Criminal Defense Terms and Definitions

Assault A willful attempt to illegally inflict injury on or threaten a person. Tort An injury or wrong committed, either with or without force, to the person or property of another, for which civil liability may be imposed. Fourteenth Amendment Among other matters, the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits states from depriving any person of life, liberty, or property without adequate due process. Dismissal without prejudice A dismissal which permits the plaintiff to sue again on the same cause of action or the state to proceed again. Dismissal with prejudice bars the right to subsequently bring an action on the same cause. Abstract of record A short, abbreviated form of the case as found in the record. Levy A seizure; the obtaining of money by legal process through seizure and sale of property. Allegation The assertion, declaration, or statement of a party to an action, made in a pleading, establishing what the party expects to prove. Manslaughter A person recklessly causes the death of another, or acting under extreme emotional disturbance, causes the death of another, or acting under circumstances when a person reasonably believes the circumstances provide a legal justification or excuse for his conduct constitutes manslaughter. Restitution Court-ordered payment to restore goods or money to the victim of a crime by the offender. Bench warrant An order issued by the court for the arrest of a person

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	Did You Know?
	Res Ipsa Loquitur - Literally, "a thing that speaks for itself." In tort law, the doctrine which holds a defendant guilty of negligence without an actual showing that he or she was negligent. Its use is limited in theory to cases in which the cause of the plaintiff's injury was entirely under the control of the defendant, and the injury presumably could have been caused only by negligence.