Basic Law Terms

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Damages

Back 1

Money claimed by, or ordered to be paid to, a person as compensation for loss or injury caused by a wrongdoer

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Debenture

Back 2

A debt secured only by the debtor's earning power, not by any specific asset; an instrument acknowledging such a debt.

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Defendant

Back 3

A person sued in a civil proceeding or accused in a criminal proceeding

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Demand

Back 4

1. The assertion of a legal right 2. A request for payment of a debt or an amount due

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Denial

Back 5

1. A refusal or rejection, a court's refusal to grant a request presented in a motion or petition 2. A defendant's response contradicting the facts that a plaintiff has alleged in a complaint

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Plaintiff

Back 6

The party who brings a civil suit in a court of law

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Petition

Back 7

1. A formal written request presented to a court or other official body 2. In some states, a lawsuit's first pleading; a complaint

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Plea bargain

Back 8

An agreement between the prosecutor and criminal defendant to resolve a case without trial, usu. allowing the defendant to plead guilty to a lesser offense or testify against another in return for a less severe punishment

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Offense

Back 9

A violation of the law; a crime, often a minor one.

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Oath

Back 10

1. A solemn pledge by which the person swearing to a statement implicitly invites punishment from a supreme being if the person is untruthful 2. A statement made after making such a pledge

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Lawyer

Back 11

One who is licensed to practice law

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Jury

Back 12

A group of persons selected according to law and given the power to decide questions of fact and return a verdict in the case submitted to them

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Eyewitness

Back 13

One who personally observed an event