Terms Used In Michigan Laws > Chapter 442 > Act 121 of 1970 - Sales of Fine Art

• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Art merchant: means a person who deals in works of fine art or by his occupation holds himself out as having knowledge or skill peculiar to works of fine art or to whom such knowledge or skill may be attributed by his employment of an agent or broker or other intermediary who by his occupation holds himself out as having such knowledge or skill. See Michigan Laws 442.321
• authorship: refers to the creator of a work of fine art or to the period, culture, source or origin with which the creation of the work is identified in the description of the work. See Michigan Laws 442.321
• Chief judge: The judge who has primary responsibility for the administration of a court but also decides cases; chief judges are determined by seniority.
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the 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.
• Counterfeit: means a work of fine art made or altered, with intent to deceive, in a manner that it appears to have an authorship which it does not in fact possess. See Michigan Laws 442.321
• 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.
• 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.
• Fine art: means a painting, sculpture, drawing or work of graphic art. See Michigan Laws 442.321
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• 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.
• 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: means an individual, partnership, corporation, association or other group however organized. See Michigan Laws 442.321
• person: may extend and be applied to bodies politic and corporate, as well as to individuals. See Michigan Laws 8.3l
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• shall not apply: means that the pertinent provision is not operative as to certain persons or things or in conjunction with a particular date or dates. See Michigan Laws 8.4c
• state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories belonging to the United States; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the district and territories. See Michigan Laws 8.3o
• 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.
• Verdict: The decision of a petit jury or a judge.
• Written instrument: means a written or printed agreement, bill of sale, or any other written or printed note or memorandum of the sale or exchange of a work of fine art by an art merchant and includes a written or printed catalog or other prospectus of a forthcoming sale as well as any written or printed corrections or amendments thereof. See Michigan Laws 442.321