Terms Used In South Dakota Codified Laws > Title 36 > Chapter 1C - Uniform Complaint and Declaratory Ruling Procedures

• Allegation: something that someone says happened.
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• 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.
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
• 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.
• Person: includes natural persons, partnerships, associations, cooperative corporations, limited liability companies, and corporations. See South Dakota Codified Laws 2-14-2
• Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• written: include typewriting and typewritten, printing and printed, except in the case of signatures, and where the words are used by way of contrast to typewriting and printing. See South Dakota Codified Laws 2-14-2