Vermont Statutes Title 3 Sec. 167a
Terms Used In Vermont Statutes Title 3 Sec. 167a
- Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
- 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.
- Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
- Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
- 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.
- Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
§ 167a. Complex Litigation Special Fund
(a) There is established the Complex Litigation Special Fund pursuant to 32 Vt. Stat. Ann. chapter 7, subchapter 5 to be available for expenditure by the Attorney General, as annually appropriated or authorized pursuant to 32 V.S.A. § 511, to pay nonroutine expenses, not otherwise budgeted, incurred in the investigation, prosecution, and defense of complex civil and criminal litigation. These expenses may include, for example, costs incurred for expert witnesses and for support staff and technology needed to review and manage voluminous documents in discovery and at trial in complex cases.
(b) The Fund shall consist of:
(1) Such sums as may be appropriated or transferred by the General Assembly.
(2) Settlement monies other than consumer restitution collected by the Office of the Attorney General, except for those recoveries that by law are transferred or appropriated for other uses pursuant to 9 V.S.A. § 2458(b)(4), and subject to the Fund balance cap in subsection (c) of this section.
(c) The unencumbered Fund balance shall not exceed $1,000,000.00.
(d) The Attorney General shall submit a report of the amount and purpose of expenditures from the Fund at the close of each fiscal year to the Joint Fiscal Committee annually on or before September 1. As part of the annual budget submission, the Attorney General shall include a projection of the Fund balance for the current fiscal year and upcoming fiscal year and may recommend appropriations as needed consistent with the purpose of the Fund. (Added 2018, No. 11 (Sp. Sess.), § E.200.1.)