| Jaywalking |
The traffic misdemeanor that occurs when a person walks across a street outside of cross-walks, not at a corner, and/or against the traffic light. If an individual is injured by a vehicle while jaywalking, this can be considered contributory negligence.
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| Joinder |
When several lawsuits or parties that all share the same legal issues and situation are joined together to form one lawsuit.
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| Joint and Several |
referring to a debt or a judgment for negligence, in which each debtor (one who owes) or each judgment defendant (one who has a judgment against him/her) is responsible (liable) for the entire amount of the debt or judgment.
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| Joint Liability |
Joint Liability is when responsibility for a debt, claim, or judgement is shared by two or more parties.
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| Joint Tortfeasors |
This is for cases when the negligence of more than one person contributes to an incident that causes damages. Because joint tortfeasors are often jointly and severally responsible for the damages, one of the parties may have to pay some or all of the damages, without respect to the size of his or her role in the incident.
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| Jones Act |
This federal law covers injuries to maritime seamen and sets up rules of conduct at sea.
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| Judge |
An authority who is responsible to fairly preside over court, try lawsuits and make legal rulings.
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| Judgment |
Sometimes called a decree, a judgement is the final decision by a court in a lawsuit.
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| Judgment Creditor |
This phrase refers to the plaintiff, who wins a lawsuit and is owed defendant financial compensation by the defendant.
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| Judgment Debt |
The quantity of money that is awarded to compensate the winning party in a lawsuit.
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| Judgment Debtor |
This phrase refers to the defendant, who has lost a lawsuit and who now owes financial compensation to the plaintiff.
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| Judicial |
This is an adjective that refers to a judge, court or the court system, and can also mean "fair."
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| Judicial Notice |
When a judge accepts certain common knowledge facts without the need for evidence proving it to be true.
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| Judicial Proceedings |
This include trials, hearings or any other events formally brought before a court.
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| Jurat |
This is a Latin term for "been sworn." It refers to the part of a written statement where a person verifies the document's contents are true and correct.
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| Jurisdiction |
The court's legal authority to try and rule over cases in a particular district, county, city and state.
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| Juror |
A juror is anyone who serves on a jury.
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| Jury |
The group of citizens that hear a legal case and determine, fairly, who is the winner of a lawsuit and what the just compensation should be.
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| Just Compensation |
This refers to the fair and reasonable amount of money a losing defendant must pay to a winning plaintiff for loss due to accident, injury or other damages.
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| Justice |
The legal system designed to help every person fairly receive the benefit of all of his or her rights.
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