Terms Used In California Codes > Code of Civil Procedure > Part 2 > Title 3 > Chapter 4 > Article 3 - Decedent's Cause of Action

• 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.
• agency: means any city, county, district, joint powers authority, or other political subdivision of the state involved with water management. See California Water Code 13452
• Agreement: means any agreement or contract for financial assistance from the state board to an eligible recipient, including, but not limited to, a loan, grant, installment sale agreement, contract, or other form of agreement made for the purpose of providing financial assistance. See California Water Code 13491
• Amortization: Paying off a loan by regular installments.
• Annuity: A periodic (usually annual) payment of a fixed sum of money for either the life of the recipient or for a fixed number of years. A series of payments under a contract from an insurance company, a trust company, or an individual. Annuity payments are made at regular intervals over a period of more than one full year.
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• 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
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
• 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}
• Board: means the State Water Resources Control Board. See California Water Code 13452
• Committee: means the Water Conservation and Water Quality Finance Committee created by Section 13454. See California Water Code 13452
• Community estate: includes both community property and quasi-community property. See California Family Code 63
• 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.
• County: includes city and county. See California Water Code 14
• County: includes city and county. See California Health and Safety Code 14
• County: includes city and county. See California Family Code 67
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Date of separation: means the date that a complete and final break in the marital relationship has occurred, as evidenced by both of the following:

  California Family Code 70

• Decedent: A deceased person.
• department: means State Department of Health Services. See California Health and Safety Code 20
• Department: means the Department of Water Resources. See California Water Code 13452
• Devise: To gift property by will.
• Director: means "State Director of Health Services. See California Health and Safety Code 21
• Donor: The person who makes a gift.
• 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}
• 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.
• Fund: means the 1986 Water Conservation and Water Quality Bond Fund. See California Water Code 13452
• Grantor: The person who establishes a trust and places property into it.
• 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.
• In-lieu recharge: means accomplishing increased storage of groundwater by providing interruptible surface water to a user who relies on groundwater as a primary supply, to accomplish groundwater storage through the direct use of that surface water in lieu of pumping groundwater. See California Water Code 13452
• Income and expense declaration: means the form for an income and expense declaration in family law matters adopted by the Judicial Council. See California Family Code 95
• injection well: means any bored, drilled, or driven shaft, dug pit, or hole in the ground into which waste or fluid is discharged, and any associated subsurface appurtenances, and the depth of which is greater than the circumference of the shaft, pit, or hole. See California Water Code 13051
• Irrevocable trust: A trust arrangement that cannot be revoked, rescinded, or repealed by the grantor.
• Oath: includes affirmation. See California Health and Safety Code 17
• Oath: A promise to tell the truth.
• order: include a decree, as appropriate under the circumstances. See California Family Code 100
• Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
• Person: means any person, firm, association, organization, partnership, business trust, corporation, limited liability company, or company. See California Health and Safety Code 19
• Person: includes a corporation as well as a natural person. See California Code of Civil Procedure 17
• Person: includes any city, county, district, the state, and the United States, to the extent authorized by federal law. See California Water Code 13050
• Person: includes a natural person, firm, association, organization, partnership, business trust, corporation, limited liability company, or public entity. See California Family Code 105
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• Petitioner: includes plaintiff, where appropriate. See California Family Code 126
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• Pollution: means an alteration of the quality of the waters of the state by waste to a degree which unreasonably affects either of the following:

  California Water Code 13050

• Probate: Proving a will
• Proceeding: includes an action. See California Family Code 110
• Project: means all of the following:

  California Water Code 13452

• Property: includes real and personal property and any interest therein. See California Family Code 113
• Public law: A public bill or joint resolution that has passed both chambers and been enacted into law. Public laws have general applicability nationwide.
• Qualified nonprofit organization: means an organization with experience in providing financial and technical assistance to disadvantaged communities that is qualified to operate in California and qualified for exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. See California Water Code 13486.5
• Quasi-community property: means all real or personal property, wherever situated, acquired before or after the operative date of this code in any of the following ways:

  California Family Code 125

• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• Recipient: means any person or entity that receives any financial assistance from the state board, including, but not limited to, a recipient's contractors or consultants who performs work for a recipient. See California Water Code 13491
• Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
• 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).
• Respondent: includes defendant, where appropriate. See California Family Code 127
• 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.
• Small water system: means a system for the provision of piped water to the public for human consumption that serves at least two, but not more than 14, service connections and is not a public water system as defined in §. See California Water Code 13486.5
• Spousal support: means support of the spouse of the obligor. See California Family Code 142
• Spouse: includes "registered domestic partner" as required by §. See California Health and Safety Code 12.2
• Spouse: includes "registered domestic partner" as required by Section 297. See California Family Code 143
• State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Water Code 18
• State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Health and Safety Code 23
• State: includes the District of Columbia and the territories when applied to the different parts of the United States, and the words "United States" may include the district and territories. See California Code of Civil Procedure 17
• State: means a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, or a commonwealth, territory, or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. See California Family Code 145
• State board: means the State Water Resources Control Board. See California Water Code 13050
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Subdivision: means a subdivision of the section in which that term occurs unless some other section is expressly mentioned. See California Water Code 10
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• Support: refers to a support obligation owing on behalf of a child, spouse, or family, or an amount owing pursuant to Section 17402. See California Family Code 150
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• 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: means the United States of America, and in relation to any particular matter includes the officers, agents, employees, agencies, or instrumentalities authorized to act in relation thereto. See California Water Code 20
• Waste: includes sewage and any and all other waste substances, liquid, solid, gaseous, or radioactive, associated with human habitation, or of human or animal origin, or from any producing, manufacturing, or processing operation, including waste placed within containers of whatever nature prior to, and for purposes of, disposal. See California Water Code 13050
• Waters of the state: means any surface water or groundwater, including saline waters, within the boundaries of the state. See California Water Code 13050