- glossary
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Glossary
M
Malpractice
Malpractice refers to professional negligence, where a professional, such as a doctor or lawyer, fails to provide the standard of care that their counterparts would typically provide, causing harm or loss to the patient or client, and becoming a potential personal injury claim.
Mandate
A mandate, within legal spheres, often relates to an authoritative command or order from a higher court or authority, impacting processes or decisions in certain cases, including those within personal injury law.
Material Fact
Material fact involves a fact that, if known, could influence decisions made by parties in a legal context. In personal injury claims, omitting or misrepresenting a material fact can impact case outcomes and settlement valuations.
Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI)
Maximum Medical Improvement indicates a state where an injured person’s condition has stabilized, and no major improvement is anticipated. MMI is pivotal in personal injury cases to evaluate permanent impairments and determine suitable compensation.
Med-Pay Coverage
Med-Pay coverage, or medical payments coverage, is an insurance policy component covering medical expenses related to an injury regardless of fault, ensuring financial assistance in the immediate aftermath of an incident.
Mediation
Mediation refers to a form of alternative dispute resolution, wherein a neutral third party (mediator) assists disputing parties in reaching a voluntary agreement, often utilized in personal injury cases to circumvent protracted court proceedings.
Mediator
A mediator is a neutral third party who facilitates negotiations between disputing parties in personal injury cases, aiming to help them reach an amicable settlement without resorting to potentially lengthy litigation.
Medical Benefits
Medical benefits in the context of insurance and personal injury claims relate to funds allocated for medical expenses and care, offering financial relief for healthcare costs incurred due to an injury.
Medical Causation
Medical causation relates to establishing a direct link between an accident and an injury in legal claims. Establishing medical causation is paramount in personal injury cases to validate claims and secure compensations.
Medical Expenses
Medical expenses, vital within personal injury cases, encompass costs incurred for medical care following an injury and are often sought after as a component of compensation in personal injury claims.
Medical Malpractice
Medical malpractice denotes a healthcare provider’s failure to meet the standard care, causing harm to the patient, forming the basis of personal injury claims seeking reparation for losses and injuries sustained.
Medical Records
Medical records are comprehensive documents detailing an individual's health history and care, crucial in personal injury cases to validate injury claims and illuminate the extent and cause of injuries.
Medical Treatment
Medical treatment refers to the care, intervention, or management offered by healthcare professionals to treat a disease or injury, and its expenses often become a pivotal claim component in personal injury cases.
Medicare Set-Aside (MSA)
Medicare Set-Aside is a financial arrangement that allocates a portion of a personal injury settlement to pay for future medical services related to the injury, ensuring that Medicare is not billed for those services.
Mental Anguish
Mental anguish encompasses psychological suffering due to an event, and in personal injury law, it represents an element of non-economic damages, compensating the plaintiff for mental suffering resultant from an injury or accident.
Minor
A minor is an individual under the legal age of adulthood, typically requiring special considerations and representation in personal injury claims to safeguard their rights and ensure apt compensatory actions.
Misrepresentation
Misrepresentation involves providing false or misleading statements that another party relies upon, potentially causing harm or loss, forming grounds for legal action, including personal injury claims under certain circumstances.
Mitigating Circumstances
Mitigating circumstances refer to elements that, while not negating legal responsibility, can reduce the severity of the blame or penalty. In personal injury cases, they might influence the apportionment of liability or the compensation amount.
Mitigation of Damages
Mitigation of damages involves an injured party's obligation to minimize their losses, where feasible, subsequent to an injury, often playing a role in determining compensation amounts in personal injury cases.
Motion
A motion is a formal request presented to a court, seeking a specified judicial action, and is utilized within personal injury litigation to propose decisions, seek information, or influence proceedings in a party’s favor.
Motor Vehicle Accident
Motor vehicle accidents entail incidents involving motorized vehicles that result in damage or injury. Personal injury claims following motor vehicle accidents seek to retrieve compensations for damages and injuries sustained during such incidents.
Motor Vehicle Record (MVR)
A Motor Vehicle Record documents an individual’s driving history, and in personal injury cases, especially auto accidents, it can be scrutinized to evaluate a driver’s safety record and potential liability.
Motorcycle Accident
Motorcycle accidents involve incidents wherein a motorcycle and its rider experience a collision or other event causing damage or injury, often leading to personal injury claims that pursue compensations for resultant damages and injuries.
Multi-District Litigation (MDL)
Multi-District Litigation refers to a special legal procedure designed to expedite the process of handling complex cases, such as mass torts, by consolidating numerous similar cases, sometimes impacting how personal injury claims are processed and adjudicated.
Multiple Claimants
Multiple claimants arise in personal injury cases where numerous individuals seek compensation from a single defendant, often necessitating intricate legal maneuvers to ensure equitable compensatory distribution amongst the claimants.