The Law Dictionary for Everyone
The term “child endangerment” is used to describe an act, or the failure to perform an act, that puts a child’s safety in danger. Examples of child endangerment can include any threats to a child’s physical, mental, or emotional wellbeing. Child abuse that is the result of child endangerment is typically charged as a misdemeanor, though abuse that results in […]
Read moreThe term “emotional distress” is used to describe a claim that a person has suffered emotional trauma as the result of another person’s actions. Examples of emotional distress can include severe anxiety or anger. In certain cases, such as those pertaining to sexual harassment, the only consequence that a court can legally recognize and award damages for is emotional distress. […]
Read moreThe term “consent decree” is used to describe a formal agreement that resolves a dispute between parties without attributing blame to the parties. For example, a consent decree is signed without either party admitting to guilt in a criminal matter, or liability in a civil matter. The majority of settlement agreements in civil cases in the U. S. are consent […]
Read moreThe term “bona fide” is used to describe something that is presented as authentic or real. For example, a bona fide purchaser is someone who has no reason to raise suspicions that he should not be allowed to purchase a parcel of property. It also speaks to innocence on the purchaser’s part that he has not done anything to cause […]
Read moreThe term “adjudication” is used to describe the formal giving of a judgment or decision by a judge in a court of law. For example, an adjudication is made after all of the applicable evidence has been reviewed, including the legal arguments put forth by both sides’ attorneys. Once all of that information has been collectively weighed, the judge is […]
Read moreThe term “exonerated” is used to describe a person who has been convicted of a crime, only to be declared innocent after the fact. When someone is exonerated, this makes for an especially difficult situation if the person has spent many years in prison, or who has already been executed as the result of his sentence. In its simplest terms, […]
Read moreThe term “encumbrance” is used to describe a burden on a property that can reduce the value of the property. As an example, an encumbrance can be a mortgage. If someone owes $100,000 to the bank in the form of a mortgage, then he must pay the bank back that money upon selling the house, which reduces the amount of […]
Read moreThe term “amnesty” is used to describe the government’s act of forgiving a person for something he did wrong. For example, amnesty can refer to the government’s forgiveness of illegal immigrants (also known as undocumented migrants) for crimes they committed to enter a country. The government can also forgive people who haven’t paid their taxes once those payments have been […]
Read moreAnother word for the term “decree” is “judgment.” What this means is that a decree, in the field of law, refers to an official order that is created and handed down by an authority figure, typically a judge. A decree can be issued in any legal matter, though two of the more common ones are divorce decrees and adoption decrees. […]
Read moreThe term “indigent” is used to describe a person who is too poor to afford to pay someone to help them. In the law, this would apply to someone who could not afford to hire a lawyer. If the court finds a person to be indigent, it will order legal aid to represent the person. A person can only be […]
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