Terms Used In California Codes > Insurance Code > Division 1 > Part 1 > Chapter 3 - Negotiations Before Execution

• 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.
• 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.
• 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}
• City: includes "city and county" and "incorporated town" but does not include "unincorporated town" or "village. See California Government Code 20
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• County: includes city and county. See California Government Code 19
• Covered parking lot: means an area designated for the parking of vehicles that is enclosed or contains a roof or ceiling. See California Government Code 7596
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
• department: means State Department of Health Services. See California Health and Safety Code 20
• Director: means "State Director of Health Services. See California Health and Safety Code 21
• Domestic: means organized under the laws of this State, whether or not admitted. See California Insurance Code 26
• 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.
• Ex officio: Literally, by virtue of one's office.
• 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.
• Foreign: means not organized under the laws of this State, whether or not admitted. See California Insurance Code 27
• Inside a public building: includes all indoor areas of the building, except for covered parking lots and residential space. See California Government Code 7596
• 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.
• 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.
• Person: includes any person, firm, association, organization, partnership, limited liability company, business trust, corporation, or company. See California Government Code 17
• Person: includes a corporation as well as a natural person. See California Code of Civil Procedure 17
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• Property: includes both personal and real property. See California Code of Civil Procedure 17
• Public building: means a building owned and occupied, or leased and occupied, by the state, a county, a city, a city and county, or a California community college district. See California Government Code 7596
• Public employee: means an employee of a state agency or an employee of a county or city. See California Government Code 7596
• Public law: A public bill or joint resolution that has passed both chambers and been enacted into law. Public laws have general applicability nationwide.
• Residential space: means a private living area, but it does not include common areas such as lobbies, lounges, waiting areas, elevators, stairwells, and restrooms that are a structural part of a multicomplex building such as a dormitory. See California Government Code 7596
• State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Government Code 18
• State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Insurance Code 28
• state agency: means a state agency, as defined pursuant to Section 11000, the Legislature, the Supreme Court and the courts of appeal, and each campus of the California State University and the University of California. See California Government Code 7596
• Subdivision: means a subdivision of the section in which the term occurs unless some other section is expressly mentioned. See California Government Code 10
• 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.
• Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
• Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.
• Writ: means an order or precept in writing, issued in the name of the people, or of a court or judicial officer. See California Code of Civil Procedure 17