§ 1 Estates recoverable
§ 2 Action to recover freehold estates against commonwealth
§ 3 Form of declaration
§ 4 Actual entry; seisin; proof; right of entry
§ 5 Manner of prosecuting action
§ 6 Disseisors
§ 7 Actual ouster; effect
§ 8 Joint tenants; tenants in common; actions
§ 9 Laws and rules governing
§ 10 Pleas in answer
§ 11 Parts or portions recoverable
§ 12 Rents; profits; destruction or waste
§ 13 Measure of damages
§ 14 Use of improvements not element of damages
§ 15 Limitation of defendant’s liability
§ 16 Improvements
§ 17 Possession under supposedly good title; effect
§ 18 Counterclaim
§ 20 Limitation of allowances
§ 21 Court assessments; postponements
§ 22 Jury assessments; postponements
§ 23 Resumption of procedure for assessment by jury
§ 24 Waiver of jury trial
§ 25 Assessment by assessors
§ 26 Judgments to both parties
§ 27 Excess of improvements over rents and profits; effect
§ 28 Payment of balance due defendant
§ 29 Writ of seisin before judgment
§ 30 Collection of balance due defendant
§ 31 Valuation without considering improvements
§ 32 Relinquishment of estate; recording election
§ 33 Relinquishment of estate; effect; payments by defendant
§ 34 Nonpayment by defendant; effect
§ 35 Failure of title to relinquished land; remedies; notice
§ 36 Effect on mode of payment
§ 37 Writ of seisin
§ 38 Recovery by life tenant from remainderman, etc.
§ 39 Amount due from remainderman; determination
§ 40 Limitation on amount recoverable
§ 41 Time for bringing action; limitation
§ 42 Recording execution for possession and return
§ 43 Actions for mesne profits or damage to land
§ 44 Actions by mortgagees

Terms Used In Massachusetts General Laws > Chapter 237 - Writs of Entry

  • Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
  • Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
  • Counterclaim: A claim that a defendant makes against a plaintiff.
  • 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.
  • Devise: To gift property by will.
  • 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
  • Fee simple: Absolute title to property with no limitations or restrictions regarding the person who may inherit it.
  • Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
  • Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
  • Life estate: A property interest limited in duration to the life of the individual holding the interest (life tenant).
  • 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.
  • Mortgagor: The person who pledges property to a creditor as collateral for a loan and who receives the money.
  • 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.
  • Remainderman: One entitled to the remainder of an estate after a particular reserved right or interest, such as a life tenancy, has expired.
  • Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
  • Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.