Terms Used In California Codes > Financial Code > Division 10 > Chapter 3 > Article 3 - Civil Damages

• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Person: means an individual, a corporation, a partnership, a limited liability company, a joint venture, an association, a joint stock company, a trust, an unincorporated organization, a government entity, or a political subdivision of a government entity. See California Financial Code 23001
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.