Adjudication

Definition of "Adjudication"

Written by

Chandra Manzueta

Keller Williams Atlanta Partners

The adjudication definition is a legal ruling or judgment used in the justice system when a case is settled or finalized. To define adjudication, we must look at the justice system and how claims are settled. When a settlement takes place in court, a final judgment is given or a pronouncement that determines future actions about the presented issue. 

Adjudication also refers to a decree in the process of bankruptcy that occurs between the creditor and the defendant. The validation of an insurance claim can also be referred to as an adjudication.

What is an adjudication?

As stated above, adjudication is a term used in court cases or legal rulings. But what does adjudication mean? The adjudication meaning can be described as a legal process that expedites and delivers the court’s resolution concerning the issues raised by the parties involved in the trial. Adjudications usually involve cases concerning money or infractions that are nonviolent. The result of adjudication is the distribution of rights and obligations for the parties involved in the case.

How does an adjudication process work?

The legal process of adjudication isn’t based on proof and doesn’t seek justice like other court cases, but to settle disputes between private parties. Some examples of these parties can be political officials against a private party, public officials against public bodies, and they can be seen in healthcare to help determine a carrier’s liability concerning money claimed by the insured individual.

Some rules govern the adjudication process as with any legal process like evidence and procedure. Laws are defined, and the initiating party gives the notice to establish facts, giving the reason for the claim. Sometimes a notice will also include the outline of the dispute between the parties involved, recounts when and where the conflict took place, and expresses the preferred result based on the law.

The plaintiff gets an adjudicator assigned, and the notice is sent to the defendant, or responding part. The defendant party forwards their response to the claim of adjudication; they both present their arguments in from of the adjudicator, which makes the final ruling or the adjudication.