Lawsuit Millionaires | Law Terms G-L

Law Terms G-L

• Law Terms beginning with "G" -
• Garnishment: A court-ordered procedure for taking money or property from someone to satisfy a debt. For example, a debtor's wages might be garnished to pay child support, back taxes, or a lawsuit judgment.
• Grand Larceny: The crime of theft of another person's property over a certain value set by state law (a specific dollar amount decided by the court). It is distinguished from petty (or petit) larceny, which is the theft of property that is lesser in value. Some states recognize only the crime of larceny, but have both misdemeanor larceny (punishable by imprisonment in a local jail and a fine) and felony larceny (punishable by state prison time).
• Guilty: In a criminal case, the admission by a defendant that he has committed a charged crime, or the finding by a judge or a jury that the defendant has committed the crime.
• Law Terms beginning with "H" -
• Hiring Firm: Commonly refers to a business that hires one or more independent contractors. Unlike an employer, a hiring firm does not have to withhold tax, contribute to Social Security and Medicare, or provide workers compensation for an independent contractor, nor does it have to follow a variety of employment laws that prohibit discrimination, impose wage and hour obligations, or require time off.
• Homicide: The killing of one human being by the act or omission of another. The term applies to all such killings, whether criminal or not. Homicide is noncriminal in a number of situations, including deaths as the result of war and putting someone to death by the valid sentence of a court. Killing may also be legally justified or excused, as it is in cases of self-defense or when someone is killed by another person who is attempting to prevent a violent felony. Criminal homicide occurs when a person purposely, knowingly, recklessly, or with extreme negligence causes the death of another. Murder and manslaughter are examples of criminal homicide.
• Law Terms beginning with "I" -
• Implied Warranty of Merchantability: A warranty implied by law that property is fit for the ordinary purpose for which it is used.
• Impound: In a criminal proceeding, when the court or police take possession of personal property. The property may be returned to the owner at the end of the proceeding or it may be forfeited to the state (e.g. in the instance of a controlled substance).
• Law Terms beginning with "J" -
• Joint Defendant: One of two or more defendants charged with the same crime or sued in the same claim.
• Judicial Foreclosure: A foreclosure in which the foreclosing party files a lawsuit in the county where the real estate is located, seeking a court judgment allowing the property to be sold at a foreclosure sale because the owner has defaulted on mortgage payments. A few states use what are called strict foreclosures, which let the judge order ownership of the property transferred to the foreclosing party without a sale. Judicial foreclosures commonly take much longer than nonjudicial ones.
• Juris Doctorate: Upon successful completion law school, a student will receive a degree called a Juris Doctorate.
• Law Terms beginning with "K" -
• Kangaroo Court: Slang for a court that operates unjustly or with unfair bias.
• Law Terms beginning with "L" -
• Legal Cause: A cause that produces a direct effect, and without which the effect would not have occurred.
• Legal Services: The work performed by a lawyer for a client.
• Legal Tender: Currency that is issued by a government. Checks, credit cards, and other non-cash payments are generally not legal tender.

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