Terms Used In Vermont Statutes > Title 13 > Chapter 57 > Subchapter 4 - Shoplifting

• Agritourism activity: means an interactive or passive activity that is carried out for recreational, entertainment, or educational purposes on a farm and includes farming, food production, historical, cultural, pick-your-own, and nature-based activities. See
• Agritourism host: means a person who provides the facilities and equipment necessary to participate in an agritourism activity. See
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Emancipated minor: means a minor who:

• 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.
• following: when used by way of reference to a section of the law shall mean the next preceding or following section. See
• 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.
• Inherent risk: means any danger or condition that is an integral part of, or arises from, an agritourism activity, including:

• 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.
• Merchandise: means any items of tangible personal property displayed, held, stored, or offered for sale. See
• Merchant: means an owner or manager of any retail mercantile establishment, or any person or persons in a supervisory capacity or security officer authorized in writing by the owner or manager to make requests or detentions under this subchapter. See
• Participant: means any individual who is invited to observe or participate in an agritourism activity, regardless of whether the individual paid to observe or participate in the agritourism activity. See
• Person: shall include any natural person, corporation, municipality, the State of Vermont or any department, agency, or subdivision of the State, and any partnership, unincorporated association, or other legal entity. See
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• Premises of a retail mercantile establishment: includes the retail mercantile establishment, any common use areas in shopping centers, and all parking areas set aside by a merchant or on behalf of a merchant for the parking of vehicles for the convenience of the patrons of the retail mercantile establishment. See
• Probate: Proving a will
• Reasonable force: means only that minimum amount of force necessary to detain the person who the merchant has reasonable cause to believe has committed the offense of retail theft. See
• Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
• Retail mercantile establishment: means any place where merchandise is displayed or offered for sale to the public, including storage areas on the premises of such an establishment. See
• Retail value: means the merchant's indicated price of the merchandise at the time of the theft. See
• Risk of harm: means a significant danger that a child will suffer serious harm other than by accidental means, which would be likely to cause physical injury, neglect, emotional maltreatment, or sexual abuse. See
• said: when used by way of reference to a person or thing shall apply to the same person or thing last mentioned. See
• State: when applied to the different parts of the United States may apply to the District of Columbia and any territory and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. See