Glossary of Legal Terms

Damages

A sum of money awarded a person injured by another.

Debt

A sum of money due by certain or express agreement.

Debtor

One who owes a debt.

Defendant

The person or entity sued by the plaintiff in a lawsuit or the target of a State/private civilian sponsored prosecution.

Defense

That which is offered and alleged by the party proceeded against in an action or suit, as a reason in law or fact why the plaintiff or the State should not recover or establish what he/it seeks.

De Novo

Anew; afresh; a second time.

Dependent

One who derives his or her main support from another.

Deportation

Banishment to a foreign country, attended with confiscation of property and deprivation of civil rights; the transfer of an alien, excluded or expelled, from the United States to a foreign country. The removal or sending back of an alien to the country from which he came because his presence is deemed inconsistent with the public welfare, and without any punishment being imposed or contemplated.

Deposition

Testimony of witness, taken in writing, word for word, under oath or affirmation, before some judicial officer in answer to questions or interrogatories.

Discovery

A process of obtaining facts, through various means, in preparation for a trial.