Iowa Accidents Glossary

Legal and insurance terms explained plainly

A defense that accepts the basic accusation for argument's sake but adds new facts or law that can defeat or limit liability or guilt. "Affirmative" matters because the person...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-31

arraignment

You'll usually see it in a court notice, charging papers, or hear, "Your arraignment is set for next week." That is the first formal court appearance where a judge tells the...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-30

bail hearing

Miss this early court appearance, or walk in thinking it is just paperwork, and the damage can be immediate: a judge may set money bail you cannot afford, impose strict release...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-29

bail vs bond

The difference can determine whether a person gets out of jail quickly, how much cash is tied up, and whether missing court creates a larger financial loss. In practice, the...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-25

conditional discharge

Can I keep this off my record if I do everything the court orders? A conditional discharge is a court outcome that lets a person avoid a final conviction or a harsher sentence...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-23

crashworthiness doctrine

The surprising part is that a manufacturer can be liable even when it did not cause the crash itself. Think of a seat belt, airbag, cab roof, or fuel system like a hard hat on...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-21

determinate vs indeterminate sentence

A determinate sentence has a fixed length, while an indeterminate sentence sets a range or maximum and leaves the actual release date to later decisions under the law....

GLOSSARY 2026-03-28

double jeopardy

Can the government try someone twice for the same offense? Usually, no. Double jeopardy is the constitutional protection that bars the government from prosecuting or punishing...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-27

Electronic Logging Device

Think of it like a truck driver's built-in timecard and GPS trail rolled into one. The part that catches people off guard is this: after a semi crash, that data can disappear...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-22

expungement

It is not a magic eraser that makes a case vanish from every database, background check, or memory. What it usually means is that a court orders a criminal record sealed,...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-26

felony vs misdemeanor

You'll usually see this in a charging document, police paperwork, a court notice, or a lawyer's quick explanation: the case is being filed as a misdemeanor or a felony. That...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-24

grand jury

Not the same thing as a trial jury, and not a group that decides whether someone is guilty. A grand jury is a panel of citizens asked to review evidence presented by a...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-27

guilty plea vs no contest

Get this wrong, and a quick decision in criminal court can follow someone into a civil case, a job problem, or an insurance fight. A guilty plea is a direct admission of the...

GLOSSARY 2026-04-03

indictment vs information

Am I being formally charged by a grand jury, or did the prosecutor file the case another way? That is the difference between an indictment and an information. Both are formal...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-27

own recognizance release

You just got a letter that says you are being released on your own recognizance, with a court date and a warning to follow all conditions. That means the court is letting you...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-29

plea bargain

Like haggling over the final price before you walk out of a store, a plea bargain is a negotiated deal: the accused agrees to plead guilty, or sometimes no contest where...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-30

preliminary hearing

The part that trips people up most is that a preliminary hearing is not a trial, and many DUI or OWI cases never reach one at all. It is an early court proceeding where a judge...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-22

probable cause

Miss this one, and a bad stop turns into handcuffs, a car search, a jail booking, and charges built on evidence you may never have let police near if you knew your rights....

GLOSSARY 2026-03-30

probation vs parole

Not two words for the same kind of release, and not interchangeable. Probation is a court-ordered sentence or sentencing alternative that lets a person remain in the community...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-25

record sealing

Not the same as wiping a case off the map forever, record sealing usually does not erase what happened. Instead, it limits who can see a criminal or court record. The public...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-28

search warrant requirements

Like a foreman who cannot just send a crew onto private land without the right address, reason, and limits on the job, police usually cannot search a person, home, car, phone,...

GLOSSARY 2026-04-02

sentencing guidelines DUI

Rules and typical penalty ranges a judge uses after a drunk-driving conviction. "Sentencing guidelines" means the framework for punishment: what penalties are allowed, what...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-23

statute of limitations for criminal charges

You just got a letter that says prosecutors are reviewing an old case, and one of the first questions is whether they are still allowed to file charges at all. A statute of...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-26