| Medical
Malpractice Legal Glossary
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- D -
DES: Diethylstilbestrol (DES) used
to be prescribed to pregnant women believed to need more estrogen to
maintain their pregnancies. Some of the daughters of these women, who
were exposed in the womb to DES, developed a rare form of vaginal
cancer.
Damages: Monetary compensation
claimed by a person who has suffered a loss or injury to his person,
property or rights as a result of the negligence or unlawful conduct of
another.
Decedent: A dead person.
Decree: An order of the court. A
final decree is one that fully disposes of the litigation.
Default: Failure of either party
to file required documents or appear in a civil case within a certain
period of time.
Defendant: The person or party
sued in a civil case or accused in a criminal case.
Deposition: The testimony of a
witness, taken out of court and usually prior to trial.
Direct examination: Questioning of
a witness by the party who calls the witness.
Directed verdict: A judgment
entered by the judge without allowing the jury to participate.
Disciplinary Hearing: A hearing or
professional review conducted by any state or federal administrative
agency, licensing or regulatory authority responsible for regulating
professional conduct.
Discovery: The pre-trial process
in which one party discovers the evidence that will be relied upon at
trial by the opposing party.
Dismemberment: Loss of sight means
total loss of sight which cannot be restored by surgical or other means;
loss of hand means that a hand is permanently severed at or above the
wrist; and loss of foot means that a foot is permanently severed at or
above the ankle.
Dismissal with prejudice: An order
to dismiss a case in which the court bars the plaintiff from suing again
on the same cause of action.
Dismissal without prejudice: An
order to dismiss a case in which the court preserves the plaintiff's
right to sue again on the same cause of action.
Duract: A brand of non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), Duract was recalled after rare cases of
sever hepatitis and liver failure were reported in people who took the
drug longer than directed.
Dysarthria: A speech disorder that
often affects people with cerebral palsy, caused by a weakness in the
muscles that produce speech. In mild cases, there may only be a slight
slurring of speech; in more severe cases, the person may depend upon a
voice output system to speak.
Dystonia: Involuntary slow,
sustained muscle contractions resulting in abnormal postures and
twisting motions of arms, legs, and trunk.
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