Terms Used In Tennessee Code > Title 39 > Chapter 12 - General Offenses

• Acquittal:
  1. Judgement that a criminal defendant has not been proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
  2. A verdict of "not guilty."
   
• Acting in concert: as used in this part , means such conduct that would make one criminally responsible pursuant to §. See Tennessee Code 39-12-301
• Agriculture: means :
  (i) The land, buildings and machinery used in the commercial production of farm products and nursery stock. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Airport limousine: means every vehicle designed and/or constructed to accommodate and transport passengers, not more than twelve (12) in number, exclusive of the driver, having an operating agreement with an airport providing for a fixed passenger fare and a fixed schedule, the principal operations of which airport limousine is confined to areas between the airport and fixed points in municipalities, counties and the suburbs of the same within a forty (40) mile radius of such airport. See Tennessee Code 65-15-102
• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Baseline: Projection of the receipts, outlays, and other budget amounts that would ensue in the future without any change in existing policy. Baseline projections are used to gauge the extent to which proposed legislation, if enacted into law, would alter current spending and revenue levels.
• Beneficial interest: means either of the following:
  (i) The interest of a person as a beneficiary under any trust arrangement pursuant to which a trustee or any other person holds legal or record title to personal or real property for the benefit of the person. See Tennessee Code 39-12-203
• Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. ^{Source: OCC}
• Benefit: means anything reasonably regarded as economic gain, enhancement or advantage, including benefit to any other person in whose welfare the beneficiary is interested. See Tennessee Code 39-11-106
• Civil forfeiture: The loss of ownership of property used to conduct illegal activity.
• Code: includes the Tennessee Code and all amendments and revisions to the code and all additions and supplements to the code. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Coercion: means a threat, however communicated, to:
  (A) Commit any offense. See Tennessee Code 39-11-106
• Commissioner: means the commissioner of revenue unless otherwise indicated. See Tennessee Code 65-15-102
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Contract hauler: means any person, firm or corporation engaged in the transportation for compensation or hire of persons and/or property for a particular person or corporation to or from a particular place or places under special or individual agreement or agreements, and not operating as a common carrier and not operating exclusively within the corporate limits of an incorporated city or town, or exclusively within the corporate limits of such city or town and the suburban territory adjacent thereto, except "contract hauler" does not exclude those engaged in the transportation of mobile homes for hire or compensation within an incorporated city or town. See Tennessee Code 65-15-102
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• 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.
• County mayor: means and includes "county executive" unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Defendant: means a person accused of an offense under this title and includes any person who aids or abets the commission of such offense. See Tennessee Code 39-11-106
• Department: means the department of environment and conservation. See Tennessee Code 65-17-101
• Department: means the department of revenue unless otherwise indicated. See Tennessee Code 65-15-102
• Digital network: means any online-enabled application, software, website, or system offered or utilized by a transportation network company that enables the prearrangement of rides with transportation network company drivers. See Tennessee Code 65-15-301
• Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
• driver: means an individual who:
  (A) Receives connections to potential passengers and related services from a transportation network company in exchange for payment of a fee to the transportation network company. See Tennessee Code 65-15-301
• Enterprise: means a formal or informal ongoing organization, association, or group that has as one (1) of its primary activities the commission of one (1) or more offenses qualifying as racketeering activity, and that consists of three (3) or more persons:
  (A) Who share a common name, identifying signs, colors, or symbols, including, but not limited to, terrorist organizations, hate groups, and criminal gangs as defined in §. See Tennessee Code 39-12-203
• 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.
• Fair market value: The price at which an asset would change hands in a transaction between a willing, informed buyer and a willing, informed seller.
• farm products: means forage and sod crops. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
• For-hire motor carrier: means a person engaged in the transportation of goods or passengers for compensation. See Tennessee Code 65-15-102
• Force: means compulsion by the use of physical power or violence and shall be broadly construed to accomplish the purposes of this title. See Tennessee Code 39-11-106
• Foreclosure: A legal process in which property that is collateral or security for a loan may be sold to help repay the loan when the loan is in default. ^{Source: OCC}
• Forgery: The fraudulent signing or alteration of another's name to an instrument such as a deed, mortgage, or check. The intent of the forgery is to deceive or defraud. ^{Source: OCC}
• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• Highway: includes public bridges and may be held equivalent to the words "county way" "county road" or "state road". See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Indictment: The formal charge issued by a grand jury stating that there is enough evidence that the defendant committed the crime to justify having a trial; it is used primarily for felonies.
