Criminal Defense Terms and Definitions

Fraud An intentional perversion of truth; deceitful practice or device resorted to with intent to deprive another of property or other right. Bench warrant An order issued by the court for the arrest of a person Fourteenth Amendment Among other matters, the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits states from depriving any person of life, liberty, or property without adequate due process. Admissible evidence Evidence which can legally and properly be used in court. Dismissal without prejudice A dismissal which permits the plaintiff to sue again on the same cause of action or the state to proceed again. Dismissal with prejudice bars the right to subsequently bring an action on the same cause. Embezzlement The fraudulent appropriation by a person to his own use or benefit of property or money entrusted to him by another. Misdemeanor A minor offense, lower than a felony, which is punishable by a county jail term of up to one year and/or a fine, but not prison. Misdemeanors are classified into three categories: Class A, B, and C. Allegation The assertion, declaration, or statement of a party to an action, made in a pleading, establishing what the party expects to prove. Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Methods of resolving disputes outside of official court proceedings. These methods include mediation arbitration, and conciliation. Accessory A person who assists in the commission of a crime, either before or after the fact.

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	Did You Know?
	Res Ipsa Loquitur - Literally, "a thing that speaks for itself." In tort law, the doctrine which holds a defendant guilty of negligence without an actual showing 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.