Unless you’re a licensed personal injury lawyer, you might be faced with a wave of confusion when you begin to hear things like “plaintiff”, “prayer for relief” and “preponderance of evidence” being thrown around in court. Of course, you shouldn’t be expected to know what everything means in terms of legal jargon, but it is important to at least know a few key terms so that you’re in the loop when your court case is being addressed by a judge and jury. Today, we’re going to be going over five common personal injury terms that you might hear your personal injury lawyer use in court.
Plaintiff
The plaintiff is the individual who initiates the lawsuit by filing a complaint with the appropriate court. In a personal injury case, the personal injury complaint is the formal expression of your grievances.
The Defendant
The defendant is the liable party who is being tried for the damages and injuries sustained in the incident. The plaintiff serves the complaint upon the defendant.
Complaint
This one isn’t a difficult term to guess. A complaint is a formal expression of your grievances. The plaintiff will initiate a lawsuit by filing a complaint with the appropriate court.
Prayer for Relief
A prayer for relief is the legal way to express how much compensation you wish to receive. A complaint will include a prayer for relief.
Preponderance of Evidence
This is perhaps one of the more difficult terms to know. The preponderance of the evidence is the amount of evidence a plaintiff needs to win a civil lawsuit. The preponderance of evidence means that the information that you and your personal injury lawyer present must be more convincing than the evidence presented by the opposite party.
These are five legal terms that are beneficial to know when you’re involved in a personal injury lawsuit. However, if you find yourself in a personal injury accident, make sure that you still contact an experienced personal injury lawyer to represent you in court.