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• Innocent person: includes bona fide purchasers and victims. See Tennessee Code 39-12-203
• Investigative agency: means the office of the attorney general and reporter. See Tennessee Code 39-12-203
• 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.
• Juror: A person who is on the jury.
• Lands: includes lands, tenements and hereditaments, and all rights thereto and interests therein, equitable as well as legal. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Law enforcement officer: includes a sheriff, sheriff's deputy, and, only for purposes of the enhancement of a crime, a deputy jailer. See Tennessee Code 39-11-106
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Limousine: means any motor vehicle except a taxicab or sedan designed or constructed to accommodate and transport passengers for hire, with an extended wheel base and expanded seating capacity designed for the transportation of persons. See Tennessee Code 65-15-102
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• Livestock: means all equine as well as animals that are being raised primarily for use as food or fiber for human utilization or consumption including, but not limited to, cattle, sheep, swine, goats, and poultry. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Local government: means any county, municipality, city, or other political subdivision of this state. See Tennessee Code 65-17-101
• Local government: means any incorporated city or town, metropolitan government, or county, including enterprise funds of such government entity, or utility district for purposes of §. See Tennessee Code 9-13-203
• Local legislation: means any ordinance, resolution, motion, amendment, regulation, or rule adopted by a local government. See Tennessee Code 65-17-101
• Local legislative body: means the governing body of a local government. See Tennessee Code 65-17-101
• Minor: means any person under eighteen (18) years of age. See Tennessee Code 39-11-106
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Motor carrier: means any person, firm, partnership, association, joint stock company, corporation, lessee, trustee, or receiver appointed by any court whatsoever, operating any motor vehicle with or without semitrailers attached, upon any public highway for the transportation of persons or property, or both, or for providing or furnishing such transportation service, for hire as a common carrier. See Tennessee Code 65-15-102
• Motor vehicle: means any automobile, automobile truck, motor bus, truck bus or any other self-propelled vehicle not operated or driven upon fixed rails or tracks. See Tennessee Code 65-15-102
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Obtain: includes , but is not limited to, the taking, carrying away or the sale, conveyance or transfer of title to or interest in or possession of property, and includes, but is not limited to, conduct known as larceny, larceny by trick, larceny by conversion, embezzlement, extortion or obtaining property by false pretenses. See Tennessee Code 39-11-106
• Ongoing: means that the enterprise was in existence when the racketeering activity was committed as charged in a petition, warrant, indictment, information, presentment, or action for civil injunctive relief. See Tennessee Code 39-12-203
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• Pattern of racketeering activity: means engaging in at least two (2) incidents of racketeering activity that have the same or similar intents, purposes, results, accomplices, victims, or methods of commission or are otherwise interrelated by distinguishing characteristics and are not isolated incidents. See Tennessee Code 39-12-203
• Person: means any natural person, corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, or other private business entity except for corporations transacting business in this state pursuant to chapter 25 of this title. See Tennessee Code 65-17-101
• Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Person: includes the singular and the plural and means and includes any individual, firm, partnership, copartnership, association, corporation, governmental subdivision or agency, or other organization or other legal entity, or any agent or servant thereof. See Tennessee Code 39-11-106
• Person: means any individual or entity holding or capable of holding a legal or beneficial interest in property. See Tennessee Code 39-12-203
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• Personal property: includes any personal property, or any interest in personal property, or any right, including bank accounts, debts, corporate stocks, patents or copyrights. See Tennessee Code 39-12-203
• Personal vehicle: means a vehicle that is used by a transportation network company driver and is:
  (A) Owned, leased, or otherwise authorized for use by the transportation network company driver. See Tennessee Code 65-15-301
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• Prearranged ride: means the provision of transportation by a driver to a rider, beginning when a driver accepts a ride requested by a rider through a digital network controlled by a transportation network company, continuing while the driver transports a requesting rider, and ending when the last requesting rider departs from the personal vehicle. See Tennessee Code 65-15-301
• Private carrier: means a person who provides transportation of property or passengers by a commercial motor vehicle and who is not a for-hire motor carrier. See Tennessee Code 65-15-102
• Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
• Property: includes both personal and real property. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Property: means anything of value, including, but not limited to, money, real estate, tangible or intangible personal property, including anything severed from land, library material, contract rights, choses-in-action, interests in or claims to wealth, credit, admission or transportation tickets, captured or domestic animals, food and drink, electric or other power. See Tennessee Code 39-11-106
