Defamation
Wrongful Use of Civil Proceeding
Actions Against Health Care Providers; Resolution of Adverse Health Care Incidents
Actions Against Design Professionals
Actions Against Real Estate Licensees
Actions Arising From Injuries Caused by Dogs
Actions Based on Failure to Conduct Adequate Criminal Records Check

Terms Used In Oregon Statutes > Chapter 31 > Rules Governing Particular Claims for Relief

  • Action: means any proceeding commenced in a court in which the court may render a judgment. See Oregon Statutes 18.005
  • 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.
  • Affirmed: In the practice of the appellate courts, the decree or order is declared valid and will stand as rendered in the lower court.
  • 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.
  • Any other state: includes any state and the District of Columbia. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
  • 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.
  • Assessment: means any charge imposed or levied by the association of unit owners on or against a unit owner or unit pursuant to provisions of the declaration or the bylaws of the condominium or provisions of this chapter. See Oregon Statutes 100.005
  • association: means the association provided for under ORS § 100. See Oregon Statutes 100.005
  • Attorney-in-fact: A person who, acting as an agent, is given written authorization by another person to transact business for him (her) out of court.
  • Bankruptcy: Refers to statutes and judicial proceedings involving persons or businesses that cannot pay their debts and seek the assistance of the court in getting a fresh start. Under the protection of the bankruptcy court, debtors may discharge their debts, perhaps by paying a portion of each debt. Bankruptcy judges preside over these proceedings.
  • Child: means an individual, whether over or under the age of majority, who is or is alleged to be owed a duty of support by the individual's parent or who is or is alleged to be the beneficiary of a support order directed to the parent. See Oregon Statutes 110.503
  • Child support award: means a money award or agency order that requires the payment of child support and that is entered under ORS § 25. See Oregon Statutes 18.005
  • Child support order: means a support order for a child, including a child who has attained the age of majority under the law of the issuing state or foreign country. See Oregon Statutes 110.503
  • City: includes any incorporated village or town. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
  • Common elements: means the general common elements and the limited common elements. See Oregon Statutes 100.005
  • Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
  • Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
  • condominium unit: means a part of the property which:

    (a) Is described in ORS § 100. See Oregon Statutes 100.005

  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Convention: means the Convention on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance, concluded at The Hague on November 23, 2007. See Oregon Statutes 110.503
  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Counterclaim: A claim that a defendant makes against a plaintiff.
  • County court: includes board of county commissioners. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
  • Court administrator: means a trial court administrator in a circuit court that has a trial court administrator and the clerk of the court in all other courts. See Oregon Statutes 18.005
  • Criminal action: has the meaning given in ORS § 131. See Oregon Statutes 18.005
  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Decedent: A deceased person.
  • Declarant: means a person who records a declaration under ORS § 100. See Oregon Statutes 100.005
  • Declaration: means the instrument described in ORS § 100. See Oregon Statutes 100.005
  • Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
  • Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
  • 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.
  • Devise: To gift property by will.
  • Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
  • Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. Source:
  • Docket: A log containing brief entries of court proceedings.
  • Duty of support: means an obligation imposed or imposable by law to provide support for a child, spouse or former spouse, including an unsatisfied obligation to provide support. See Oregon Statutes 110.503
  • Electronic meeting: means a meeting that is conducted through telephone, teleconference, video conference, web conference or any other live electronic means where at least one participant is not physically present. See Oregon Statutes 100.005
  • 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.
  • Execution: means enforcement of the money award portion of a judgment or enforcement of a judgment requiring delivery of the possession or sale of specific real or personal property, by means of writs of execution, writs of garnishment and other statutory or common law writs or remedies that may be available under the law. See Oregon Statutes 18.005
  • Executive session: A portion of the Senate's daily session in which it considers executive business.
  • 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.
  • Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
  • Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
  • Flexible condominium: means a condominium containing variable property that may be redesignated, reclassified or withdrawn from the condominium pursuant to ORS § 100. See Oregon Statutes 100.005
  • Foreclosure: A legal process in which property that is collateral or security for a loan may be sold to help repay the loan when the loan is in default. Source: OCC
  • Foreign country: means a country, or a political subdivision of a country, other than the United States, that authorizes the issuance of support orders and:

