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Counterclaim
A claim presented by a defendant in a civil proceeding in opposition to the claim of a plaintiff.
Code
A collection, compendium or revision of laws, rules and regulations enacted by the legislature, i.e., Utah Code Annotated.
Preliminary hearing
A probable cause hearing which screens felony criminal cases by deciding whether there is enough evidence to warrant a trial. If the judge determines there is sufficient evidence, the defendant is "bound over" for trial. The defendant may waive this hearing.
res judicata
Literally, "a thing that speaks for itself." In tort law, the doctrine, which holds a defendant guilty of negligence without an actual, shows that he or she was negligent. Its use is limited in theory to cases in which the cause of the plaintiff's injury was entirely under the control of the defendant, and the injury presumably could have been caused only by negligence.
Continuance
A court order postponing proceedings.
Fifth Amendment
Among other rights, the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees that a person cannot be compelled to present self-incriminating testimony in a criminal (or juvenile) proceeding.
Moot
A moot point is one that need not be decided, due to a change of circumstances.
Hearsay
Second-hand evidence, generally consisting of a witness's testimony that he/she heard someone else say something.
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