New Mexico Injuries Glossary

Legal and insurance terms explained plainly

A court-issued command that cuts off certain future claims or lawsuits, usually so a settlement can go forward without later being undone by side disputes. Most often, a bar...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-21

bellwether trial

A bellwether trial is a test case used to help predict how similar lawsuits may turn out. "Test case" does not mean fake, minor, or less important. It is a real lawsuit,...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-23

claims administrator

Often the least visible player in the case, a claims administrator is the person or company that manages claim forms, notices, review, and payment in a class action or mass...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-22

collateral source rule

A person who caused an injury usually cannot reduce what they owe just because the injured person had help from another source, such as health insurance, Medicare, workers'...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-27

cy pres distribution

Not a bonus payment to class members and not a way for lawyers or defendants to keep leftover settlement money. A cy pres distribution is a court-approved use of unclaimed or...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-23

damage cap

You just got a letter that says your case may be worth less than your injuries because of a "damage cap." That means a law sets a maximum amount that can be recovered for...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-26

day-in-the-life video

Insurance companies and defense lawyers often try to frame this kind of video as staged, emotional, or misleading. They may argue it captures only a bad day, leaves out what...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-31

diminished quality of life

How is life worse now than it was before the injury? That is the basic question behind diminished quality of life. It means a loss in the ability to live normally, enjoy daily...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-31

general damages

These are often the dollars that make or break a case, because they cover the human fallout of an injury, not just the receipts. General damages are money awarded for losses...

GLOSSARY 2026-04-02

global settlement

Insurance companies and defense lawyers often use this phrase to push people toward a fast, all-in resolution: sign now, take the offer, and close every claim at once. That...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-23

hedonic damages

Not medical expenses, not lost pay, and not the same thing as ordinary pain and suffering. Hedonic damages are money meant to account for the loss of enjoyment of life after an...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-30

life care plan

Like a household budget after everything goes sideways, this is a line-by-line forecast of what an injured person will need to stay alive, functional, and as independent as...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-28

loss of consortium

It can add real value to a case because it covers harm that does not show up on a medical bill or pay stub: the damage an injury does to a close family relationship....

GLOSSARY 2026-03-27

loss of earning capacity

Insurance adjusters and defense lawyers often try to shrink this by saying, "You went back to work," "You can still do some kind of job," or "Your paychecks look the same."...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-27

MDL transfer

The part that trips people up most is this: being sent into an MDL does not turn a case into a class action, and it does not mean one settlement or one trial decides everything...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-23

Medicaid lien

The worst mistake people make is treating Medicaid's claim like just another medical bill that can be ignored until the check arrives. A Medicaid lien is Medicaid's right to be...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-21

mitigation of damages

What you do after an injury can directly affect how much money you recover. Even when someone else caused the harm, a claim can lose value if the injured person lets avoidable...

GLOSSARY 2026-04-03

multiplier method

A common way to estimate pain and suffering or other non-economic damages is to multiply a person's measurable losses - usually medical expenses and sometimes lost income - by...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-29

plaintiff fact sheet

Defense lawyers and insurers often treat this as a tool for finding inconsistencies, gaps, prior injuries, missed treatment, or anything else they can use to question...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-23

punitive damages

The part that trips people up most is that these damages are not meant to pay you back for medical bills, lost wages, or pain. They are money a court or jury may award to...

GLOSSARY 2026-04-02

special damages

What counts as money you can actually add up after an injury? Special damages are the measurable financial losses caused by an accident or wrongful act. They usually include...

GLOSSARY 2026-04-04

treble damages

The biggest trap is thinking "treble" means a standard payout in any serious case. It does not. Treble damages are a legal penalty that allows a court to award three times a...

GLOSSARY 2026-04-01

wrongful death damages

These are not automatic payments, funeral reimbursement only, or a criminal fine paid because someone died. They are the money damages allowed in a civil case when a death was...

GLOSSARY 2026-04-03