Terms Used In Oregon Statutes > Chapter 18 > Definitions

• Action: means any proceeding commenced in a court in which the court may render a judgment. See Oregon Statutes 18.005
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
• Conservator: means a person appointed as a conservator under the provisions of this chapter. See Oregon Statutes 125.005
• 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.
• 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
• Criminal action: has the meaning given in ORS § 131. See Oregon Statutes 18.005
• Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
• 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.
• 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
• Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
• Fiduciary: means a guardian or conservator appointed under the provisions of this chapter or any other person appointed by a court to assume duties with respect to a protected person under the provisions of this chapter. See Oregon Statutes 125.005
• Financially incapable: means a condition in which a person is unable to manage financial resources of the person effectively for reasons including, but not limited to, mental illness, mental retardation, physical illness or disability, chronic use of drugs or controlled substances, chronic intoxication, confinement, detention by a foreign power or disappearance. See Oregon Statutes 125.005
• 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
• General judgment: means the judgment entered by a court that decides all requests for relief in the action except:

  (a) A request for relief previously decided by a limited judgment; and

  (b) A request for relief that may be decided by a supplemental judgment. See Oregon Statutes 18.005

• 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}
• Interrogatories: Written questions asked by one party of an opposing party, who must answer them in writing under oath; a discovery device in a lawsuit.
• 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 document: means a writing in the form provided by ORS § 18. See Oregon Statutes 18.005
• 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.
• 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.
• 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
• Minor: means any person who has not attained 18 years of age. See Oregon Statutes 125.005
• Money award: means a judgment or portion of a judgment that requires the payment of money. See Oregon Statutes 18.005
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Person: includes individuals, corporations, associations, firms, partnerships, limited liability companies and joint stock companies. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• Protected person: means a person for whom a protective order has been entered. See Oregon Statutes 125.005
• Protective order: means an order of a court appointing a fiduciary or any other order of the court entered for the purpose of protecting the person or estate of a respondent or protected person. See Oregon Statutes 125.005
• Protective proceeding: means a proceeding under this chapter. See Oregon Statutes 125.005
• public body: means state government bodies, local government bodies and special government bodies. See Oregon Statutes 174.109
• Request for relief: means a claim, a charge in a criminal action or any other request for a determination of the rights and liabilities of one or more parties in an action that a legal authority allows the court to decide by a judgment. See Oregon Statutes 18.005
• Supplemental judgment: means a judgment that may be rendered after a general judgment pursuant to a legal authority. See Oregon Statutes 18.005
• Support arrearage lien: means a lien that attaches to real property under the provisions of ORS § 18. See Oregon Statutes 18.005
• Support award: means a money award or agency order that requires the payment of child or spousal support. See Oregon Statutes 18.005
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.