Legal Injury GuideReference
Legal Injury Glossary
Plain-English definitions for 50 personal injury and legal terms — from negligence and damages to subrogation and comparative negligence.
ATerms starting with A
BTerms starting with B
Burden of ProofThe burden of proof refers to the legal obligation of a party to produce sufficient evidence to establish the truth of…Read definition →Bad Faith InsuranceBad faith insurance is a claim or cause of action against an insurance company for failing to act in good faith toward…Read definition →
CTerms starting with C
Compensatory DamagesCompensatory damages are monetary awards intended to compensate an injured plaintiff for the actual losses they have…Read definition →Comparative NegligenceComparative negligence is a legal doctrine used to allocate fault and reduce damages in personal injury cases where…Read definition →Contributory NegligenceContributory negligence is a traditional common law defense doctrine that completely bars a plaintiff from recovering…Read definition →CausationCausation is one of the four essential elements of a negligence claim in personal injury law, requiring the plaintiff…Read definition →Class ActionA class action is a type of lawsuit in which one or more representative plaintiffs sue on behalf of a larger group —…Read definition →Contingency FeeA contingency fee is a form of legal fee arrangement in which an attorney's fee is contingent upon successfully…Read definition →ComplaintA complaint is the initial pleading filed by a plaintiff to formally commence a civil lawsuit. In personal injury…Read definition →
DTerms starting with D
DamagesIn personal injury law, damages refer to the monetary compensation that an injured party seeks or receives from the…Read definition →Discovery RuleThe discovery rule is a legal doctrine that modifies the standard statute of limitations by delaying the start of the…Read definition →DepositionA deposition is an out-of-court sworn testimony session in which a witness or party to a lawsuit answers questions…Read definition →Demand LetterA demand letter is a formal written communication from an injured plaintiff (or their attorney) to the at-fault party…Read definition →DiscoveryDiscovery is the pre-trial phase of civil litigation during which both parties exchange relevant information and gather…Read definition →
ETerms starting with E
Economic DamagesEconomic damages, also called special damages, are the quantifiable financial losses that a personal injury plaintiff…Read definition →Expert WitnessAn expert witness is a person with specialized knowledge, training, experience, or education in a particular field who…Read definition →
FTerms starting with F
GTerms starting with G
ITerms starting with I
IndemnificationIndemnification is a legal obligation by which one party agrees to protect, compensate, or hold harmless another party…Read definition →Independent Medical ExaminationAn independent medical examination (IME) is a medical evaluation of an injured plaintiff performed by a physician…Read definition →
JTerms starting with J
LTerms starting with L
LiabilityLiability in personal injury law refers to the legal responsibility a party bears for causing harm to another person or…Read definition →Loss of ConsortiumLoss of consortium is a personal injury damages claim that compensates a spouse or, in some jurisdictions, other close…Read definition →
MTerms starting with M
NTerms starting with N
NegligenceNegligence is the cornerstone concept of personal injury law, referring to a party's failure to exercise the level of…Read definition →Notice of ClaimA notice of claim is a formal document that an injured party must file with a government entity before they can sue…Read definition →Non-Economic DamagesNon-economic damages are a category of compensatory damages that compensate a personal injury plaintiff for intangible,…Read definition →
PTerms starting with P
Punitive DamagesPunitive damages, sometimes called exemplary damages, are a form of monetary award that goes beyond compensating the…Read definition →Personal InjuryPersonal injury is a broad legal term that refers to physical, emotional, or psychological harm suffered by a person as…Read definition →Pain and SufferingPain and suffering is a category of non-economic damages that compensates a personal injury plaintiff for the physical…Read definition →Proximate CauseProximate cause is the legal concept that determines how far a defendant's liability extends for the consequences of…Read definition →Product LiabilityProduct liability is an area of tort law that holds manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, and other…Read definition →Premises LiabilityPremises liability is the area of personal injury law that holds property owners and occupiers responsible for injuries…Read definition →
STerms starting with S
Statute of LimitationsA statute of limitations is a law that sets the maximum period of time a person has to file a lawsuit after an injury…Read definition →SettlementA settlement in personal injury law is a mutually agreed-upon resolution between the plaintiff and the defendant (or…Read definition →Slip and FallA slip and fall accident is a type of personal injury claim that arises when a person slips, trips, or falls on someone…Read definition →Strict LiabilityStrict liability is a legal doctrine that holds a defendant responsible for harm caused by their actions or products…Read definition →Structured SettlementA structured settlement is a financial arrangement in which a personal injury plaintiff agrees to receive their…Read definition →SubrogationSubrogation is a legal doctrine that allows an insurance company or other entity that has paid compensation to an…Read definition →Sovereign ImmunitySovereign immunity is a legal doctrine rooted in English common law that historically protected governments — both…Read definition →Special DamagesSpecial damages is another term for economic damages — the specific, quantifiable financial losses that a personal…Read definition →Survival ActionA survival action is a legal claim that the personal representative of a deceased person's estate brings on behalf of…Read definition →Summary JudgmentSummary judgment is a pre-trial court ruling that resolves a legal claim in favor of one party without the need for a…Read definition →
TTerms starting with T
UTerms starting with U
VTerms starting with V
WTerms starting with W
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