Glossary Flashcards
a charge against a person or corporation
accusation
to directly and formally institute legal proceedings against a person
accuse
person against whom a criminal proceeding is initiated
accused
evidence which has been received by a trial court to aid the trier of fact (judge or jury) in deciding the merits of a controversy
admissible evidence
voluntary acknowledgement that certain facts do exist or are true
admission
a person who has reached the age of majority
adult
a written, ex parte, statement made or taken under oath before an officer of the court or a notary public
affidavit
the act of an appellate court that the judgement of the lower court is correct
affirm
in pleading, an assertion of fact
allegation
a resort to a higher court, seeking a reversal of a court decision
appeal
an attempt or threat, with unlawful force, to inflict bodily injury
assault
the unlawful application of force to the person of another, unauthorized touching of another, no physical harm need result
battery
a party’s failure to perform some contracted- for or agreed- upon act, or failure to comply with a duty imposed by law
breech of contract
the obligation of one party in a lawsuit to prove all the requirements necessary to show entitlement to recovery
burden of proof
a warning, caution or qualification
caveat
indirect evidence, secondary evidence by which a principal fact may be inferred
circumstantial evidence
the branch of law that pertains to suits outside of criminal practice, pertaining to the rights and duties of persons in contract, tort, etc
civil
as a standard of proof, it is that amount of evidence beyond a mere preponderance, but below that of beyond a reasonable doubt
clear and convincing
a set of laws or rules
code
a system of jurisprudence which originated in England and passed on to the U.S., based on judicial precedent, common law is changing reflecting the desires of society
common law
a doctrine in some states which allows apportionment between plaintiff and defendant of responsibility for injuries or damages, in some states the plaintiff may still recover even though they were negligent, but the amount they can recover will be reduced by the percentage by which they caused their own injuries
comparative negligence
damages awarded in order to “make the plaintiff whole”, to put the plaintiff in the position they would have been in had no tort or breech of contract occurred
compensatory damages
the first pleading of the plaintiff setting out the facts on which the claim for relief is based
complaint
an admission of guilt or other incriminating statement made by the accused
confession
something of value received or promised to persuade someone to enter into a contract
consideration
an agreement between two or more persons that is enforceable by law
contract
a doctrine recognized in some states which precludes any recovery by a plaintiff if they were guilty of negligence which contributed to cause their injury
contributory negligence
an agreement or promise to do or not to do a particular thing
convenant
monetary compensation which the law awards to one who has been injured by the actions of another
damages
the person who is being sued
defendant
a contract in which mutual assent has been destroyed, by fraud, coercion or otherwise
defective contract
a pre-trial discovery procedure whereby parties or witnesses are examined under oath, a court reporter is present and records questions and answers
deposition
a pre-trial procedure by which one party gains information held by another party
discovery