Terms Used In Idaho Code > Title 15 > Chapter 15 > Part 1 - Provisions

• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Decision maker: means a person authorized to act for an individual under a substitute decision-making document, whether denominated a decision maker, agent, attorney in fact, proxy, representative or by another title. See Idaho Code 15-15-102
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Good faith: means honesty in fact. See Idaho Code 15-15-102
• Grand jury: agreement providing that a lender will delay exercising its rights (in the case of a mortgage,
• Health care: means a service or procedure to maintain, diagnose, treat or otherwise affect an individual's physical or mental condition. See Idaho Code 15-15-102
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• Oath: A promise to tell the truth.
• Person: means an individual, estate, business or nonprofit entity, public corporation, government or governmental subdivision, agency, or instrumentality or other legal entity. See Idaho Code 15-15-102
• Personal care: means an arrangement or service to provide an individual shelter, food, clothing, transportation, education, recreation, social contact or assistance with the activities of daily living. See Idaho Code 15-15-102
• Precedent: A court decision in an earlier case with facts and law similar to a dispute currently before a court. Precedent will ordinarily govern the decision of a later similar case, unless a party can show that it was wrongly decided or that it differed in some significant way.
• Property: means anything that may be subject to ownership, whether real or personal or legal or equitable, or any interest or right therein. See Idaho Code 15-15-102
• Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
• Record: means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in perceivable form. See Idaho Code 15-15-102
• Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
• State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories; and the words "United States" may include the District of Columbia and territories. See Idaho Code 73-114
• Statute of limitations: A law that sets the time within which parties must take action to enforce their rights.
• Substitute decision-making document: means a record created by an individual to authorize a decision maker to act for the individual with respect to property, health care or personal care. See Idaho Code 15-15-102
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.