Terms Used In Oregon Statutes > Chapter 659A > Civil Actions for Unlawful Discrimination

• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
• Bureau: means the Bureau of Labor and Industries. See Oregon Statutes 659A.001
• Commissioner: means the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries. See Oregon Statutes 659A.001
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
• Employer: means any person who in this state, directly or through an agent, engages or uses the personal service of one or more employees, reserving the right to control the means by which such service is or will be performed. See Oregon Statutes 659A.001
• 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}
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• Gender identity: means an individual's gender-related identity, appearance, expression or behavior, regardless of whether the identity, appearance, expression or behavior differs from that associated with the gender assigned to the individual at birth. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
• National origin: includes ancestry. See Oregon Statutes 659A.001
• Person: includes individuals, corporations, associations, firms, partnerships, limited liability companies and joint stock companies. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• Precedent: A court decision in an earlier case with facts and law similar to a dispute currently before a court. Precedent will ordinarily govern the decision of a later similar case, unless a party can show that it was wrongly decided or that it differed in some significant way.
• public body: means state government bodies, local government bodies and special government bodies. See Oregon Statutes 174.109
• Race: includes physical characteristics that are historically associated with race, including but not limited to natural hair, hair texture, hair type and protective hairstyles. See Oregon Statutes 659A.001
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• Respondent: means any person against whom a complaint or charge of an unlawful practice is filed with the commissioner or whose name has been added to such complaint or charge pursuant to ORS § 659A. See Oregon Statutes 659A.001
• Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
• Sexual orientation: means an individual's actual or perceived heterosexuality, homosexuality or bisexuality. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Unlawful employment practice: includes a practice that is specifically denominated in another statute of this state as an unlawful employment practice and that is specifically made subject to enforcement under this chapter. See Oregon Statutes 659A.001
• Unlawful practice: includes a practice that is specifically denominated in another statute of this state as an unlawful practice and that is specifically made subject to enforcement under this chapter, or a practice that violates a rule adopted by the commissioner for the enforcement of the provisions of this chapter. See Oregon Statutes 659A.001