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A
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I
J
K L
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X Y Z #
Click
on the first letter of the word from the list
above to go to the appropriate section of the
glossary.
- J -
Joint
and Several Liability: Refers to a plaintiff's
ability to sue one or more defendants separately
or all together at his or her option. Permits a
group of defendants to be held both individually
and collectively liable for all damages suffered
by the plaintiff. The plaintiff can recover the
entire amount of damages from one defendant, even
if all of the defendants are liable.
For incidents arising after August 17, 2002:
Due to a new Pennsylvania law, joint and several
liability has been changed so that a plaintiff may
no longer be able to collect all his damages from
one defendant, even if more than one defendant is
found responsible. A percentage of fault will be
assessed against each defendant and, unless a
defendant's negligence is 60% or greater, an at
fault defendant will be responsible for only its
percentage of fault.
Joint Tenancy: A form of legal
co-ownership of property (also known as
survivorship). At the death of one co-owner, the
surviving co-owner becomes sole owner of the
property. Tenancy by the entirety is a special
form of joint tenancy between a husband and wife.
Judge: Workers' compensation judges are
appointed and are representatives of the
Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry.
They conduct hearings in an administrative
proceeding for workers' compensation cases.
Judgment: Official decision of a court
resolving the issues in a legal action and stating
the rights and obligations of the parties. See
also decree, order.
Judgment Notwithstanding the Verdict
(n.o.v.): An order by the trial judge entering
a judgment in a manner contradictory to the
jury’s verdict. This is granted only when the
verdict is unreasonable and unsupportable.
Judicial: Pertaining to a judge.
Judicial Notice: The procedure by which
a judge recognizes the existence of the truth of a
certain fact having bearing on the case without
the production of evidence because such fact is
established by common notoriety. For example, if
the accident happened on Thanksgiving, the judge
can take judicial notice that the accident
happened on a Thursday.
Judicial Review: The authority of a
court to review the official actions of other
branches of government. Also, the authority to
declare unconstitutional the actions of other
branches.
Jurisdiction: The legal right by which
judges exercise their authority.
Jurisprudence: The study of law and the
structure of the legal system.
Jury: Persons selected according to law
and sworn to inquire into and declare a verdict on
matters of fact. A petit jury is an ordinary or
trial jury, composed of six to 12 persons, which
hears either civil or criminal cases.
Jury Commissioner: The court officer
responsible for choosing the panel of persons to
serve as potential jurors for a particular court
term.
Justiciable: Issues and claims capable
of being properly examined in court.
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