Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes > Chapter 338 - Vital Statistics

• 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.
• 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.
• Amortization: Paying off a loan by regular installments.
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Attorney-in-fact: A person who, acting as an agent, is given written authorization by another person to transact business for him (her) out of court.
• Bankruptcy: Refers to statutes and judicial proceedings involving persons or businesses that cannot pay their debts and seek the assistance of the court in getting a fresh start. Under the protection of the bankruptcy court, debtors may discharge their debts, perhaps by paying a portion of each debt. Bankruptcy judges preside over these proceedings.
• 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}
• Characteristic: means a distinctive appearance, gesture, or mannerism recognized as an identifying attribute of a personality. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 482P-1
• 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.
• Clerk of court: An officer appointed by the court to work with the chief judge in overseeing the court's administration, especially to assist in managing the flow of cases through the court and to maintain court records.
• Commissioner: means the commissioner of securities of the department of commerce and consumer affairs. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 482E-2
• Commissioner of securities: means the commissioner of securities as defined in § 485A-102. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 484-1
• 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.
• Common promotional plan: means a plan, undertaken by a single developer or group of developers acting in concert, to offer subdivided land for sale or lease; provided that where such land is offered for sale by the developer or group of developers acting in concert, and the land is contiguous or is known, designated, or advertised as a common unit or by a common name, the land shall be presumed, without regard to the number of lots covered by each individual offering, as being offered for sale or lease as part of a common promotional plan. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 484-1
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• 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.
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Dead body: means lifeless human body, or such parts of the human body, or the bones thereof, from the state of which it reasonably may be concluded that death recently occurred. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 338-1
• Deceased individual: includes individuals who died before the enactment of this chapter. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 482P-1
• Deceased personality: includes personalities who died before the enactment of this chapter. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 482P-1
• Decedent: A deceased person.
• Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Director: means the director of commerce and consumer affairs. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 482E-2
• Director: means the director of commerce and consumer affairs. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 482P-1
• Director: means the director of commerce and consumer affairs. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 484-1
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
• Disposition: includes sale, lease, assignment, award by lottery, or any other transaction concerning a subdivision, if undertaken for gain or profit. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 484-1
• 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.
• Executor: A male person named in a will to carry out the decedent
• 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.
• Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
• Franchise: means an oral or written contract or agreement, either expressed or implied, in which a person grants to another person, a license to use a trade name, service mark, trademark, logotype or related characteristic in which there is a community interest in the business of offering, selling, or distributing goods or services at wholesale or retail, leasing, or otherwise, and in which the franchisee is required to pay, directly or indirectly, a franchise fee. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 482E-2
• Franchisee: means a person to whom a franchise is offered or granted. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 482E-2
• Franchisor: means a person who grants a franchise to another person. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 482E-2
• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• Fund-raising: means an organized activity to solicit donations of money or other goods or services from persons or entities by an organization, company, or public entity. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 482P-1
• 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.
• Individual: means a natural person, living or dead. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 482P-1
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• Inter vivos: Transfer of property from one living person to another living person.
• Intestate: Dying without leaving a will.
• 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.
• 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}
• Legacy: A gift of property made by will.
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Likeness: means an image, photograph, painting, sketching, model, diagram, or other recognizable representation of an individual's face or body, and includes, in the case of a personality, a characteristic. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 482P-1
• month: means a calendar month; and the word "year" a calendar year. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 1-20
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Mortgagee: The person to whom property is mortgaged and who has loaned the money.
• Name: means the actual or assumed name, or nickname, of a living or deceased individual that is intended to identify that individual. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 482P-1
• 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.
• Offer: includes every inducement, solicitation, or attempt to encourage a person to acquire an interest in land, if undertaken for gain or profit. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 484-1
• 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.
• Person: means a natural person, corporation, partnership, trust, or other entity and in the case of an entity, it includes any other entity which has a majority interest in such an entity or effectively controls such other entity as well as the individual officers, directors, and other persons in act of control of the activities of each such entity. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 482E-2
• Person: means any natural person, firm, association, partnership, corporation, company, syndicate, receiver, common law trust, conservator, statutory trust, or any other entity by whatever name known or however organized, formed, or created, and includes nonprofit corporations, associations, educational and religious institutions, political parties, and community, civic, or other organizations. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 482P-1
• Person: means an individual, corporation, government, or governmental subdivision or agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, unincorporated association, two or more of any of the foregoing having a joint or common interest, or any other legal or commercial entity. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 484-1
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• Personality: means any individual whose name, voice, signature, likeness, or other attribute of their personality has commercial value, whether or not that individual uses the individual's name, voice, signature, likeness, or other attribute of their personality on or in products, merchandise, goods, or for purposes of marketing, advertising, selling, or soliciting the purchase of products, merchandise, goods, or services. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 482P-1
• Photograph: means any photograph or photographic reproduction, still or moving, or any videotape, online or live television transmission, of any individual, in which the individual is readily identifiable. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 482P-1
• Physician: means a person licensed to practice medicine or osteopathic medicine under part I of chapter 453 or a practitioner of medicine, osteopathic medicine, or surgery excepted from licensure by section 453-2(b)(3). See Hawaii Revised Statutes 338-1
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• Pleadings: Written statements of the parties in a civil case of their positions. In the federal courts, the principal pleadings are the complaint and the answer.
• Probate: Proving a will
• Public health statistics: includes the registration, preparation, transcription, collection, compilation, and preservation of data pertaining to births, adoptions, legitimations, deaths, fetal deaths, morbidity, marital status, and data incidental thereto. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 338-1
• Public offering statement: means a statement that fully and accurately discloses the physical characteristics of the subdivided lands offered and all unusual or material circumstances or features affecting the subdivided lands. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 484-1
• Publicity rights name registration: means a registration with the department of commerce and consumer affairs in the manner provided under this chapter. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 482P-1
• Purchaser: means a person who acquires or attempts to acquire or succeeds to an interest in land. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 484-1
• 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.
• Rescission: The cancellation of budget authority previously provided by Congress. The Impoundment Control Act of 1974 specifies that the President may propose to Congress that funds be rescinded. If both Houses have not approved a rescission proposal (by passing legislation) within 45 days of continuous session, any funds being withheld must be made available for obligation.
• 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.
• Signature: means a handwritten or otherwise legally binding form of an individual's name, written or authorized by that individual, that distinguishes the individual from all other individuals. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 482P-1
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• subdivided lands: means any land which is divided or is proposed to be divided for the purpose of disposition into two or more lots, parcels, units, or interests and also includes any land whether contiguous or not if two or more lots, parcels, units, or interests are offered as a part of a common promotional plan of advertising and sale. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 484-1
• Subdivider: means any owner of subdivided land who offers the land for disposition or the principal agent of an owner, who has been duly authorized in a writing filed with the director. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 484-1
• Subfranchisor: means a person to whom an area franchise is granted. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 482E-2
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Testify: Answer questions in court.
• 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.
• 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.