judgement

Definition

The formal decision rendered by a court determining the rights and obligations between parties in a lawsuit. This legally binding proclamation either makes lawyers very happy or sends them scrambling to file an appeal. Once entered, it's the closest thing the legal system has to "because I said so," except enforceable by sheriffs and wage garnishments.

Example Usage

After three years of litigation, the court finally entered a judgement ordering the defendant to pay $2 million in damages.

Source: Common legal terminology

Related Terms

Intermediate

recourse

The legal options or remedies available when someone wrongs you—basically your ability to seek help or compensation through the system. Having recourse means you can actually do something about injustice besides complain on social media. Many contracts try to limit your recourse, which should tell you everything you need to know about who drafted them.

⚖️ Legal

Advanced

quantum meruit

Payment for services rendered based on what they're actually worth, used when no price was agreed upon beforehand. Latin for 'as much as he deserved,' it prevents unjust enrichment when someone benefits from your work.

⚖️ Legal

Advanced

demurrer

A pleading asserting that even if all facts alleged are true, they don't constitute a valid legal claim. It's the legal equivalent of 'so what?'—conceding facts while denying their legal significance.

⚖️ Legal

Intermediate

Contingency Fee

An arrangement where your lawyer works for free unless you win, at which point they take a percentage so large you wonder if you actually won at all. It is the legal equivalent of splitting a pizza where your lawyer gets six of the eight slices.

⚖️ Legal

Beginner

proceedings

The formal events and actions that constitute a legal case, from filing the initial complaint to the final judgment. It's the legal profession's way of making "stuff that happened in court" sound more important. Also refers to published academic conference papers, because academics needed their own type of proceedings too.

⚖️ Legal

Beginner

claimant

The optimistic soul who initiates a legal claim, demanding money, benefits, or justice from someone who probably disagrees with their interpretation of events. Whether seeking unemployment benefits, insurance payouts, or damages in a lawsuit, the claimant is the one who shows up saying 'I'm owed something.' They're the protagonist in their legal story, though the defendant might describe them differently.

⚖️ Legal

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