Terms Used In Maine Revised Statutes > Title 19-A > Part 3 > Chapter 59 - Visitation Rights of Grandparents and Great-Grandparents

• 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.
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Grandparent: includes a parent of a child's parent whose parental rights have been terminated pursuant to Title 18?C, section 9?204 or Title 22, chapter 1071, subchapter 6, but only until the child's adoption. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 19-A Sec. 1802
• 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.
• 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.
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• minor child: means a person who has not attained the age of 18 years. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 19-A Sec. 101
• Parent: means the legal parent or the legal guardian when no legal parent exists. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 19-A Sec. 101
• Person: means an individual, trust, estate, partnership, association, company, corporation, political subdivision of the State, instrumentality of the State or other entity. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 19-A Sec. 101
• 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.
• state: means any state, territory or possession of the United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 19-A Sec. 101
• Sufficient existing relationship: means a relationship involving extraordinary contact between a grandparent and a child, including but not limited to circumstances in which the grandparent has been a primary caregiver and custodian of the child for a significant period of time. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 19-A Sec. 1802
• Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72