Terms Used In California Codes > Family Code > Division 4 > Part 3 - LIABILITY OF MARITAL PROPERTY

• 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.
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• assessed value: means 25 percent of full value to, and including, the 1980-81 fiscal year, and 100 percent of full value for the 1981-82 fiscal year and fiscal years thereafter. See California Government Code 25
• 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.
• Bequest: Property gifted by will.
• boxing: as used in this chapter includes "kickboxing" and "martial arts. See California Business and Professions Code 18760
• Charity: An agency, institution, or organization in existence and operating for the benefit of an indefinite number of persons and conducted for educational, religious, scientific, medical, or other beneficent purposes.
• City: includes city and county. See California Harbors and Navigation Code 15
• Commissioner: means any county agricultural commissioner. See California Food and Agricultural Code 26
• Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
• Community estate: includes both community property and quasi-community property. See California Family Code 63
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• County: includes city and county. See California Water Code 14
• County: includes city and county. See California Health and Safety Code 14
• 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

• department: means State Department of Health Services. See California Health and Safety Code 20
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Director: means "State Director of Health Services. See California Health and Safety Code 21
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• 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}
• 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.
• Felony: A crime carrying a penalty of more than a year in prison.
• Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
• 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}
• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• Grant anticipation note: means a note issued upon the security of specified accounts receivable from state or federal governments, including, without limitation, grants, loans, or a combination of both, for which funds have been appropriated and committed to a local agency. See California Government Code 53859
• 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.
• Interest rate: The amount paid by a borrower to a lender in exchange for the use of the lender's money for a certain period of time. Interest is paid on loans or on debt instruments, such as notes or bonds, either at regular intervals or as part of a lump sum payment when the issue matures. ^{Source: OCC}
• License: as used in this chapter also includes a "permit". See California Business and Professions Code 18631
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• Loan: includes , but is not limited to, a borrowing by a local agency represented or to be represented by bonds of a local agency. See California Government Code 53859
• local agency: means county, city, regional park district, school district, community college district, or any other municipal or public corporation or district. See California Government Code 53820
• local agency: means a county, city and county, city, school district of any type, community college district, county board of education, or any other municipal or public corporation or district. See California Government Code 53850
• local agency: means county, city and county, city, school district, community college district, or any other municipal or public corporation or district. See California Government Code 53859
• local agency: means city, county, municipality, or political subdivision. See California Government Code 53861
• local agency: means any city, county, any district, and any community redevelopment agency required to furnish financial reports pursuant to Section 12463. See California Government Code 53890
• Misdemeanor: Usually a petty offense, a less serious crime than a felony, punishable by less than a year of confinement.
• Nolo contendere: No contest-has the same effect as a plea of guilty, as far as the criminal sentence is concerned, but may not be considered as an admission of guilt for any other purpose.
• order: include a decree, as appropriate under the circumstances. See California Family Code 100
• Person: means any person, firm, association, organization, partnership, limited liability company, business trust, corporation, or company. See California Harbors and Navigation Code 19
• 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 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
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
• Probate: Proving a will
• Process: includes a writ or summons issued in the course of judicial proceedings of either a civil or criminal nature. See California Government Code 22
• property: includes property real and personal. See California Civil Code 14
• Property: includes real and personal property and any interest therein. See California Family Code 113
• Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
• 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

• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• Regional board: means any California regional water quality control board for a region as specified in Section 13200. See California Water Code 13050
• Sell: includes offer for sale, expose for sale, possess for sale, exchange, barter, or trade. See California Food and Agricultural Code 44
• special district: means any agency of the state for the local performance of governmental or proprietary functions within limited boundaries. See California Government Code 53835
• Spousal support: means support of the spouse of the obligor. See California Family Code 142
• Spouse: includes "registered domestic partner" as required by Section 297. See California Family Code 143
• Spouse: includes "registered domestic partner" as required by Section 297. See California Health and Safety Code 12.2
• Spouse: includes "registered domestic partner" as required by Section 297. See California Business and Professions Code 14.2
• 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 Harbors and Navigation Code 20
• State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Health and Safety Code 23
• State board: means the State Water Resources Control Board. See California Water Code 13050
• Statute of limitations: A law that sets the time within which parties must take action to enforce their rights.
• Steam vessel: means any vessel which is propelled by machinery. See California Harbors and Navigation Code 22
• Subdivision: means a subdivision of the section in which that term occurs unless some other section is expressly mentioned. See California Water Code 10
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• 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
• Support order: means a judgment or order of support in favor of an obligee, whether temporary or final, or subject to modification, termination, or remission, regardless of the kind of action or proceeding in which it is entered. See California Family Code 155
• Testify: Answer questions in court.
• 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.
• 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
• Vessel: includes ships of all kinds, steamboats, steamships, canal boats, barges, sailing vessels, and every structure adapted to be navigated from place to place for the transportation of merchandise or persons. See California Harbors and Navigation Code 21
• 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
• Water quality control: means the regulation of any activity or factor which may affect the quality of the waters of the state and includes the prevention and correction of water pollution and nuisance. See California Water Code 13050
• Water quality objectives: means the limits or levels of water quality constituents or characteristics which are established for the reasonable protection of beneficial uses of water or the prevention of nuisance within a specific area. 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