Resources and Knowledge
Legal Terms
During the litigation process, you may encounter legal terms with which you might be unfamiliar. Below are some common terms and what they mean.
Damages:
Damages refer to the financial amount awarded to an individual who has suffered personal injury or loss.
Defendant:
The defendant is an individual or entity being sued or accused in a court of law.
Discovery:
Discovery is a pre-trial process for gathering information from both parties. This is the opportunity for the lawyers on each side of a lawsuit to ask questions of the opposing parties to find out what information they have about the issues.
Mediation:
Mediation is a dispute resolution process in which a mediator assists the parties in reaching a mutually acceptable settlement. It is non-binding.
Mediator:
A mediator is an unbiased third party who acts as an intermediary between the parties to assist them in trying to resolve the matter prior to going to court.
Plaintiff:
The Plaintiff is an individual or entity suing or accusing in a court of law.
Statutory Accident Benefits (SABS):
The acronym SABS stands for Statutory Accident Benefits. This is the compensation for which the victim of a motor vehicle accident is eligible from their own insurer.
Tort:
A tort is a civil wrong, which, as a result of negligence, causes someone personal injury or loss for which the court will allow the victim to recover losses financially in the form of action for damages.
Tort claim:
A tort claim is the right to sue an at-fault party (an individual or entity) who caused you injury or loss.