Civil Torts

1. waive - lawsuit brought to redress a private wrong such as breach of contract, encroachment, or negligence

2. defense - fact or set of facts other than those alleged by the plaintiff or prosecutor which, if proven by the defendant, defeats or mitigates the legal consequences of the defendant's otherwise unlawful conduct

3. malpractice suits - act or omission by a physician that led to pain and suffering

4. compensatory damages - awarded to a plaintiff to compensate for damages, injury, or another incurred loss

5. nominal damages - a small amount of money awarded to a plaintiff in a lawsuit to show he/she was right

6. punitive damages - awarded to punish the defendant

7. defamation - untrue statements set out to ruin the reputation of a party.

8. plaintiff - party injured party in a civil case

9. defendant - party accused of a crime in criminal prosecution or a person or entity against whom some type of civil relief is being sought after

10. damages - an award, typically of money, to be paid to a person as compensation for loss or injury

11. settlement - resolution between disputing parties about a legal case, reached either before or after court action begins

12. strict liability - defendant places another person in danger, even in the absence of negligence, simply because he is possession of a dangerous product, animal or weapon

13. negligence - carelessness or a breach of an obligation

14. minor - processing of civil cases before magisterial district judges in which a minor is a party

15. class action - several parties suing one party, typically but not always for strict liabailty

16. contingency fee - percentage of the client's net recovery from the lawsuit

17. libel - written defamation (to ruin reputation of a party)