Terms Used In Louisiana Revised Statutes > Title 9 > CODE TITLE XXIV > Chapter 1 > Part I - Periods of Prescription

• 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.
• Affirmed: In the practice of the appellate courts, the decree or order is declared valid and will stand as rendered in the lower court.
• 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.
• 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.
• Appraisal: A determination of property value.
• Articles: means the original articles of incorporation and all amendments thereto including those contained in merger agreements or, if restated, the latest restatement thereof except in those instances in which the context refers expressly to the original articles of incorporation only. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 6:201
• 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}
• Beneficiary: means the eligible recipient of a pension, annuity, retirement allowance, or other benefit provided in this Chapter. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:701
• Bequest: Property gifted by will.
• Board of trustees: means the board provided for in Part V of this Chapter to administer the retirement system. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:701
• Capital: means the sum of capital stock, surplus, and undivided profits or, as to mutual state banks, as defined by La. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 6:201
• Capital stock: means the sum of the par value of the shares outstanding plus any amounts in excess of par value transferred from surplus to capital stock in respect of such shares less any part of such amounts transferred from capital stock to surplus as permitted by this Chapter. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 6:201
• 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.
• Conduit individual retirement account: means an account which is covered by the provisions of Section 408(a) of the United States Internal Revenue Code, provided the account only contains assets rolled over to the account as an eligible rollover distribution from a qualified plan, plus earnings on those assets, but does not contain any other assets. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:701
• 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.
• Creditable service: means "Prior Service" plus "Membership Service" for which credit is allowable as provided in Part III of this Chapter. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:701
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• 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.
• 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.
• Devise: To gift property by will.
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Donee: The recipient of a gift.
• Donor: The person who makes a gift.
• Earnable compensation: means the compensation earned by a member during the full normal working time as a teacher. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:701
• Electronic funds transfer: The transfer of money between accounts by consumer electronic systems-such as automated teller machines (ATMs) and electronic payment of bills-rather than by check or cash. (Wire transfers, checks, drafts, and paper instruments do not fall into this category.) ^{Source: OCC}
• Employer: means the state of Louisiana, any city, parish, or other local school board, the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, any board created by La. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:701
• Enrolled bill: The final copy of a bill or joint resolution which has passed both chambers in identical form. It is printed on parchment paper, signed by appropriate officials, and submitted to the President/Governor for signature.
• Entitlement: A Federal program or provision of law that requires payments to any person or unit of government that meets the eligibility criteria established by law. Entitlements constitute a binding obligation on the part of the Federal Government, and eligible recipients have legal recourse if the obligation is not fulfilled. Social Security and veterans' compensation and pensions are examples of entitlement programs.
• Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
• Executor: A male person named in a will to carry out the decedent
• Federal Reserve System: The central bank of the United States. The Fed, as it is commonly called, regulates the U.S. monetary and financial system. The Federal Reserve System is composed of a central governmental agency in Washington, D.C. (the Board of Governors) and twelve regional Federal Reserve Banks in major cities throughout the United States. ^{Source: OCC}
• Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
• Fiduciary: means any person, firm, partnership, association, or state bank, including a usufructuary, who or which occupies a position of peculiar confidence toward any person, firm, association, partnership, trust, or estate. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 6:201
• Fiscal year: means the period beginning July first of any year and ending June thirtieth of the next succeeding year. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:701
• 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.
• 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
• Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
• Grand jury: agreement providing that a lender will delay exercising its rights (in the case of a mortgage,
• 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.
• 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.
• Inter vivos: Transfer of property from one living person to another living person.
• 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}
• Internal Revenue Code: means the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:701
• 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.
• Intestate: Dying without leaving a will.
• Legatee: A beneficiary of a decedent
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• Member: means any teacher included in the membership of the system as provided in Part II of this Chapter. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:701
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• National Bank: A bank that is subject to the supervision of the Comptroller of the Currency. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is a bureau of the U.S. Treasury Department. A national bank can be recognized because it must have "national" or "national association" in its name. ^{Source: OCC}
• 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.
• 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.
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• Physician: means a person licensed to practice medicine in the state of Louisiana. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 14:87.1
• 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.
• Plea agreement: An arrangement between the prosecutor, the defense attorney, and the defendant in which the defendant agrees to plead guilty in exchange for special considerations. ^Source:
• 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}
• Preliminary hearing: A hearing where the judge decides whether there is enough evidence to make the defendant have a trial.
• Principal residence of a child: means :

  (a)  The location designated by a court to be the primary residence of the child. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 9:355.1

• Probate: Proving a will
• Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
• Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
• Public school: means any school conducted within the state under the authority and supervision of a city, parish, or other local school board and any educational institution supported by and under the control of the state. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:701
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• Recourse: An arrangement in which a bank retains, in form or in substance, any credit risk directly or indirectly associated with an asset it has sold (in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles) that exceeds a pro rata share of the bank's claim on the asset. If a bank has no claim on an asset it has sold, then the retention of any credit risk is recourse. ^{Source: FDIC}
• Relocation: means a change in the principal residence of a child for a period of sixty days or more, but does not include a temporary absence from the principal residence. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 9:355.1
• Retirement: means withdrawal from active service with a retirement allowance granted under the provisions of this Chapter. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:701
• Retirement allowance: means the sum of the annuity and the pensions or any optional benefit payable in lieu thereof. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:701
• Retirement system: means the Teachers' Retirement System of Louisiana as defined in La. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:701
• Service: means service as a teacher within the meaning of Paragraph (33) of this Section. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:701
• 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.
• Shares: means the units into which the stockholders' rights to participate in the control of the state bank, in its profits, or in the distribution of corporate assets are divided. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 6:201
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Stockholder: means the holder of record of one or more shares. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 6:201
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• Surplus: means sums contributed by stockholders in excess of the par value of shares outstanding plus any amounts transferred from undivided profits pursuant to action by the board of directors. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 6:201
• Testator: A male person who leaves a will at death.
• 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.
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Trust account: A general term that covers all types of accounts in a trust department, such as estates, guardianships, and agencies. ^{Source: OCC}
• Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
• Venue: The geographical location in which a case is tried.
• Verdict: The decision of a petit jury or a judge.
• Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.
• Writ of certiorari: An order issued by the Supreme Court directing the lower court to transmit records for a case for which it will hear on appeal.