Glossary of Personal Injury Law Terms
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Habeas Corpus: A writ commanding that a person be brought before a judge. Most commonly, a writ of habeas corpus is a legal document that forces law enforcement authorities to produce a prisoner they are holding and to legally justify his or her confinement.Harmless Error: An error committed during a trial
that was corrected or was not serious enough to affect the
outcome of a trial and therefore was not sufficiently
harmful (prejudicial) to be reversed on appeal.
Health Maintenance Organization (HMO): A type of
managed health care system that contracts with medical
facilities, physicians, employers, and sometimes individuals
to provide medical care to a group of people known as
"members." Generally, members of HMOs don't have any
significant "out-of-pocket" expenses because the medical
care is most often paid for by an employer at a fixed price
per patient.
Hearing: A proceeding usually without a jury.
Hearsay: Statements by a witness who did not see
or hear the incident in question but heard about it from
someone else. Hearsay is usually not admissible as evidence
in court.
Hemorrhagic Stroke: Occurs when an artery in the
brain tears or bursts, causing blood to spill out.
HMO Negligence: Generally, a type of medical
malpractice that can be defined as the carelessness of an
HMO, acting through its physicians, in making treatment
decisions for a member that results in injury to that
member.
Homeowner's Insurance: Policy that insures
individuals against any, some, or all of the risks of loss
to personal dwellings or the contents of personal dwellings
or the personal liability pertaining to personal dwellings.
Hostile Witness: A witness whose testimony is not favorable to the party who calls him or her as a witness. A hostile witness may be asked leading questions and may be cross-examined by the party who calls him or her to the stand.
Hung Jury: A jury whose members cannot agree upon
a verdict.
Hurt on the Job: In order to establish a right to
workers' compensation benefits, there must be an employment
relationship during which an accident or an injury arises in
the course of employment and is related thereto, and
includes aggravation, reactivation, acceleration or death
resulting from the injury.