    (a) That has been declared under the law of the United States to be a foreign reciprocating country;

    (b) That has established a reciprocal arrangement for child support with this state as provided in ORS § 110. See Oregon Statutes 110.503

  • Foreign support order: means a support order of a foreign tribunal. See Oregon Statutes 110.503
  • Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
  • Garnishment: Generally, garnishment is a court proceeding in which a creditor asks a court to order a third party who owes money to the debtor or otherwise holds assets belonging to the debtor to turn over to the creditor any of the debtor
  • General judgment: means the judgment entered by a court that decides all requests for relief in the action except:

    (a) A request for relief previously decided by a limited judgment; and

    (b) A request for relief that may be decided by a supplemental judgment. See Oregon Statutes 18.005

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Income: includes earnings or other periodic entitlements to money from any source and any other property subject to withholding for support under the law of this state. See Oregon Statutes 110.503
  • Income withholding order: means an order or other legal process directed to an obligor's employer or other debtor issued pursuant to ORS § 25. See Oregon Statutes 110.503
  • Indemnification: In general, a collateral contract or assurance under which one person agrees to secure another person against either anticipated financial losses or potential adverse legal consequences. Source: FDIC
  • Inter vivos: Transfer of property from one living person to another living person.
  • Issuing state: means the state in which a tribunal issues a support order or a judgment determining parentage of a child. See Oregon Statutes 110.503
  • Issuing tribunal: means the tribunal of a state or foreign country that issues a support order or a judgment determining parentage of a child. See Oregon Statutes 110.503
  • Joint resolution: A legislative measure which requires the approval of both chambers.
  • Judgment: means the concluding decision of a court on one or more requests for relief in one or more actions, as reflected in a judgment document. See Oregon Statutes 18.005
  • Judgment document: means a writing in the form provided by ORS § 18. See Oregon Statutes 18.005
  • judicial department: means the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, the Oregon Tax Court, the circuit courts and all administrative divisions of those courts, whether denominated as boards, commissions, committees or departments or by any other designation. See Oregon Statutes 174.113
  • 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.
  • Law: includes decisional and statutory law and rules and regulations having the force of law. See Oregon Statutes 110.503
  • 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
  • Leasehold: means the interest of a person, firm or corporation that is the lessee under a lease from the owner in fee and that files a declaration creating a condominium under ORS § 100. See Oregon Statutes 100.005
  • Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
  • Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
  • Limited common elements: means those common elements designated in the declaration, as reserved for the use of a certain unit or number of units, to the exclusion of the other units. See Oregon Statutes 100.005
  • Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
  • local government: means all cities, counties and local service districts located in this state, and all administrative subdivisions of those cities, counties and local service districts. See Oregon Statutes 174.116
  • Money award: means a judgment or portion of a judgment that requires the payment of money. See Oregon Statutes 18.005
  • 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.
  • Mortgagee: means any person who is:

    (a) A mortgagee under a mortgage;

    (b) A beneficiary under a trust deed; or

    (c) The vendor under a land sale contract. See Oregon Statutes 100.005

  • Mortgagor: The person who pledges property to a creditor as collateral for a loan and who receives the money.
  • Negotiation: means any activity preliminary to the execution by either developer or purchaser of a unit sales agreement, including but not limited to advertising, solicitation and promotion of the sale of a unit. See Oregon Statutes 100.005
  • Oath: A promise to tell the truth.
  • 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.
  • Obligor: means an individual, or the estate of a decedent, that:

    (a) Owes or is alleged to owe a duty of support;

    (b) Is alleged but has not been adjudicated to be a parent of a child;

