Terms Used In Virginia Code > Title 8.01 > Chapter 7 > Article 3 - Particular Equity Provisions

• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Commission: means the State Corporation Commission. See Virginia Code 6.2-100
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Department: means the Virginia Department of Forensic Science. See Virginia Code 19.2-11.5
• Division: means the Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services of the Virginia Department of General Services. See Virginia Code 19.2-11.5
• Entity: means any corporation, partnership, association, cooperative, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, government, political subdivision, or other legal or commercial entity. See Virginia Code 6.2-100
• 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}
• 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.
• in writing: include any representation of words, letters, symbols, numbers, or figures, whether (i) printed or inscribed on a tangible medium or (ii) stored in an electronic or other medium and retrievable in a perceivable form and whether an electronic signature authorized by Chapter 42. See Virginia Code 1-257
• Includes: means includes, but not limited to. See Virginia Code 1-218
• Law-enforcement agency: means the state or local law-enforcement agency with the primary responsibility for investigating an alleged sexual assault offense case and includes the employees of that agency. See Virginia Code 19.2-11.5
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Person: means any individual, corporation, partnership, association, cooperative, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, government, political subdivision, or other legal or commercial entity. See Virginia Code 6.2-100
• Physical evidence recovery kit: means any evidence collection kit supplied by the Department to health care providers for use in collecting evidence from victims of sexual assault during forensic medical examinations or to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for use during death investigations to collect evidence from decedents who may be victims of sexual assault. See Virginia Code 19.2-11.5
• Sexual assault offense: means a violation or attempted violation of any offense enumerated in Article 7 (§ 18. See Virginia Code 19.2-11.5
• State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-245
• sworn: means "affirm" or "affirmed. See Virginia Code 1-250
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Trace evidence collection kit: means any evidence collection kit supplied by the Department to health care providers for use in collecting evidence from victims of strangulation during forensic medical examinations or to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for use during death investigations to collect evidence from decedents who may be victims of strangulation. See Virginia Code 19.2-11.5 v2
• Victim of sexual assault: means any person who undergoes a forensic medical examination for the collection of a physical evidence recovery kit connected to a sexual assault offense. See Virginia Code 19.2-11.5
• Victim of strangulation: means any person who undergoes a forensic medical examination for the collection of evidence in connection with an alleged strangulation. See Virginia Code 19.2-11.5 v2