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Habeas Corpus: A writ commanding that a person be
brought before a judge. Most commonly, a writ of habeas corpus
is a legal document that forces law enforcement authorities to
produce a prisoner they are holding and to legally justify his
or her confinement.
Harmless Error: An error committed during a trial
that was corrected or was not serious enough to affect the
outcome of a trial and therefore was not sufficiently harmful
(prejudicial) to be reversed on appeal.
Health Maintenance Organization (HMO): A type of
managed health care system that contracts with medical
facilities, physicians, employers, and sometimes individuals
to provide medical care to a group of people known as
"members." Generally, members of HMOs don't have any
significant "out-of-pocket" expenses because the
medical care is most often paid for by an employer at a fixed
price per patient.
Hearing: A proceeding usually without a jury.
Hearsay: Statements by a witness who did not see or
hear the incident in question but heard about it from someone
else. Hearsay is usually not admissible as evidence in court.
Hemorrhagic Stroke: Occurs when an artery in the
brain tears or bursts, causing blood to spill out.
HMO Negligence: Generally, a type of medical
malpractice that can be defined as the carelessness of an HMO,
acting through its physicians, in making treatment decisions
for a member that results in injury to that member.
Homeowner's Insurance: Policy that insures
individuals against any, some, or all of the risks of loss to
personal dwellings or the contents of personal dwellings or
the personal liability pertaining to personal dwellings.
Hostile Witness: A witness whose testimony is not
favorable to the party who calls him or her as a witness. A
hostile witness may be asked leading questions and may be
cross-examined by the party who calls him or her to the stand.
Hung Jury: A jury whose members cannot agree upon a
verdict.
Hurt on the Job: In order to establish a right to
workers' compensation benefits, there must be an employment
relationship during which an accident or an injury arises in
the course of employment and is related thereto, and includes
aggravation, reactivation, acceleration or death resulting
from the injury.
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