G

Good Faith: The implied duty of an insurance company to exercise good faith and fair dealing in all of its dealings with an insured. The parties to a contract also have an implied duty of good faith towards each other.

Guardian ad litem: A person who has been appointed by a court to make legal decisions for a minor or an adult who is incapable of making their own decisions.

H

Health Benefits: Benefits that are paid pursuant to a health insurance policy.

Hearing: A legal proceeding before a judge to resolve some issue of evidence or law.

Hearsay Rule: A rule of evidence that precludes a party from introducing evidence of a prior statement made out of court that is now being offered in court to prove the truth of the matter asserted in the statement. The intent of the rule is to preclude the admission of evidence that is not considered trustworthy where the person that made the out-of-court statement is not available in court to be cross examined.

Hung Jury: A jury which is deadlocked and unable to arrive at a final decision. A hung jury results in the judge declaring a mistrial, requiring the parties to resolve the claim out of court or try the matter for a second time.

I

Impeaching Evidence: Evidence which tends to discredit the credibility of a witness. A witness may be impeached by showing that they previously testified to a contradictory version of the facts. A witness may also be impeached under certain rules of evidence which show that the witness has a reputation for being dishonest.

Inadmissible Evidence: Evidence which the court has determined is not sufficiently reliable enough to permit the jury to hear the evidence.

Interrogatories: Interrogatories are written questions which require a written answer under oath. They are a method of discovery which permits an opposing party to ask written questions on a variety of subjects in order to requiring the answering party to provide formal answers under oath.

Investigation: The process by which a lawyer discovers the facts and collects evidence to determine all of the legal claims available to a client. Proper investigation requires the collection of evidence and a seasoned analysis of all potential claims based on the discovered facts.