Terms Used In Montana Code > Title 7 > Chapter 13 - Utility Services

• Adjourn: A motion to adjourn a legislative chamber or a committee, if passed, ends that day's session.
• 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.
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
• board of directors: means the board of directors of the district elected or appointed as provided in 7-13-2231. See Montana Code 7-13-2201
• Board of directors: means the board of directors provided for in 7-13-4516 or a joint board of directors provided for in 7-13-4527. See Montana Code 7-13-4502
• Commissioners: means the board of county commissioners or the governing body of a city-county consolidated government. See Montana Code 7-13-4502
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• County: means one or more counties and includes a city within the county or counties. See Montana Code 7-13-2201
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• 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.
• Department: means the department of environmental quality provided for in 2-15-3501. See Montana Code 7-13-4502
• Devise: To gift property by will.
• District: means a district formed under the provisions of this part and part 23. See Montana Code 7-13-2201
• District: means a district authorized in 7-13-3002 to provide a system. See Montana Code 7-13-3001
• Docket: A log containing brief entries of court proceedings.
• Donor: The person who makes a gift.
• Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
• 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.
• Ex officio: Literally, by virtue of one's office.
• Family residential unit: means a single-family dwelling. See Montana Code 7-13-4502
• Fee-assessed units: means all real property with improvements, including taxable and tax-exempt property as shown on the property assessment records maintained by the county, and mobile homes and manufactured homes as defined in 15-24-201. See Montana Code 7-13-4502
• Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
• Grantor: The person who establishes a trust and places property into it.
• 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}
• 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.
• Local government: means a consolidated form of local government provided for in Title 7, chapter 3, parts 11 through 13. See Montana Code 7-13-3001
• Local water quality district: means an area established with definite boundaries for the purpose of protecting, preserving, and improving the quality of surface water and ground water in the district as authorized by this part. See Montana Code 7-13-4502
• Municipality: means a municipality or a consolidated city and county, city, or town and includes all corporations organized for municipal purposes within a district. See Montana Code 7-13-2201
• 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.
• Preliminary hearing: A hearing where the judge decides whether there is enough evidence to make the defendant have a trial.
• 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.
• Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• Real property: means lands, tenements, hereditaments, and possessory title to public lands. See Montana Code 1-1-205
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• System: means a public water supply, sanitary sewer system, storm sewer system, or any combination of water supply, sanitary sewer, or storm sewer systems. See Montana Code 7-13-3001
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Transcript: A written, word-for-word record of what was said, either in a proceeding such as a trial or during some other conversation, as in a transcript of a hearing or oral deposition.
• 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.
• Willfully: when applied to the intent with which an act is done or omitted, means a purpose or willingness to commit the act or make the omission referred to. See Montana Code 1-1-204