Judgment / Ruling — in Spanish and Italian.

Definition

The court's final decision in a case.

Spanish and Italian equivalents

In Spanish, Judgment / Ruling is rendered as Sentencia / Fallo; in Italian, as Sentenza. The English entry lists two forms — Judgment and Ruling — which practice treats as interchangeable or closely related. Spanish usage admits more than one form (Sentencia / Fallo); the choice depends on the country and on the type of document. Spanish equivalents follow Argentine (Rioplatense) usage where it differs from European Spanish. In a certified translation the equivalent is chosen for the target jurisdiction; where the concept has no exact counterpart, the source term is kept alongside a functional explanation.

Translating General & Procedural Law terminology

Procedural vocabulary is where the common-law and civil-law traditions diverge most visibly. A U.S. complaint opens a lawsuit, whereas a Spanish demanda or an Italian atto di citazione does the same work under different rules of pleading; discovery has no true equivalent in Spain, Latin America or Italy, where evidence is gathered under the judge's direction. Certified translations of pleadings therefore preserve the source-system term and, where the reader needs it, add the closest functional equivalent rather than substituting one for the other.

Related terms in General & Procedural Law

• Action / Lawsuit — Acción / Demanda
• Appeal — Apelación / Recurso
• Appellant — Apelante / Recurrente
• Appellee / Respondent — Apelado / Recurrido
• Brief / Pleading — Escrito / Alegato
• Burden of proof — Carga de la prueba
• Case / Cause — Causa / Expediente
• Case file / Docket — Expediente
• Claim — Pretensión / Reclamo
• Complaint / Statement of claim — Demanda
• Counterclaim — Reconvención / Contrademanda
• Court — Tribunal / Juzgado
• Court of first instance — Juzgado de primera instancia
• Court of appeal — Cámara de apelaciones
• Supreme Court — Corte Suprema
• Cross-examination — Repreguntas / Contrainterrogatorio
• Damages — Daños y perjuicios
• Defendant — Demandado / Imputado
• Defense — Defensa
• Deposition / Witness statement — Declaración testimonial
• Discovery / Disclosure — Producción de prueba / Exhibición
• Dismissal — Desestimación / Rechazo
• Enforcement / Execution — Ejecución
• Evidence — Prueba
• Filing — Presentación / Interposición
• Hearing — Audiencia
• Injunction — Medida cautelar / Interdicto
• Jurisdiction — Jurisdicción / Competencia
• Lawsuit / Litigation — Litigio
• Legal aid — Beneficio de litigar sin gastos
• Mediation — Mediación
• Arbitration — Arbitraje
• Motion — Petición / Moción
• Notice / Service of process — Notificación / Cédula
• Oath — Juramento
• Order / Decree — Auto / Decreto / Providencia
• Party — Parte
• Petition — Petición / Recurso
• Plaintiff / Claimant — Demandante / Actor
• Precedent — Precedente / Jurisprudencia
• Procedure — Procedimiento
• Proceedings — Actuaciones / Diligencias
• Res judicata — Cosa juzgada
• Ruling on the merits — Resolución sobre el fondo
• Settlement — Acuerdo / Transacción / Conciliación
• Statute of limitations — Prescripción
• Subpoena / Summons — Citación / Emplazamiento
• Testimony — Testimonio
• Trial — Juicio
• Verdict — Veredicto
• Witness — Testigo
• Writ — Mandamiento / Orden judicial
• Costs / Court fees — Costas / Aranceles
• Default judgment — Sentencia en rebeldía
• Appeal in cassation — Recurso de casación
• Allegation — Alegación
• Affidavit — Declaración jurada / Afidávit
• Stay of proceedings — Suspensión del proceso
• Adjournment — Cuarto intermedio / Aplazamiento
• Joinder — Litisconsorcio / Acumulación
• Standing (to sue) — Legitimación activa
• Venue — Competencia territorial / Fuero
• Costs order — Condena en costas
• Interim measure — Medida cautelar
• Class action — Acción de clase / colectiva
• Recusal / Challenge of judge — Recusación
• Quorum — Quórum

Browse the full General & Procedural Law area, return to the dictionary index, or search all 712 terms in the interactive dictionary (also available as a PDF).

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This page is for general orientation only. It is not legal advice and does not substitute for advice from licensed counsel in the relevant jurisdiction. Terminology varies between countries and between civil-law and common-law systems; the equivalents shown here are the most common in cross-border practice.