Criminal conversation is a common law tort that allows a spouse to sue a third party for engaging in sexual intercourse with their spouse, it is the civil claim for adultery. Criminal conversation or “heartbalm actions” are considered an...
wex definitions
criminal forfeiture
Criminal forfeiture is an in personam proceeding brought by the criminal prosecution against an offender, resulting in the forfeiture of the offender’s property, assets, and proceeds directly or indirectly obtained from the criminal activity...
criminal insanity
Criminal insanity refers to a mental illness or disease that makes it impossible for a defendant to know they were committing a crime or to understand that their actions are wrong. A defendant found to be criminally insane can assert an...
criminal intent
Criminal intent, also known as mens rea, refers to the mental state required to convict a party of a crime. Along with a criminal act, or the actus reus, criminal intent is one of the fundamental aspects of criminal law.
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criminal justice
Criminal justice is an umbrella term that refers to the laws, procedures, institutions, and policies at play before, during, and after the commission of a crime. As a modern concept, criminal justice expresses two central ideas:
...critical stages of proceedings
A critical stage of proceeding is a term used in criminal procedure to denote the stage at which a person accused of a crime will receive the right to counsel and, at which, if that right is denied, later proceedings will be prejudiced. This...
cross examination
A cross-examination is the act of the opposing party questioning the witness during a trial. Generally, a witness is initially questioned by the party who called them to the stand on direct examination. Afterwards, the opposing party can...
cross-appeal
A cross-appeal is a request filed by an appellee requesting that a higher court review a decision made by a lower court. The difference between an appeal and a cross-appeal is essentially arbitrary and dependent only on who filed the request...
cross-claim
A cross-claim is a claim brought by a plaintiff against a co-plaintiff, or by a defendant against a co-defendant. Cross-claims are governed by Rule 13 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP).
As a general rule, cross...
cross-complaint
A cross-complaint, also called “crossclaim,” is an independent action brought by a party against a co-party, the original plaintiff, or someone who is not yet a party to the lawsuit. The cross-complaint must arise out of the same transaction...