Immunity: Exemption from a legal duty, penalty
or prosecution.
Impairment: When a person's faculties are
diminished so that his or her ability to see, hear,
walk, talk and judge distances is below the normal level
as set by the state. Typically, impairment is caused by
drug or alcohol use, but can also be caused by mental
illness.
Impeachment: (1) The process of calling
something into question, as in "impeaching the
testimony of a witness." (2) The constitutional
process whereby the House of Representatives may
"impeach" (accuse of misconduct) high officers
of the federal government for trial in the Senate.
Implied Consent Laws: (also called express
consent) Laws adopted by all states that apply to
testing for alcohol in the blood, breath or urine (most
states have such laws that apply to testing for the use
of drugs). The principle underlying these laws is that
any licensed driver who operates a vehicle has consented
to submit to approved tests to show intoxication.
Implied Warranty of Fitness for a Particular
Purpose: Warranty that exists when a seller should
know that a buyer is relying on the seller's expertise.
Implied Warranty of Habitability: A landlord
is required by law to provide a premise that is safe and
able to be lived in. Problems with essential building
services and cleanliness are often breaches of the
implied warranty and the landlord will be required to
correct them.
Implied Warranty of Merchantability: Warranty
that guarantees that goods purchased by consumers are
reasonably fit for their ordinary purpose.
In Camera: Latin for "in chambers."
Refers to a hearing or inspection of documents that
takes places in private, often in a judge's chambers.
In Forma Pauperis: In the manner of a pauper.
Permission given to a person to sue without payment of
court fees on claim of indigence or poverty.
Indigent: Lacking in funds; poor.
Informed Consent: Except in the case of an
emergency, a doctor must obtain a patient's agreement
(informed consent) to any course of treatment. Doctors
are required to tell the patient anything that would
substantially affect the patient's decision. Such
information typically includes the nature and purpose of
the treatment, its risks and consequences and
alternative courses of treatment.
Infringement: Unauthorized use, typically of a
patent or copyright.
Injunctuion: An order of the court prohibiting
(or compelling) the performance of a specific act to
prevent irreparable damage or injury.
Instructions: Judge's explanation to the jury
before it begins deliberations of the questions it must
answer and the law governing the case.
Interlocutory Order: Temporary order issued
during the course of litigation. Typically cannot be
appealed because it is not final.
Interrogatories: Part of the pre-trial
discovery (fact-finding) process in which a witness
provides written answers to written questions under
oath. The answers often can be used as evidence in the
trial.
Interview: A meeting with the police or
prosecutor.
Issue: (1) The disputed point in a
disagreement between parties in a lawsuit. (2) To send
out officially, as in to issue an order.
