Lawsuits & Judgments

The following is a list of terms referenced in class action lawsuits nad there attendant news coverage. Please use the comment field if you think there are other terms that should be included.

Award- An award is a judgment in a civil case that “awards” money to the plaintiff or plaintiffs. A jury award is an award that is specified by a jury in a case.

Class – The class referenced in a class action lawsuit are the unnamed plaintiffs who are being represented in the suit. Since there are too many plaintiffs to name individually in the suit, the class is defined by a set of criteria that an individual must meet in order to be a member of the class. For example:, all consumers who purchased a specific product during a specific period, referred to as the class period

Class Action Lawsuit – A Class Action lawsuit is a lawsuit filed on behalf of a group and is sometimes referred to as a representative action, as the attorneys are representing a larger group of plaintiffs. In order for a class to be certified in federal court, a jusge must first determine that there are in fact too many plaintiffs (or in some cases defendants) to be named individually.

Class Period – The class period is the period of time during which the offense in the lawsuit took place. For example, if a defective product were sold between June 1996 and December 1996, that would be the class period. As a result, any consumer who purchased the defective product during the class period, would be eligible to be a member of the class.

Compensatory Damages – Compensatory damages normally refers to the money sought in a lawsuit to compensate the plaintiff for injury or economic loss such as lost wages.

Defendant - In a civil case, the defendant, sometimes referred to as a respondent, is the party that is being sued. There can be multiple defendants named in a suit, such asbestos manufacturers, or in cases where there are too many defendants to name individually, a defensive class action suit can be brought.

Judgment – A Judgment is the final decision in any court case and is issued by the presiding judge. A temporary judgment, known as an Interlocutory Judgment can be issued and is only valid until the final judgment is issued.

Plaintiff – The plaintiff, sometimes referred to as the petitioner, is the party that initiates a lawsuit with the court. In civil case, the plaintiff is normally seeking damages or a determination of rights.

Punitive Damages – In a civil case, punitive damages are the damages (monies) awarded as a form of punishment. The punitive damages are normally awarded in cases of deliberate or malicious acts (fraud, theft) or negligence.