    (c) Is liable under a support order; or

    (d) Is a debtor in a proceeding under ORS § 110. See Oregon Statutes 110.503

  • 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, corporation, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, limited liability company, association, joint venture, public corporation, government, governmental subdivision, agency, instrumentality or any other legal or commercial entity. See Oregon Statutes 110.503
  • Personal property: All property that is not real property.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
  • Probate: Proving a will
  • Purchaser: means an actual or prospective purchaser of a condominium unit pursuant to a sale. See Oregon Statutes 100.005
  • 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.
  • Record: means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in perceivable form. See Oregon Statutes 110.503
  • Recorded: means to cause to be recorded by the county officer in the real property records for each county in which the condominium is located. See Oregon Statutes 100.005
  • Recording officer: means the county officer charged with the duty of filing and recording deeds and mortgages or any other instruments or documents affecting the title to real property. See Oregon Statutes 100.005
  • Register: means to file in a tribunal of this state a support order or judgment determining parentage of a child issued in another state or a foreign country. See Oregon Statutes 110.503
  • Registering tribunal: means a tribunal in which a support order or judgment determining parentage of a child is registered. See Oregon Statutes 110.503
  • Request for relief: means a claim, a charge in a criminal action or any other request for a determination of the rights and liabilities of one or more parties in an action that a legal authority allows the court to decide by a judgment. See Oregon Statutes 18.005
  • Responding tribunal: means the authorized tribunal in a responding state or foreign country. See Oregon Statutes 110.503
  • Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
  • Sale: means any disposition or transfer of a condominium unit, or an interest or estate therein, by a developer, including the offering of the property as a prize or gift when a monetary charge or consideration for whatever purpose is required by the developer. See Oregon Statutes 100.005
  • Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
  • 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.
  • State: means a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, any territory or insular possession under the jurisdiction of the United States or an Indian nation or tribe. See Oregon Statutes 110.503
  • state government: means the executive department, the judicial department and the legislative department. See Oregon Statutes 174.111
  • State Treasury: includes those financial assets the lawful custody of which are vested in the State Treasurer and the office of the State Treasurer relating to the custody of those financial assets. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
  • Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
  • Statute of limitations: A law that sets the time within which parties must take action to enforce their rights.
  • Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
  • Supplemental judgment: means a judgment that may be rendered after a general judgment pursuant to a legal authority. See Oregon Statutes 18.005
  • Support arrearage lien: means a lien that attaches to real property under the provisions of ORS § 18. See Oregon Statutes 18.005
  • Support award: means a money award or agency order that requires the payment of child or spousal support. See Oregon Statutes 18.005
  • Support enforcement agency: means a public official, governmental entity or private agency authorized to:

    (a) Seek enforcement of support orders or laws relating to the duty of support;

    (b) Seek establishment or modification of child support;

    (c) Request determination of parentage of a child;

    (d) Attempt to locate obligors or their assets; or

    (e) Request determination of the controlling child support order. See Oregon Statutes 110.503

  • Support order: means a judgment, decree, order, decision or directive, whether temporary, final or subject to modification, issued in a state or foreign country for the benefit of a child, a spouse or a former spouse, that provides for monetary support, health care, arrearages, retroactive support or reimbursement for financial assistance provided to an individual obligee in place of child support. See Oregon Statutes 110.503
  • Tenancy in common: A type of property ownership in which two or more individuals have an undivided interest in property. At the death of one tenant in common, his (her) fractional percentage of ownership in the property passes to the decedent
  • Testify: Answer questions in court.
  • 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.
  • Tribunal: means a court, administrative agency or quasi-judicial entity authorized to establish, enforce or modify support orders or to determine parentage of a child. See Oregon Statutes 110.503
  • Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
  • Turnover meeting: means the meeting provided for under ORS § 100. See Oregon Statutes 100.005
  • Unit designation: means the number, letter or combination thereof designating a unit in the declaration and on the plat. See Oregon Statutes 100.005
  • United States: includes territories, outlying possessions and the District of Columbia. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
  • Violate: includes failure to comply. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
  • Voting rights: means the portion of the votes allocated to a unit by the declaration in accordance with ORS § 100. See Oregon Statutes 100.005
  • wife: means spouses or a spouse in a marriage. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
  • Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.