civil law essential vocab

arbitration

solving a dispute with a neutral person deciding

liability

legal responsibility for something

tort

wrongful act causing harm to someone

deep pockets

someone with a lot of money to pay damages

plaintiff

the person suing in a case

defendant

the person being sued or accused

judgement

the courts decision

damages

money paid for harm caused

intentional tort

harm done on purpose

strict liability offense

responsibility without needing to prove fault

negligence

failing to act with reasonable care

defamation

harming someone’s reputation unfairly

injunction

a court order to do or stop doing something

intellectual property

creations like inventions or art you own legally

assault

threatening harm to someone

battery

physically harming someone

slander

spoken false statements that harm someone

libel

written false statements that harm someone

settlement

agreement to end a dispute without a trial

insurance

protection against financial loss

class action

lawsuit by a group of people

comparative negligence

sharing blame for harm caused

protected opinion

a personal view that’s not harmful

consent

permission given

assumption of risk

accepting the chance of harm

privilege

special legal rights or protections

contributory negligence

injured person is partly at fault