Terms Used In Arizona Laws > Title 12 > Chapter 14 > Article 1 - General Provisions

• Action: includes any matter or proceeding in a court, civil or criminal. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Garnishment: Generally, garnishment is a court proceeding in which a creditor asks a court to order a third party who owes money to the debtor or otherwise holds assets belonging to the debtor to turn over to the creditor any of the debtor
• 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.
• Lawsuit: A legal action started by a plaintiff against a defendant based on a complaint that the defendant failed to perform a legal duty, resulting in harm to the plaintiff.
• Party: means any plaintiff or defendant in any civil action, in any superior or justice court of this state. See Arizona Laws 12-2401
• Person: includes a corporation, company, partnership, firm, association or society, as well as a natural person. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• Pleadings: Written statements of the parties in a civil case of their positions. In the federal courts, the principal pleadings are the complaint and the answer.
• Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
• Process: means a citation, writ or summons issued in the course of judicial proceedings. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Property: means any present or future interest in wages, real estate, goods, chattels or choses in action whether such interest is vested or contingent. See Arizona Laws 12-2401
• Provisional remedy: means the remedies of attachment, garnishment or replevin, but shall not include garnishment of wages. See Arizona Laws 12-2401
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• Writing: includes printing. See Arizona Laws 1-215