If you are involved in a personal injury case, there are certain terms that you will hear very often. So, here in this article, we are going to discuss all these cases and the different terms used. If you are looking for an Atlanta personal injury lawyer, then you should meet the attorneys of the MG law firm. No matter how severe or difficult your case is, they are always ready to help you.
Below are the most common lawsuit terms that you will hear during this case:
- Plaintiff: The plaintiff is the person or the group of parties who have brought this lawsuit.
- Complaint: The plaintiff who has brought this lawsuit will file a complaint against the opposite person in the court. The complaint here is a formal way of expressing his grievances.
- Prayer of relief: This complaint will have a fancy word that says the prayer of relief, which means the amount the opposite needs to pay to the plaintiff.
- Defendant: Defendant is the opposite person against whom the complaint is registered. He is the one liable to pay the plaintiff for his injuries.
- Answer: The defendant will send a reply to this complaint regarding his allegations and that is called the answer.
Terms used for the nature and the validity of this case
- Statute of limitations: It is the period in which you may file the suit. This can vary from one year to ten depending on the case to case.
- Torts and intentional torts – A ‘tort’ is a wrongful act that is not a crime. So, personal injury suit is also a tort. For example, negligence, wrongful death, libel, and slander are all those of torts. Intentional torts are a wrongful act that is done on purpose
- Negligence: A tort that arises out of carelessness or ignorance can lead to damage caused to someone (a person or a property).
- Burden of proof: This refers to the plaintiff’s obligation to prove that his allegations are true.
- Strict Liability: It is a legal theory that a person is liable for certain acts or injuries which has caused damage. This can be done with or without fault.
- Damages: This is something that a plaintiff is seeking to recover in the lawsuit. In other words, damages are money.
- Comparative Fault/ Contributory Negligence: This is something that can help to reduce or eliminate the damages.
- No-fault: This is a legal theory that is applied in auto accident personal injury cases.
