chapter 2 vocab

Question 1

plaintiff

Answer 1

the party who brings a civil claim of wrongdoing against another party; or in criminal prosecutions, the state, district, or federal government

Question 2

defendant

Answer 2

the person accused of wrongdoing in a civil case, or the person charges with a crime in criminal prosecutions

Question 3

jurisdiction

Answer 3

the authority provided to a court to preside over specific legal matters

Question 4

interrogatories

Answer 4

a formal set of written questions provided to opposing parties in a lawsuit that help attorneys discover facts about the case

Question 5

deposition

Answer 5

the taking of testimony of a witness, under oath, by an attorney before a trial

Question 6

perjury

Answer 6

intentionally lying under oath, a criminal offense for making a knowingly false statement under oath

Question 7

arbitration

Answer 7

a process using a neutral, unbiased third party to make a final decision about a dispute

Question 8

mediation

Answer 8

a process using a neutral party who gets the parties to work together to resolve their differences

Question 9

civil law

Answer 9

a law that covers the rights and remedies of individuals

Question 10

the difference between a felony & a misdemeanor

Answer 10

is determined by how long a person can & where they will be incarcerated

Question 11

felony

Answer 11

any crime punishable by serving more than 1 year in prison or jail

Question 12

misdemeanor

Answer 12

a crime punishable by paying a fine or serving no more than 1 year in jail

Question 13

2 factors in defining the law of assault

Answer 13

the notion of intentional threat against another

the notion of physical harm

Question 14

using elements to apply the law

Answer 14

turn each element into a Yes or No question

Question 15

path of a lawsuit

Answer 15

wrong or injury occurs
wrong or injury discovered
lawsuit is filed
parties are notified
pretrial conference
trial