P Legal definitions for terms and concepts beginning with P Public Domain Property that is available or accessible to the public. Public Domain Citation A legal citation unique to cases issued from a particular court with numbering assigned sequentially, and designed for electronic database and Internet cataloguing retrieval. Public Duty Doctrine A principle of personal injury law; that government owes duties to the public at large rather than to individuals. Publicity The use of an individual's name, image or reputation to promote products or services. Public Law Those laws which regulate the structure and administration of the government, the conduct of the government in its relations with its citizens, the responsibilities of government employees and the relationships with foreign governments. Public Nuisance A nuisance (tort) which interferes with public convenience or welfare. Public Policy Certain acts or contracts are said to be against public policy if they tend to promote breach of the law, of the policy behind a law or tend to harm the state or its citizens. Puffery Advertising which states in general terms that one product or service is superior and which does not otherwise imply any specific representation in regards to the product or service. Puisne Junior or lower in rank, as opposed to the chief justice. Punitive Damages Special and highly exceptional damages ordered by a court against a defendant where the act or omission which caused the suit, was of a particularly heinous, malicious or highhanded nature. Purge To apologize or the taking of such other action as may be deemed by a court of law to suffice for the purposes of vacating a charge of contempt of court. Putative Father A presumed but not DNA-confirmed father of a child. Putrescine The odour caused by putrefying organic matter, such as a corpse or even dead fish. Page1 (Pa - Pe) | Page2 (Pe - Pe) | Page3 (Pe - Po) | Page4 (Po - Pr) | Page5 (Pr - Pu) | Page6 (Pu - Pu) Find you are constantly looking up definitions? Try our search provider (works in most modern browsers) If you find an error or omission in Duhaime's Legal Dictionary, or if you have legal term suggestion, we'd love to hear from you!