Simple English definitions for legal terms
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Form of Action: A way of doing things in court that follows specific rules for different types of legal cases. There used to be 11 different forms of action, each with its own set of rules for how to start a case, what to say in court, and how to end the case. These forms of action were used to decide who was responsible for something bad that happened, who owned something, or who owed money to someone else. The different forms of action helped people understand their rights and responsibilities under the law.
Definition: Form of action refers to the legal and procedural device associated with a particular writ, each of which had specific forms of process, pleading, trial, and judgment. There were 11 common-law forms of action, including trespass, trespass on the case, trover, ejectment, detinue, replevin, debt, covenant, account, special assumpsit, and general assumpsit.
Example: If someone damages your property, you could bring a lawsuit against them using the form of action called "trespass." This form of action was used when someone intentionally interfered with someone else's property rights. Another example is the form of action called "debt," which was used when someone owed money to another person and failed to pay it back.
The examples illustrate how different forms of action were used to address different types of legal disputes. Each form of action had its own set of rules and procedures that had to be followed in order to bring a successful lawsuit.