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Legalese From A to Z: 5 Legal Terms Beginning With 'R'

Res judicata. Reciprocal negative easement. Rule against perpetuities. What do these terms have
in common, beyond being words you most likely haven't heard in casual conversation lately?
They're are all examples of legalese, the specialized language of law used by lawyers, judges and
those in the legal field.
As part of our continuing series Legalese From A to Z, we work through some of the important bits
of legalese, letter by letter. In this post, we take on five (more) legal terms that start with the
letter "R":

Rape shield law. A rape shield law prevents or limits the use of an alleged rape victim's
prior sexual history as evidence during a trial. For example, Nevada's rape shield law
prohibits the introduction of "previous sexual conduct of the victim of the crime to
challenge the victim's credibility as a witness" in a criminal sexual assault or statutory rape
trial, unless the victim opens the door by testifying about her sexual conduct first.

Reasonable accommodation. Federal employment law requires that an employer make

reasonable accommodations for an employee's disability or religion in the workplace.
Unless providing an accommodation would present an "undue hardship," an employer must
generally honor an employee's request for an accommodation required by his or her
disability or religious beliefs.

Res ipsa loquitur. Translated from Latin, res ipsa loquitur means "the thing speaks for
itself." In personal injury and other tort cases, res ipsa loquitur allows a plaintiff to
establish a defendant's negligence using circumstantial evidence rather than having to
prove that the defendant's actions were in fact negligent. Res ipsa loquitur is typically
used in cases where events would not normally occur in the absence of negligence, such as
botched surgeries.

Respondeat superior. Under the doctrine of respondeat superior, an employer may be

held liable for the negligent actions of an employee. Generally, any time an employee is
acting within the course of his employment, his negligence will be imputed to his
employer, even when the employer otherwise played no role in the harm.

Robbery. Although robbery has entered the common lexicon, many people use the term
robbery to incorrectly describe a burglary or other theft crime. Legally, a robbery requires
the use of physical force or fear to deprive a person of her property. Without the use of
force or fear, stealing something from someone else is typically considered a theft or a
larceny, or, in cases where the items are stolen from a home, a burglary.

If you need help with defining a legal word or phrase, check out FindLaw's Legal Dictionary for
free access to more than 8,000 definitions of legal terms.
(Original post can be found here: http://bit.ly/FLLegaleseR)