Legal Definitions - pars

Pars is a historical Latin term that refers to an individual or entity directly involved in a legal proceeding. In modern legal language, this concept is more commonly expressed as a "party" to an action, meaning a participant in a lawsuit or other formal legal case.

Here are some examples to illustrate this concept:

• Civil Lawsuit: Imagine a situation where a homeowner, Ms. Chen, discovers significant structural defects in her newly built house and decides to sue the construction company, "Solid Foundations LLC," for negligence and breach of contract.

  • In this scenario, Ms. Chen is a pars (a party) to the action, specifically the plaintiff who initiated the lawsuit. "Solid Foundations LLC" is also a pars (a party) to the action, specifically the defendant against whom the lawsuit has been filed. Both are directly involved in the legal dispute.

• Criminal Prosecution: Consider a case where the District Attorney's office, representing the State, files charges against Mr. Davies for alleged grand theft after an investigation.

  • Here, the State (represented by the District Attorney) is a pars (a party) to the action, acting as the prosecutor. Mr. Davies is also a pars (a party) to the action, as the accused defendant who must respond to the charges.

• Administrative Hearing: Suppose a small business owner, Mr. Rodriguez, applies for a specific permit from the City's Zoning Board to expand his restaurant, but the application is denied. Mr. Rodriguez then decides to appeal this decision through an administrative hearing process.

  • Mr. Rodriguez is a pars (a party) to the administrative action, seeking to overturn the Zoning Board's decision. The City's Zoning Board (representing the city government) is also a pars (a party), defending its initial denial. Both are direct participants in the formal appeal process.