Terms Used In Louisiana Revised Statutes > Title 22 > Chapter 2 > Part I > Subpart J - Fraternal Benefit Societies

• Abandoned cemetery: shall mean any cemetery which is no longer being used for interments, is not being maintained in good condition, and has fallen into a state of disrepair, including tombs and headstones that have collapsed or been destroyed, walls and fences that have fallen apart, and trees and bushes that have grown amongst and within grave spaces. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 25:933
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• 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.
• 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}
• Benefit contract: means the agreement for provision of benefits authorized by La. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 22:284
• Benefit member: means an adult member who is designated by the laws or rules of the society to be a benefit member under a benefit contract. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 22:284
• Bequest: Property gifted by will.
• Board: shall mean the Louisiana Cemetery Board. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 25:933
• Certificate: means the document issued as written evidence of the benefit contract. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 22:284
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Damage: shall mean the intentional or inadvertent hurt, harm, or injury to a component of a historic cemetery or to an isolated grave so as to lessen or destroy its historic, cultural, or scientific value. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 25:933
• 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.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Department: shall mean the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 25:933
• Destruction: shall mean intentionally or inadvertently destroying components of a historic cemetery by violent disintegration of its fabric so as to reduce the components to ruin. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 25:933
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Division: shall mean the office of cultural development, division of archaeology, within the department. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 25:933
• 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}
• 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.
• Garnishment: Generally, garnishment is a court proceeding in which a creditor asks a court to order a third party who owes money to the debtor or otherwise holds assets belonging to the debtor to turn over to the creditor any of the debtor
• Governing body: means the board or body in which the bond issuing power of a governmental unit is vested. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 13:5121
• Grace period: The number of days you'll have to pay your bill for purchases in full without triggering a finance charge. ^{Source: Federal Reserve}
• Grave space: shall mean a grave, crypt, vault, niche, tomb, lawn crypt, or any other property used or intended to be used for the interment of human remains. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 25:933
• 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.
• Historic cemetery: shall mean any abandoned cemetery located in the state that is more than fifty years old and is not subject to the laws, rules, and regulations of the board or Chapter 10-A of Title 8 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 25:933
• Human remains: means the body or parts thereof of a deceased person and includes the body or parts thereof in any stage of decomposition, as well as cremated remains. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 25:953
• Human skeletal remains: shall mean any part of the body of a deceased human being in any stage of decomposition. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 25:933
• Indemnification: In general, a collateral contract or assurance under which one person agrees to secure another person against either anticipated financial losses or potential adverse legal consequences. ^{Source: FDIC}
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• Isolated grave: shall mean any marked grave site that is not part of a larger cemetery and is not subject to the laws, rules, and regulations of the board or Chapter 10-A of Title 8 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 25:933
• 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.
• Laws: means the society's articles of incorporation, constitution, and bylaws, however designated. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 22:284
• Legislative session: That part of a chamber's daily session in which it considers legislative business (bills, resolutions, and actions related thereto).
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• Lodge: means subordinate member units of the society, known as camps, courts, councils, branches, or by any other designation. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 22:284
• Modification: shall mean the altering of the original substance of a grave space. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 25:933
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Oath: A promise to tell the truth.
• 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.
• Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
• Parliamentarian: The Parliamentarian is an advisor on the interpretation of legislative rules and procedures.
• 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: includes a body of persons, whether incorporated or not. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 1:10
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• 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.
• Possession: means the exercise of control over human remains. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 25:953
• Power of attorney: A written instrument which authorizes one person to act as another's agent or attorney. The power of attorney may be for a definite, specific act, or it may be general in nature. The terms of the written power of attorney may specify when it will expire. If not, the power of attorney usually expires when the person granting it dies. ^{Source: OCC}
• Premiums: means premiums, rates, dues, or other required contributions by whatever name known, which are payable under the certificate. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 22:284
• Program: shall mean the Louisiana Historic Cemetery Preservation Program. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 25:933
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• 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.
• Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
• Rules: means all rules, regulations, or resolutions adopted by the supreme governing body or board of directors which are intended to have general application to the members of the society. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 22:284
• 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.
• Society: means fraternal benefit society. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 22:284
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Trade: means to distribute, to offer for sale, to offer for acquisition, to buy, to sell, to barter, to exchange, to give, to receive, to donate, or to bequest, whether by physical delivery or by subterfuge. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 25:953
• Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.