• Public highway: means every public street, alley, road, highway, or thoroughfare of every kind in this state used by the public, whether actually dedicated to the public and accepted by the proper authorities or otherwise. See Tennessee Code 65-15-102
• Public servant: means :
  (A) Any public officer or employee of the state or of any political subdivision of the state or of any governmental instrumentality within the state including, but not limited to, law enforcement officers. See Tennessee Code 39-11-106
• Racketeering activity: means to commit, attempt to commit, conspire to commit, or to aid, attempt to aid, solicit, coerce, facilitate, or intimidate another person to commit:
  (A) An offense under chapter 13, part 2 of this title, relating to criminal homicide. See Tennessee Code 39-12-203
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• Real property: means any real property situated in this state or any interest in the real property, including, but not limited to, any lease of or mortgage upon such real property. See Tennessee Code 39-12-203
• Reckless: means that a person acts recklessly with respect to circumstances surrounding the conduct or the result of the conduct when the person is aware of, but consciously disregards a substantial and unjustifiable risk that the circumstances exist or the result will occur. See Tennessee Code 39-11-106
• Record: means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in a perceivable form. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• redevelopment: means the process of replanning, reconstructing, or redesigning a wind energy facility, including the acquisition, clearance, development, or disposal, or any combination of these activities, of a wind energy facility. See Tennessee Code 65-17-101
• Reporter: Makes a record of court proceedings and prepares a transcript, and also publishes the court's opinions or decisions (in the courts of appeals).
• Representative: when applied to those who represent a decedent, includes executors and administrators, unless the context implies heirs and distributees. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• RICO lien notice: means the notice described in §. See Tennessee Code 39-12-203
• rider: means a person or persons who use a transportation network company's digital network to connect with a transportation network driver who provides prearranged rides to the rider in the driver's personal vehicle between points chosen by the rider. See Tennessee Code 65-15-301
• Road: includes public bridges and may be held equivalent to the words "county way" "county road" or "state road". See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Sedan: means any motor vehicle except a limousine or taxicab designed or constructed to accommodate and transport passengers for hire that does not have an extended wheel base or an expanded seating capacity designed for the transportation of persons. See Tennessee Code 65-15-102
• Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
• Services: includes labor, skill, professional service, transportation, telephone, mail, gas, electricity, steam, water, cable television, entertainment subscription service or other public services, accommodations in hotels, restaurants or elsewhere, admissions to exhibitions, use of vehicles or other movable property, and any other activity or product considered in the ordinary course of business to be a service, regardless of whether it is listed in this subdivision (a)(38) or a specific statute exists covering the same or similar conduct. See Tennessee Code 39-11-106
• sex: means a person's immutable biological sex as determined by anatomy and genetics existing at the time of birth and evidence of a person's biological sex. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Shuttle: means any motor vehicle designed or constructed to accommodate and transport not more than fifteen (15) passengers for hire, exclusive of the driver, the principal operation of which is confined to the area within the corporate limits of cities and suburban territory adjacent thereto, and is operated on a fixed route or schedule. See Tennessee Code 65-15-102
• signed: includes a mark, the name being written near the mark and witnessed, or any other symbol or methodology executed or adopted by a party with intention to authenticate a writing or record, regardless of being witnessed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Taxicab: means any motor vehicle except a limousine or sedan designed or constructed to accommodate and transport not more than nine (9) passengers for hire, exclusive of the driver, the principal operation of which is confined to the area within the corporate limits of cities and suburban territory adjacent thereto, and is not operated on a fixed route or schedule. See Tennessee Code 65-15-102
• Temporary restraining order: Prohibits a person from an action that is likely to cause irreparable harm. This differs from an injunction in that it may be granted immediately, without notice to the opposing party, and without a hearing. It is intended to last only until a hearing can be held.
• Transportation network company: means a corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, or other entity operating in this state that uses a digital network to connect transportation network company riders to transportation network company drivers who provide prearranged rides. See Tennessee Code 65-15-301
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
• Trustee: means any of the following:
  (i) Any person who holds legal or record title to real or personal property in which any other person has a beneficial interest. See Tennessee Code 39-12-203
• United States: includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Wind energy facility expansion: means any activity that:
  (A) Adds or substantially modifies a wind energy facility, including increasing the height or the number of the turbines, transmission facilities, or other equipment. See Tennessee Code 65-17-101
• written: includes printing, typewriting, engraving, lithography, and any other mode of representing words and letters. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105