False imprisonment in American English​​ Law. Any unlawful detention or restraint of another person.A false imprisonment claim may be made based upon private acts, or upon wrongful governmental detention. When someone is charged with false imprisonment, they stand accused in a court of law of forcefully detaining another individual in a bounded area. In the United States false imprisonment can be both a crime and a tort (grounds for a civil suit). Summary judgment was properly granted on the basis of qualified immunity for police officers in a lawsuit against them for false arrest and excessive force. To recover damages for false imprisonment, an individual must be confined to a substantial degree, with her or his freedom of movement totally restrained. In the United States false imprisonment can be both a crime and a tort (grounds for a civil suit). False accusations can also involve sexual harassment in the workplace, domestic violence, and assault. "violence" means using physical force that is greater than the force reasonably necessary to restrain someone.