The intent to do a wrongful act without justification or excuse.

• A. Bad faith
• B. Slander
• C. Malice
• D. Libel

Answer: (C)

The main concept here is malice—the state of mind that involves intentionally doing a wrongful act without justification or excuse. Malice means the actor intends to injure another or acts with a reckless disregard for the rights of others, which can elevate conduct to an intentional tort and, in defamation cases, can support punitive damages. In defamation, “actual malice” specifically refers to knowing the statement is false or acting with reckless disregard for the truth, which is why this term is central in assessing wrongful conduct with harmful intent. The other terms don’t fit as well: bad faith centers on dishonest dealing or lack of fair dealing, often in contracts or claim handling, rather than a general intent to commit a wrongful act; slander and libel describe defaming communications themselves (spoken vs written) rather than the mental state behind the act.