| A | B |
|---|
| Answer | a legal document filed with the court in which the defendant in a civil case states his or her response(s) to the complaint |
| Assault | intentional threat to physically or offensively injure another |
| Battery | harmful or offensive touching |
| Causation | breach of the duty caused the injury |
| Compensatory damages | amount of money awarded to place an injured party in the position he or she was in prior to a loss |
| Complaint | legal document filed with the court to initiate a civil case |
| Contributory negligence | plaintiff's own negligence is a partial cause of an injury |
| Conversion | using property in a manner inconsistent with the owner's rights |
| Damages | monetary award by the court to a person who has suff ered loss or injury because of the act or omission of another |
| Defamation | false statement that injures one's reputation |
| Defendant | party complained against in a civil or criminal lawsuit |
| Discovery | court-supervised process for use by the parties to a civil lawsuit to develop material for their case |
| Evidence | materials presented to prove or disprove alleged facts |
| False imprisonment | depriving a person of freedom of movement without consent and without privilege |
| Fraud | intentional misrepresentation of an existing, important fact |
| Injunction | court order for a person to do or not do a particular act |
| Intentional infliction of emotional distress | tort that requires an intentional or reckless act by the defendant that is outrageous or extreme and that causes the victim to suffer severe emotional distress |
| Intentional tort | tort in which the defendant means to commit the injurious act |
| Interference with contractual relations | enticing or encouraging a person to break a contract |
| Invasion of privacy | unwelcome and unlawful intrusion into one's private life so as to cause outrage, mental suffering, or humiliation |
| Judgment | final result of a trial |
| Jury | panel of citizens sworn by a court to decide issues of fact in court cases |
| Negligence | most common tort based on carelessness |
| Plaintiff | party that initiates a civil lawsuit by filing a complaint |
| Proximate cause | legally recognizable cause of harm |
| Res ipsa loquitur | the act speaks for itself; legal doctrine that allows the court to presume, without having to be shown proof, a violation of the tort duty |
| Respondeat superior | the principal/employer is accountable for the acts of its agent/employee |
| Statutes of repose | statutes that cut off the right to sue for defects in design and manufacturing of products after a certain time, typically 10 to 12 years, after manufacture or sale |
| Strict liability | holding a defendant liable without a showing of negligence |
| Subpoena | written court order compelling a person to appear and testify; a command to an individual to appear and testify or produce documents or other evidence in his or her possession |
| Summons | in a civil case, a court order issued to a defendant to appear in court and answer the complaint |
| Testimony | statements by witnesses under oath |
| Tort | private or civil wrong for which the law grants a remedy |
| Trespass | to be on the land of another without right or permission of the owner |
| Verdict | jury's decision in a case |
| Witness | individual with personal knowledge of important facts |
| Libel | making a false written statement damaging to a person's reputation |
| Slander | making a false spoken statement damaging to a person's reputation |
| Punitive damages | a type of damages generally only awarded in intentional tort cases; meant to punish the person who inflicted the injury |
