Terms Used In Oregon Statutes > Chapter 7 - Records and Files of Courts

• Action: means any proceeding commenced in a court in which the court may render a judgment. See Oregon Statutes 18.005
• Adjudicated youth: means a person who has been found to be within the jurisdiction of the juvenile court under ORS § 419C. See Oregon Statutes 419A.004
• 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.
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• 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.
• 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
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• 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
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• association: means the association provided for under ORS § 100. See Oregon Statutes 100.005
• Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the 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.
• Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. ^{Source: OCC}
• Chief judge: The judge who has primary responsibility for the administration of a court but also decides cases; chief judges are determined by seniority.
• City: includes any incorporated village or town. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
• Clerk of court: An officer appointed by the court to work with the chief judge in overseeing the court's administration, especially to assist in managing the flow of cases through the court and to maintain court records.
• Common elements: means the general common elements and the limited common elements. See Oregon Statutes 100.005
• 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

• Continuance: Putting off of a hearing ot trial until a later time.
• 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.
• Counterclaim: A claim that a defendant makes against a plaintiff.
• County court: includes board of county commissioners. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
• Court: means the juvenile court. See Oregon Statutes 419A.004
• 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
• 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.
• Department: means the Department of Human Services. See Oregon Statutes 419A.004
• 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.
• detention facility: means a facility established under ORS § 419A. See Oregon Statutes 419A.004
• Director: means the director of a juvenile department established under ORS § 419A. See Oregon Statutes 419A.004
• 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.
• 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
• Entitlement: A Federal program or provision of law that requires payments to any person or unit of government that meets the eligibility criteria established by law. Entitlements constitute a binding obligation on the part of the Federal Government, and eligible recipients have legal recourse if the obligation is not fulfilled. Social Security and veterans' compensation and pensions are examples of entitlement programs.
• 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.
• 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
• Exhibits: means exhibits offered and received or rejected in the trial court. See Oregon Statutes 19.005
• Extradition: The formal process of delivering an accused or convicted person from authorities in one state to authorities in another state.
• Fair market value: The price at which an asset would change hands in a transaction between a willing, informed buyer and a willing, informed seller.
• 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}
• 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
• Grand jury: agreement providing that a lender will delay exercising its rights (in the case of a mortgage,
• 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.
• Guardian: means guardian of the person and not guardian of the estate. See Oregon Statutes 419A.004
• Habeas corpus: A writ that is usually used to bring a prisoner before the court to determine the legality of his imprisonment. It may also be used to bring a person in custody before the court to give testimony, or to be prosecuted.
• 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}
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• Intangible property: Property that has no intrinsic value, but is merely the evidence of value such as stock certificates, bonds, and promissory notes.
• Joint committee: Committees including membership from both houses of teh legislature. Joint committees are usually established with narrow jurisdictions and normally lack authority to report legislation.
• 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: means a judgment or appealable order, as provided in ORS § 19. See Oregon Statutes 19.005
• Juvenile court: means the court having jurisdiction of juvenile matters in the several counties of this state. See Oregon Statutes 419A.004
• 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
• Legatee: A beneficiary of a decedent
• 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

• 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
• Notice of appeal: includes a notice of cross-appeal. See Oregon Statutes 19.005
• Oath: A promise to tell the truth.
• Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
• Parent: means the biological or adoptive mother and the legal parent of the child, ward, youth or adjudicated youth. See Oregon Statutes 419A.004
• 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.
• 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.
• Power of attorney: A written instrument which authorizes one person to act as another's agent or attorney. The power of attorney may be for a definite, specific act, or it may be general in nature. The terms of the written power of attorney may specify when it will expire. If not, the power of attorney usually expires when the person granting it dies. ^{Source: OCC}
• 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
• Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
• Public law: A public bill or joint resolution that has passed both chambers and been enacted into law. Public laws have general applicability nationwide.
• Purchaser: means an actual or prospective purchaser of a condominium unit pursuant to a sale. See Oregon Statutes 100.005
• record of the case: means the trial court file and any transcript, narrative statement and exhibits. See Oregon Statutes 19.005
• 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
• Records: means any information in written form, pictures, photographs, charts, graphs, recordings or documents pertaining to a case. See Oregon Statutes 419A.004
• Remand: When an appellate court sends a case back to a lower court for further proceedings.
• Reporter: Makes a record of court proceedings and prepares a transcript, and also publishes the court's opinions or decisions (in the courts of appeals).
• 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.
• Shelter care: means a home or other facility suitable for the safekeeping of a child, ward, youth or adjudicated youth who is taken into temporary custody pending investigation and disposition. See Oregon Statutes 419A.004
• state government: means the executive department, the judicial department and the legislative department. See Oregon Statutes 174.111
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• Supersedeas undertaking: means an undertaking on appeal that secures performance of a judgment being appealed and operates to stay enforcement of the judgment pending appeal. See Oregon Statutes 19.005
• Testify: Answer questions in court.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Transcript: means the transcript of the court reporter's report as provided in ORS § 8. See Oregon Statutes 19.005
• 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.
• 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
• Undertaking for costs: means an undertaking on appeal that secures payment of costs and disbursements that may be awarded against an appellant on appeal, and any amounts that may be awarded to the respondent under the provisions of ORS § 19. See Oregon Statutes 19.005
• Undertaking on appeal: includes undertakings for costs and supersedeas undertakings. See Oregon Statutes 19.005
• Unit designation: means the number, letter or combination thereof designating a unit in the declaration and on the plat. See Oregon Statutes 100.005
• Verdict: The decision of a petit jury or a judge.
• victim: includes the legal guardian of the minor. See Oregon Statutes 419A.004
• 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
• Ward: means a person within the jurisdiction of the juvenile court under ORS § 419B. See Oregon Statutes 419A.004
• Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.
• Writ of certiorari: An order issued by the Supreme Court directing the lower court to transmit records for a case for which it will hear on appeal.
• Young person: means a person who has been found responsible except for insanity under ORS § 419C. See Oregon Statutes 419A.004
• Youth: means a person under 18 years of age who is alleged to have committed an act that is a violation, or, if done by an adult would constitute a violation, of a law or ordinance of the United States or a state, county or city. See Oregon Statutes 419A.004