Terms Used In Nebraska Statutes > Developmental Disabilities Court-Ordered Custody Act

• Acquire: when used in connection with a grant of power or property right to any person shall include the purchase, grant, gift, devise, bequest, and obtaining by eminent domain. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801
• Action: shall include any proceeding in any court of this state. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801
• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• Allegation: something that someone says happened.
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Attorney: shall mean attorney at law. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801
• Company: shall include any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint-stock company, joint venture, or association. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Continuance: Putting off of a hearing ot trial until a later time.
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Court: means the district court in which a petition is filed pursuant to the Developmental Disabilities Court-Ordered Custody Act. See Nebraska Statutes 71-1105
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Department: means the Department of Health and Human Services. See Nebraska Statutes 71-1106
• Developmental disability: means a severe, chronic disability, including an intellectual disability, other than mental illness, which:

  (1) Is attributable to a mental or physical impairment unless the impairment is solely attributable to a severe emotional disturbance or persistent mental illness. See Nebraska Statutes 71-1107

• Domestic: when applied to corporations shall mean all those created by authority of this state. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Foreign: when applied to corporations shall include all those created by authority other than that of this state. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• Independent mental health professional: means a psychiatrist or psychologist with expertise in treating persons with developmental disabilities who has not previously been involved in the treatment of the subject in a significant way. See Nebraska Statutes 71-1108
• Intellectual disability: means significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning which is associated with significant impairments in adaptive functioning manifested before the age of twenty-two years. See Nebraska Statutes 71-1108.01
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Least restrictive alternative: means a placement and services provided in a manner no more restrictive of a subject's liberty and no more intrusive than necessary to provide appropriate treatment and protect society. See Nebraska Statutes 71-1109
• Month: shall mean calendar month. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801
• Peace officer: shall include sheriffs, coroners, jailers, marshals, police officers, state highway patrol officers, members of the National Guard on active service by direction of the Governor during periods of emergency, and all other persons with similar authority to make arrests. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801
• Person: shall include bodies politic and corporate, societies, communities, the public generally, individuals, partnerships, limited liability companies, joint-stock companies, and associations. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801
• Petitioner: means the Attorney General or the county attorney who files a petition under section 71-1117. See Nebraska Statutes 71-1111
• Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
• Public defender: Represent defendants who can't afford an attorney in criminal matters.
• Risk analysis: means a comprehensive evaluation of a person's potential for future dangerous behavior towards others, including recommendations to minimize the likelihood of harm to others in the least restrictive alternative. See Nebraska Statutes 71-1112
• State: when applied to different states of the United States shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories organized by Congress. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801
• Subject: means a person who is named in a petition filed under the Developmental Disabilities Court-Ordered Custody Act. See Nebraska Statutes 71-1114
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• Sworn: shall include affirmed in all cases in which an affirmation may be substituted for an oath. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801
• Testify: Answer questions in court.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Threat of harm to others: means a significant likelihood of substantial harm to others as evidenced by one or more of the following: Having inflicted or attempted to inflict serious bodily injury on another. See Nebraska Statutes 71-1115
• Transcript: A written, word-for-word record of what was said, either in a proceeding such as a trial or during some other conversation, as in a transcript of a hearing or oral deposition.
• Treatment: means the support and services which will assist a subject to acquire the skills and behaviors needed to function in society so that the subject does not pose a threat of harm to others and is able to cope with his or her personal needs and the demands of his or her environment. See Nebraska Statutes 71-1116
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• United States: shall include territories, outlying possessions, and the District of Columbia. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801
• Year: shall mean calendar year. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801