Also known as: tribunals · court · forum
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A court or other adjudicatory body that hears and decides disputes by applying law to facts. The term encompasses both traditional courts and bodies such as arbitrators or administrative agencies when they function in an adjudicative capacity.
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
Tanner Thompson sold property to Travis Tate under a contract containing an oral promise to build a boundary fence. After closing, Travis discovered the promise was omitted from the deed. Travis sued in the local tribunal, which held that the independent promise survived merger because the parties never intended it to merge into the deed.
Tori Taylor sued TechVista Solutions for breach of a software license seeking $75,000 in damages. TechVista moved to strike the jury demand. The federal tribunal denied the motion, ruling that the Seventh Amendment preserved the right to a jury trial in the suit at common law.
True North Logistics sued Tundra Resources in federal court. Tundra's attorney filed an appearance. True North attempted service by mailing papers directly to Tundra's headquarters. The tribunal ruled the service defective because Rule 5(b)(1) required service on the attorney once representation began.
Thaddeus Tran offered evidence that a particular intersection lay within the city limits. The opposing party objected for lack of foundation. The tribunal took judicial notice that the intersection was generally known to lie inside the court's territorial jurisdiction and instructed the jury to accept the fact as conclusive.
Tessa Takahashi presided over a high-profile contract dispute. Before trial she gave a newspaper interview predicting the likely outcome. The tribunal's judicial conduct commission sanctioned her for making a public statement that could reasonably affect the fairness of the pending matter.
Trevor Tate's client revealed confidential information during discovery. A court order later required production of related documents. Trevor disclosed the material to the tribunal to comply with the order, relying on the exception permitting disclosure when required by other law or judicial directive.
Yes. A tribunal includes an arbitrator in a binding arbitration proceeding when the body acts in an adjudicative capacity by hearing evidence and rendering a binding judgment.
Supporting sources
No. Mediation is excluded because a mediator does not render a binding legal judgment after hearing evidence or argument.
Supporting sources
An adjudicative body acts as a neutral decision maker that receives evidence or legal argument and issues a binding determination affecting a party's interests, unlike purely legislative or administrative bodies that do not adjudicate disputes.
Supporting sources