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Glossary of Tort Law
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Legal
Glossaries Index
Immunity: Exemption from a legal duty,
penalty or prosecution.
Impairment: When a person's faculties
are diminished so that his or her ability to see, hear, walk, talk and judge
distances is below the normal level as set by the state. Typically, impairment
is caused by drug or alcohol use, but can also be caused by mental illness.
Impeachment: (1) The process of calling
something into question, as in "impeaching the testimony of a
witness." (2) The constitutional process whereby the House of
Representatives may "impeach" (accuse of misconduct) high officers of
the federal government for trial in the Senate.
Implied Consent Laws: (also called
express consent) Laws adopted by all states that apply to testing for alcohol in
the blood, breath or urine (most states have such laws that apply to testing for
the use of drugs). The principle underlying these laws is that any licensed
driver who operates a vehicle has consented to submit to approved tests to show
intoxication.
Implied Warranty of Fitness for a Particular
Purpose: Warranty that exists when a seller should know that a buyer is
relying on the seller's expertise.
Implied Warranty of Habitability: A
landlord is required by law to provide a premise that is safe and able to be
lived in. Problems with essential building services and cleanliness are often
breaches of the implied warranty and the landlord will be required to correct
them.
Implied Warranty of Merchantability:
Warranty that guarantees that goods purchased by consumers are reasonably fit
for their ordinary purpose.
In Camera: Latin for "in
chambers." Refers to a hearing or inspection of documents that takes places
in private, often in a judge's chambers.
In Forma Pauperis: In the manner of a
pauper. Permission given to a person to sue without payment of court fees on
claim of indigence or poverty.
Indigent: Lacking in funds; poor.
Informed Consent: Except in the case of
an emergency, a doctor must obtain a patient's agreement (informed consent) to
any course of treatment. Doctors are required to tell the patient anything that
would substantially affect the patient's decision. Such information typically
includes the nature and purpose of the treatment, its risks and consequences and
alternative courses of treatment.
Infringement: Unauthorized use,
typically of a patent or copyright.
Injunctuion: An order of the court
prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent
irreparable damage or injury.
Instructions: Judge's explanation to the
jury before it begins deliberations of the questions it must answer and the law
governing the case.
Interlocutory Order: Temporary order
issued during the course of litigation. Typically cannot be appealed because it
is not final.
Interrogatories: Part of the pre-trial
discovery (fact-finding) process in which a witness provides written answers to
written questions under oath. The answers often can be used as evidence in the
trial.
Interview: A meeting with the police or
prosecutor.
Issue: (1) The disputed point in a
disagreement between parties in a lawsuit. (2) To send out officially, as in to
issue an order.
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