Relief Law and Legal Definition
Relief is a term subject to different meanings. In the legal context, it refers to the amount of money and any other right or property awarded to a plaintiff in a lawsuit. Relief can take many different forms and the type of relief that may be given depends on the jurisdiction of the court. For example, a small claims court usually may only award monetary relief to a party, rather than being authorized to order a party to do or not do an act.
Relief may include an award of money, an injunction ordering a party to stop an action, a declaration of a party's rights under a contract, granting a lien against a debtor's property, and many more forms of relief.
The following is an example of a state statute dealing with relief from judgement:
"(A) Relief from Judgement. A Motion to Amend or for relief from judgement, including a request for a new trial shall be made within ten (10) calendar days of the filing of judgement. The Motion must be based on an error or irregularity which prevented a party from receiving a fair trial or a substantial legal error which affected the outcome of the action."
