Law Library Legal Dictionary – D

Legal Definitions – D

Dangerous Products – Products that present a significant risk of injury to consumers and users of the product.

Date Rape – Unlawful sexual intercourse committed during a social engagement between the rapist and victim.

Deadly Force – Any physical force that is capable of causing death or serious bodily harm to another person.

Death Tax – A tax imposed by the government on large transfers of property or money upon an individual’s death.

Deathbed Will – A will that is created and executed when the testator is already facing imminent death.

Debt – An obligation owed by one party to another party.

Deed – A written legal document that states who has the legal right to possess a parcel of real property or produces a transfer of ownership in real property.

Defective Product – Any product that causes injury to a person due to faulty labeling, a design defect, or defective manufacturing.

Defendant – The party against whom a legal action is brought or the person who is charged with committing a crime.

Deportation – The legal removal of a foreign-born individual by the federal government from the country.

Deposition – An out-of-court testimony given under oath for use in a legal proceeding.

Design Defect – A flaw in a product regarding the way it was designed.

Disability Benefits – Insurance benefits that are paid in the event of a disability.

Disclaimer – Any statement that is used to specify or limit the scope of obligations and rights that are enforceable in a legally recognized relationship (such as host/visitor, manufacturer/consumer, etc.).

Discretionary Trust – A trust where the distributions to the beneficiaries are not set or fixed, but are rather determined by general guidelines set forth in the trust instrument.

Disinheriting Family Members – The act of intentionally preventing one’s family members from receiving anything from one’s estate after one dies.

Disorderly Conduct – Recklessly or intentionally engaging in violent behavior, disrupting a peaceful assembly of people, obstructing traffic, making unreasonable noises to disrupt the public, or refusing to comply with a lawful order from the police.

Dissolution Agreement – An agreement that lays out the terms that are agreed upon by the partners.

Divorce – A court procedure that dissolves the marriage between a husband and wife.

Divorce Assets – The property that will be addressed and handled through the divorce process.

Doctor-Patient Privilege – A legal privilege that ensures a patient’s medical history, conditions, and related information will not be divulged by the patient’s doctor without the patient’s permission.

Domain Name Infringement – Using a name protected by trademark law in a domain name without the trademark owner’s permission.

Domestic Partner – A legally-recognized relationship between two unmarried persons who are living together in a "committed relationship."

Domestic Violence – Violence by one person against another that they are in an intimate relationship with, such as a marriage or a family.

Double Jeopardy – A procedural rule that prohibits a criminal defendant from being tried for the same offense twice.

DREAM Act – A piece of legislation that proposes to grant legal permanent resident status to some undocumented aliens who qualify.

Driving Under the Influence (DUI) – Driving with a blood alcohol content level that exceeds the legal limit or while impaired from drug use.

Drug Abuse – The use of any illegal drugs, substances, or intoxicants.

Dual Citizenship – The citizenship status of someone who has citizenship in two countries.

Due Diligence – A higher standard of care.

Duress – A situation where a person has been forced to do something by means of a threat.

Duty to Disclose – A duty that a seller owes to a buyer that requires the seller to truthfully answer any questions that the buyer may have about the item that the seller is selling.

Duty to Rescue – A duty that a person owes to another person who they have a special relationship with to rescue that person if they are in peril.

Dynasty Trust – A trust through which all of a person’s assets can be passed to many future generations, ensuring that many people get a share of it.