Terms Used In New York Laws > Criminal Procedure > Part 2 > Title H > Article 170 - Proceedings Upon Information, Simplified Traffic Information, Prosecutor's Information and Misdemeanor Complaint From Arraignment to Plea

• Adjourn: A motion to adjourn a legislative chamber or a committee, if passed, ends that day's session.
• Allegation: something that someone says happened.
• 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.
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
• Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
• Arraignment: A proceeding in which an individual who is accused of committing a crime is brought into court, told of the charges, and asked to plead guilty or not guilty.
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Bail: Security given for the release of a criminal defendant or witness from legal custody (usually in the form of money) to secure his/her appearance on the day and time appointed.
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
• Entertainment: means all forms of entertainment including, but not limited to, theatrical or operatic performances, concerts, motion pictures, all forms of entertainment at fair grounds, amusement parks and all types of athletic competitions including football, basketball, baseball, boxing, tennis, hockey, and any other sport, and all other forms of diversion, recreation or show. See N.Y. Arts and Cultural Affairs Law 25.03
• Established price: means the price fixed at the time of sale by the operator of any place of entertainment for admission thereto, which must be printed or endorsed on each ticket of admission. See N.Y. Arts and Cultural Affairs Law 25.03
• event: shall mean a theatrical production or sporting event, as those terms are defined in this subdivision, or any other public exhibition, game, show, contest or performance which is presented to the public in a place of entertainment as defined in this subdivision. See N.Y. Arts and Cultural Affairs Law 23.03
• 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.
• Final auction price: shall mean the price paid for a single ticket by a winning bidder. See N.Y. Arts and Cultural Affairs Law 25.03
• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• Grand jury: agreement providing that a lender will delay exercising its rights (in the case of a mortgage,
• Indictment: The formal charge issued by a grand jury stating that there is enough evidence that the defendant committed the crime to justify having a trial; it is used primarily for felonies.
• 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.
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Not-for-profit organization: means a domestic corporation incorporated pursuant to or otherwise subject to the not-for-profit corporation law, a charitable organization registered with the department of law, a religious corporation as defined in § 66 of the general construction law, a trustee as defined in section 8-1. See N.Y. Arts and Cultural Affairs Law 25.03
• 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.
• Operator: means any person who owns, operates, or controls a place of entertainment or who promotes or produces an entertainment. See N.Y. Arts and Cultural Affairs Law 25.03
• 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: shall mean an individual, firm, company, partnership, corporation, trust or association. See N.Y. Arts and Cultural Affairs Law 23.03
• Physical structure: means the place of entertainment, or in the case where a structure either partially or wholly surrounds the place of entertainment, such surrounding structure. See N.Y. Arts and Cultural Affairs Law 25.03
• place of entertainment: shall mean a theatre, dinner theatre, hall, coliseum, convention center, arena, auditorium, stadium, concert hall, garden, outdoor space or other place of amusement operated as a for profit entity and located in this state in which theatrical productions, sporting events or other events are presented. See N.Y. Arts and Cultural Affairs Law 23.03
• Place of entertainment: means any privately or publicly owned and operated entertainment facility such as a theatre, stadium, arena, racetrack, museum, amusement park, or other place where performances, concerts, exhibits, athletic games or contests are held for which an entry fee is charged. See N.Y. Arts and Cultural Affairs Law 25.03
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• 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.
• Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• Resale: means any sale of a ticket for entrance to a place of entertainment located within the boundaries of the state of New York other than a sale by the operator or the operator's agent who is expressly authorized to make first sales of such tickets. See N.Y. Arts and Cultural Affairs Law 25.03
• 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.
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• Ticket: means any evidence of the right of entry to any place of entertainment. See N.Y. Arts and Cultural Affairs Law 25.03
• Ticket office: means a building or other structure located other than at the place of entertainment, at which the operator or the operator's agent offers tickets for first sale to the public. See N.Y. Arts and Cultural Affairs Law 25.03
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• 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.