Glossary of Tort Law Terms
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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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