Wrongful Death Legal Glossary N

Negligence: Negligence generally means that a person’s conduct falls below a legally recognized standard of taking reasonable care under the circumstances. It may develop from carelessness or thoughtless conduct, or a failure to act when a reasonable person under the same circumstances would have so acted. Negligence is the basis for liability in the majority of serious injury, or wrongful death lawsuits. The essential elements of actionable negligence are the existence of a duty in the face of a foreseeable danger owing to the injured party, a breach of that duty, injuries proximately resulting from that breach and damages.

Notice of Claim: Notification to an insurance company that an injury has been sustained and that the injured is filing a claim in which he or she is requesting monetary recovery for damages from the injury.

Notice of Defective Condition: Notification to a manufacturer or other entity responsible for putting a product into the stream of commerce that an injury has been sustained because of a defect in its product for which the injured is requesting monetary recovery for damages from the injury.

Net Wage Loss: Typically, gross income lost, minus liability for taxes and Employment Insurance premiums. For example, a gross income of $60,000 per year, reduced by taxes of $20,000 and E.I. premiums of $1,000, would produce a net income of $39,000. Therefore, in this example, someone not able to work for a year would have suffered a $39,000 net wage loss.

Not Guilty: The verdict you hope to hear in your DUI, DWI, or drunken driving case after being represented by one of our well-qualified DUI defense lawyers.