecuniary (pénzbeli kártérítés), covering financial losses such as medical costs, lost earnings, or repair expenses, and can also cover intangible losses (nem vagyoni kár), such as pain and suffering, distress, or impairment of personal rights. The remedy applies in two main contexts: contractual liability for breach of contract and non-contractual (tort-like) liability for harm caused by fault or unlawful conduct. The Civil Code (Polgári Törvénykönyv) regulates the conditions for liability, including fault, causal link, and the appropriate amount of compensation.

In pursuing kártérítés, the harmed party generally must mitigate damages and show a causal connection between the fault and the loss, as well as anticipate the level of foreseeably related harm. The calculated remedy seeks to compensate actual losses and, where appropriate, lost profits or other recoverable costs. Claims are typically pursued in civil proceedings, though settlements between parties are common. Kártérítés is a central concept in various areas of Hungarian civil law, including employment, consumer protection, and insurance.