Terms Used In Oregon Statutes > Chapter 468B > Oil or Hazardous Material Spillage

• Acquittal:
  1. Judgement that a criminal defendant has not been proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
  2. A verdict of "not guilty."
   
• 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.
• 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.
• 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
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Articles of incorporation: means the articles of incorporation described in ORS § 65. See Oregon Statutes 65.001
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Attorney fees: has the meaning given that term in ORCP 68 A. See Oregon Statutes 131A.005
• Board of directors: means the individual or individuals who are vested with overall management of the affairs of a domestic corporation or foreign corporation, irrespective of the name that designates the individual or individuals. See Oregon Statutes 65.001
• Bylaws: means a set of provisions for managing and regulating a corporation's affairs that the corporation must adopt under ORS § 65. See Oregon Statutes 65.001
• City: includes any incorporated village or town. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
• Civil forfeiture: The loss of ownership of property used to conduct illegal activity.
• 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.
• 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.
• Corporation: means a domestic corporation or a foreign corporation. See Oregon Statutes 65.001
• 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.
• Defense attorney: Represent defendants in criminal matters.
• Department: means the Oregon Department of Administrative Services. See Oregon Statutes 276.001
• Director: means the Director of the Oregon Department of Administrative Services. See Oregon Statutes 276.001
• Director: means an individual who acts as a member of the board of directors, who has a right to vote on questions concerning the management and regulation of a corporation's affairs and who is:

  (a) An appointed director;

  (b) A designated director; or

  (c) A director elected by the incorporators, directors or members. See Oregon Statutes 65.001

• 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:
• Domestic business corporation: means a for profit corporation that is incorporated under ORS Chapter 60. See Oregon Statutes 65.001
• Entity: means a domestic corporation, foreign corporation, business corporation and foreign business corporation, profit and nonprofit unincorporated association, corporation sole, business trust, partnership, two or more persons that have a joint or common economic interest, any state, the United States, a federally recognized Native American or American Indian tribal government and any foreign government. See Oregon Statutes 65.001
• 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.
• Financial institution: means any person lawfully conducting business as:

  (a) A financial institution or trust company, as those terms are defined in ORS § 706. See Oregon Statutes 131A.005

• 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.
• Foreign business corporation: means a for profit corporation that is incorporated under laws other than the laws of the state. See Oregon Statutes 65.001
• Forfeiting agency: means a public body that is seeking forfeiture of property under this chapter. See Oregon Statutes 131A.005
• Forfeiture counsel: means an attorney designated by a forfeiting agency to represent the forfeiting agency in forfeiture proceedings. See Oregon Statutes 131A.005
• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• 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.
• Individual: means a natural person, including the guardian of an incompetent individual. See Oregon Statutes 65.001
• 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}
• 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.
• 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
• Member: means a person that is entitled, under a domestic corporation's or foreign corporation's articles of incorporation or bylaws, to exercise any of the rights described in ORS § 65. See Oregon Statutes 65.001
• Motor vehicle with a hidden compartment: means a motor vehicle as defined in ORS § 801. See Oregon Statutes 131A.005
• Mutual benefit corporation: means a domestic corporation that is organized to serve and operates primarily to serve the mutual interests of a group of persons, but is not a public benefit corporation or religious corporation. See Oregon Statutes 65.001
• Nonprofit corporation: means a mutual benefit corporation, a public benefit corporation or a religious corporation. See Oregon Statutes 65.001
• Notice: means a notice described in ORS § 65. See Oregon Statutes 65.001
• 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.
• Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
• 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: includes individuals, corporations, associations, firms, partnerships, limited liability companies and joint stock companies. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
• Person: means an individual or an entity. See Oregon Statutes 65.001
• 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.
• Principal office: means the physical street address of the place, in or out of this state, where the principal executive offices of a domestic corporation or foreign corporation are located and that is designated as the principal office in the most recent annual report filed in accordance with ORS § 65. See Oregon Statutes 65.001
• Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
• Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
• Proceeding: means a civil, criminal, administrative or investigatory action. See Oregon Statutes 65.001
• Property: means any interest in anything of value, including the whole of any lot or tract of land and tangible and intangible personal property, including currency, instruments or securities or any other kind of privilege, interest, claim or right whether due or to become due. See Oregon Statutes 131A.005
• Public benefit corporation: means a domestic corporation that:

  (a) Is formed as a public benefit corporation under ORS § 65. See Oregon Statutes 65.001

• public body: means state government bodies, local government bodies and special government bodies. See Oregon Statutes 174.109
• Public defender: Represent defendants who can't afford an attorney in criminal matters.
• 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.
• Religious corporation: means a domestic corporation that is formed as a religious corporation under ORS § 65. See Oregon Statutes 65.001
• Remand: When an appellate court sends a case back to a lower court for further proceedings.
• Seizing agency: means a law enforcement agency that has seized property for forfeiture. See Oregon Statutes 131A.005
• Sentencing guidelines: A set of rules and principles established by the United States Sentencing Commission that trial judges use to determine the sentence for a convicted defendant. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• 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.
• Shell entity: means an entity that has the characteristics described in ORS § 65. See Oregon Statutes 65.001
• 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.
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Testify: Answer questions in court.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Trust account: A general term that covers all types of accounts in a trust department, such as estates, guardianships, and agencies. ^{Source: OCC}
• United States: includes territories, outlying possessions and the District of Columbia. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
• Venue: The geographical location in which a case is tried.
• Verdict: The decision of a petit jury or a judge.
• Violate: includes failure to comply. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
• Voting power: means the total number of votes entitled to be cast on an issue at the time the determination of voting power is made, excluding a vote that is contingent upon a condition or event occurring that has not occurred at the time. See Oregon Statutes 65.001
• Written: means embodied as a document. See Oregon Statutes 65.001