Terms Used In Louisiana Revised Statutes > Title 22 > Chapter 2 > Part IV > Subpart A - Life Insurance Reserves

• 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.
• 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.
• Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
• 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}
• Board: means the Louisiana Public Defender Board authorized to regulate public defender services. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 15:143
• Chief judge: The judge who has primary responsibility for the administration of a court but also decides cases; chief judges are determined by seniority.
• 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.
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Costs: includes any expense or expenditure directly or indirectly related to the sale of a good or provision of a service or the operation of the person's business. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 29:723
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Deposition: An oral statement made before an officer authorized by law to administer oaths. Such statements are often taken to examine potential witnesses, to obtain discovery, or to be used later in trial.
• Disaster: means the result of a natural or man-made event which causes loss of life, injury, and property damage, including but not limited to natural disasters such as hurricane, tornado, storm, flood, high winds, and other weather related events, forest and marsh fires, and man-made disasters, including but not limited to nuclear power plant incidents, hazardous materials incidents, oil spills, explosion, civil disturbances, public calamity, acts of terrorism, hostile military action, and other events related thereto. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 29:723
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• District indigent defender fund: means the judicial district indigent defender fund as provided for in La. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 15:143
• Emergency: means :

              (a) The actual or threatened condition which has been or may be created by a disaster; or

              (b)(i) Any natural or man-made event which results in an interruption in the delivery of utility services to any consumer of such services and which affects the safety, health, or welfare of a Louisiana resident; or

              (ii) Any instance in which a utility's property is damaged and such damage creates a dangerous condition to the public. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 29:723

• Emergency preparedness: means the mitigation of, preparation for, response to, and the recovery from emergencies or disasters. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 29:723
• Evacuation: means an operation whereby all or part of a particular population is temporarily relocated, whether individually or in an organized manner, from an area in which a disaster or emergency has been declared and is considered dangerous for health or safety of the public. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 29:723
• 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.
• 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.
• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• Homeland: means the state of Louisiana, and where the context requires, means the parishes of the state of Louisiana, "the United States". See Louisiana Revised Statutes 29:723
• indigent defender: means an attorney employed by or under contract with the board, the district public defender, regional director, where applicable, or nonprofit organization contracting with the board, district public defender, regional director, where applicable, or the board to provide legal counsel to an indigent person in a criminal proceeding. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 15:143
• indigent defender services: means the providing of legal services to indigent persons in criminal proceedings in which the right to counsel attaches under the United States and Louisiana constitutions. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 15:143
• 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}
• Interrogatories: Written questions asked by one party of an opposing party, who must answer them in writing under oath; a discovery device in a lawsuit.
• 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.
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• 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.
• 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.
• Parish president: means the president of any parish, mayor-president, mayor of New Orleans (Orleans Parish), or police jury president. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 29:723
• 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
• 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.
• Presiding officer: A majority-party Senator who presides over the Senate and is charged with maintaining order and decorum, recognizing Members to speak, and interpreting the Senate's rules, practices and precedents.
• program: means the activities directed toward the accomplishment of providing indigent defender services under the Louisiana Public Defender Act. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 15:143
• Public defender: Represent defendants who can't afford an attorney in criminal matters.
• Regional director: means the person in the employment of the board chosen to oversee and enforce standards and guidelines within a service region created by the board. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 15:143
• self-generated revenue: means all revenue received by a judicial district including revenue received as a result of grants or donations or other forms of assistance. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 15:143
• Service region: means one of the public defender service regions created by the board as authorized in La. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 15:143
• 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.
• State Public Defender: means the person in the employment of the board chosen to administer the statewide public defender system for the delivery of public defender services. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 15:143
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• 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.
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.