Law lexicon
Custody - Detaining of a person by lawful process or authority to assure his or her appearance to any hearing; the jailing or imprisonment of a person convicted of a crime.
Damages - Money awarded by a court to a person injured by the unlawful actor negligence of another person.
Debtor - One who owes a debt to another; a person filing for relief under theBankruptcy Code.
Decision - The opinion of the court in concluding a case at law.
Declaratory judgment- A statutory remedy for judicial determination of a controversy where plaintiff is in doubt about his legal rights.
Decree - An order of the court. A final decree is one that fully and finally disposes of the litigation. (See interlocutory.)
Defamation - That which tends to injure a person's reputation. (See libel and slander.)
Default - Failure of the defendant to appear and answer the summons and complaint.
Default judgment - A judgment entered against a party who fails to appear in court or respond to the charges.
Defendant - The person defending or denying a suit.
Defense of property - Affirmative defense in criminal law or tort law where force was used to protect one's property.
Deficient - Incomplete; defective; not sufficient in quantity or force.
Source: Jurist International.
