Terms Used In Montana Code > Title 80 > Chapter 5 > Part 5 - Agricultural Seed Contract Alternative Dispute Resolution

• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Bulk: means not packaged in separate units. See Montana Code 80-5-120
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Counterclaim: A claim that a defendant makes against a plaintiff.
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• 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.
• 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.
• Person: means an individual, firm, partnership, corporation, or association. See Montana Code 80-5-120
• Presiding officer: A majority-party Senator who presides over the Senate and is charged with maintaining order and decorum, recognizing Members to speak, and interpreting the Senate's rules, practices and precedents.
• Process: means a writ or summons issued in the course of judicial proceedings. See Montana Code 1-1-202
• State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See Montana Code 1-1-201
• Statute of limitations: A law that sets the time within which parties must take action to enforce their rights.
• Writing: includes printing. See Montana Code 1-1-203