Terms Used In Vermont Statutes > Title 27 > Chapter 7 - Property Held for Religious, Fraternal, or Charitable Purposes

• 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.
• Affirmed: In the practice of the appellate courts, the decree or order is declared valid and will stand as rendered in the lower court.
• 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.
• Annual meeting: when applied to towns shall mean the annual town meeting in March or an adjournment thereof. See
• 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.
• Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
• Arraignment: A proceeding in which an individual who is accused of committing a crime is brought into court, told of the charges, and asked to plead guilty or not guilty.
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Board: means the State Labor Relations Board established under 3 V. See
• Childhood adversity: means experiences that may be traumatic to children and youths during the first 18 years of life, such as experiencing violence or other emotionally disturbing exposures in their homes or communities. See
• Commissioner: means Commissioner of Motor Vehicles unless otherwise stated. See
• 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.
• 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 Family Division of the Superior Court. See
• Custodial parent: means any person with whom a dependent child actually resides, whether or not the parent is receiving public assistance benefits under chapter 11 of this title, or the Commissioner for Children and Families if the dependent child is under the care and control of that Department. See
• 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.
• Department: means the Vermont Department for Children and Families. See
• Department: means Department of Motor Vehicles unless otherwise stated. See
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Dependent child: means any child receiving assistance under chapter 11 of this title or any minor child for whose benefit the Office of Child Support has been authorized and requested to collect support. See
• Devise: To gift property by will.
• Domestic: when applied to a corporation, company, association, or copartnership shall mean organized under the laws of this State; "foreign" when so applied, shall mean organized under the laws of another state, government, or country. See
• Early care and education provider: means a licensed child care home provider, a registered child care home provider, or a legally exempt child care home provider, which is defined by the Legally Exempt Child Care Provider Requirements set forth by the Vermont Department for Children and Families, Child Development Division, who provides child care services as defined in subdivision 3511(4) of this title. See
• Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
• 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.
• Exclusive representative: means the labor organization that has been elected or recognized and certified by the Board under this chapter and consequently has the exclusive right under section 3608 of this chapter to represent early care and education providers for the purpose of collective bargaining and the enforcement of any contract provisions. See
• Fees: shall mean earnings due for official services, aside from salaries or per diem compensation. See
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• following: when used by way of reference to a section of the law shall mean the next preceding or following section. See
• gender identity: means an individual's actual or perceived gender identity, or gender-related characteristics intrinsically related to an individual's gender or gender-identity, regardless of the individual's assigned sex at birth. See
• Grievance: means the exclusive representative's formal written complaint regarding an improper application of one or more terms of the collective bargaining agreement. See
• 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.
• 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.
• Justice: when applied to a person, other than a Justice of the Supreme Court, shall mean a justice of the peace for the county for which he or she is elected or appointed. See
• Law enforcement officer: means a person designated in subdivision 4(11) of this title and includes deputy State game wardens and auxiliary State Police officers. See
• 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.
• Magistrate: shall mean any Supreme Court Justice, Superior judge, District judge, or Probate judge. See
• Month: shall mean a calendar month and "year" shall mean a calendar year and be equivalent to the expression "year of our Lord. See
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Mortgagor: The person who pledges property to a creditor as collateral for a loan and who receives the money.
• 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.
• Operate: includes an attempt to operate and shall be construed to cover all matters and things connected with the presence and use of snowmobiles whether they be at motion or rest. See
• Operator: shall include all persons 18 years of age or over properly licensed to operate motor vehicles. See
• Owner: means a person, other than a lienholder, having the property in or title to a vessel. See
• Person: shall include any natural person, corporation, municipality, the State of Vermont or any department, agency, or subdivision of the State, and any partnership, unincorporated association, or other legal entity. See
• Person: means an individual, partnership, firm, corporation, association, or other entity. See
• Personal estate: shall include all property other than real estate. See
• Privilege to operate: includes the privilege of a nonresident to operate a motor vehicle within the State and includes the privilege of a resident to obtain a license. See
• Probate: Proving a will
• Public assistance: means money payments furnished to or on behalf of dependent children by the Department. See
• real estate: shall include lands, tenements, and hereditaments and all rights thereto and interests therein, and pews or slips in places of public worship shall be treated as real estate. See
• Resilience: means the ability to respond to, withstand, and recover from serious hardship with coping skills and a combination of protective factors, including a strong community, family support, social connections, knowledge of parenting and child development, concrete support in times of need, and social and emotional competence of children. See
• Responsible parent: means the natural or adoptive parent or stepparent, to the extent the stepparent owes a duty of support under 15 V. See
• Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
• said: when used by way of reference to a person or thing shall apply to the same person or thing last mentioned. See
• seal: shall include an impression of the official seal made upon paper alone or by means of a wafer or wax affixed thereto. See
• Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
• Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
• sexual orientation: means female or male homosexuality, heterosexuality, or bisexuality. See
• State: when applied to the different parts of the United States may apply to the District of Columbia and any territory and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. See
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Tort: A civil wrong or breach of a duty to another person, as outlined by law. A very common tort is negligent operation of a motor vehicle that results in property damage and personal injury in an automobile accident.
• Town: shall include city and wards or precincts therein; "selectboard members" and "board of civil authority" shall extend to and include the mayor and aldermen of cities; "trustees" shall extend to and include bailiffs of incorporated villages; and the laws applicable to the inhabitants and officers of towns shall be applicable to the inhabitants and similar officers of all municipal corporations. See
• Toxic stress: means strong, frequent, or prolonged experience of adversity without adequate support. See
• Trauma-informed: means a type of program, organization, or system that recognizes the widespread impact of trauma and potential paths for recovery; recognizes the signs and symptoms of trauma in clients, families, staff, and others involved in a system; responds by fully integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices; and seeks actively to resist retraumatization and build resilience among the population served. See
• 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.
• Vessel: means every description of watercraft, other than a seaplane on the water or a racing shell or rowing scull occupied exclusively by individuals over 12 years of age, used or capable of being used as a means of transportation on water. See