Glossary of Medical Malpractice Law Terms
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Legal
Glossaries Index
DES: Diethylstilbestrol
(DES) used to be prescribed to pregnant women believed to need more
estrogen to maintain their pregnancies. Some of the daughters of
these women, who were exposed in the womb to DES, developed a rare
form of vaginal cancer.
Damages: Monetary
compensation claimed by a person who has suffered a loss or injury
to his person, property or rights as a result of the negligence or
unlawful conduct of another.
Decedent: A dead person.
Decree: An order of the
court. A final decree is one that fully disposes of the litigation.
Default: Failure of either
party to file required documents or appear in a civil case within a
certain period of time.
Defendant: The person or
party sued in a civil case or accused in a criminal case.
Deposition: The testimony of
a witness, taken out of court and usually prior to trial.
Direct examination:
Questioning of a witness by the party who calls the witness.
Directed verdict: A judgment
entered by the judge without allowing the jury to participate.
Disciplinary Hearing: A
hearing or professional review conducted by any state or federal
administrative agency, licensing or regulatory authority responsible
for regulating professional conduct.
Discovery: The pre-trial
process in which one party discovers the evidence that will be
relied upon at trial by the opposing party.
Dismemberment: Loss of sight
means total loss of sight which cannot be restored by surgical or
other means; loss of hand means that a hand is permanently severed
at or above the wrist; and loss of foot means that a foot is
permanently severed at or above the ankle.
Dismissal with prejudice: An
order to dismiss a case in which the court bars the plaintiff from
suing again on the same cause of action.
Dismissal without prejudice:
An order to dismiss a case in which the court preserves the
plaintiff's right to sue again on the same cause of action.
Duract: A brand of
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), Duract was recalled
after rare cases of sever hepatitis and liver failure were reported
in people who took the drug longer than directed.
Dysarthria: A speech
disorder that often affects people with cerebral palsy, caused by a
weakness in the muscles that produce speech. In mild cases, there
may only be a slight slurring of speech; in more severe cases, the
person may depend upon a voice output system to speak.
Dystonia: Involuntary slow,
sustained muscle contractions resulting in abnormal postures and
twisting motions of arms, legs, and trunk. |
