Terms Used In New York Laws > Insurance > Article 23 - Property/casualty Insurance Rates

• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Appraisal: A determination of property value.
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Assessing unit: means a city, town or village. See N.Y. Real Property Tax Law 489-B
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Bail: Security given for the release of a criminal defendant or witness from legal custody (usually in the form of money) to secure his/her appearance on the day and time appointed.
• Bankruptcy: Refers to statutes and judicial proceedings involving persons or businesses that cannot pay their debts and seek the assistance of the court in getting a fresh start. Under the protection of the bankruptcy court, debtors may discharge their debts, perhaps by paying a portion of each debt. Bankruptcy judges preside over these proceedings.
• Chambers: A judge's office.
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• 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.
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
• 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.
• 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.
• Foreclosure: A legal process in which property that is collateral or security for a loan may be sold to help repay the loan when the loan is in default. ^{Source: OCC}
• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• 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.
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• 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.
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Mortgage loan: A loan made by a lender to a borrower for the financing of real property. ^{Source: OCC}
• Mortgagee: The person to whom property is mortgaged and who has loaned the money.
• 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.
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• Railroad company: means a corporation, joint stock company, association, partnership, individual or other person operating a railroad system wholly within the state of New York as a common carrier by rail, including but not limited to a street, surface, underground or elevated railroad, whether as owner, lessee, mortgagee, trustee, receiver or assignee of railroad real property. See N.Y. Real Property Tax Law 489-B
• Railroad company: means a corporation , joint stock company, association, partnership, individual or other person operating a railroad system both within and without the State of New York as a common carrier by rail, including but not limited to a street, surface, underground or elevated railroad and any corporation created under or in compliance with the rail passenger service act of nineteen hundred seventy or the regional rail reorganization act of nineteen hundred seventy-three as those acts were amended to April first, nineteen hundred seventy-six, whether as owner, lessee, mortgagee, trustee, receiver or assignee of railroad real property. See N.Y. Real Property Tax Law 489-BB
• Railroad real property: means the land, real estate and real property (as defined in subdivision twelve of section one hundred two of this chapter) of a railroad company, which is used by such railroad company for transportation purposes and which is subject to real property taxation except as provided in this title, and includes (a) such property leased to such railroad company, (b) such property used for transportation purposes by such railroad company under a trackage right or other operating agreement, title to which is in other than a railroad company, as defined in subdivision two of this section and subdivision two of section four hundred eighty-nine-bb of this chapter, (c) such property used or occupied by such railroad company, title to which is in the state or in any municipal corporation thereof under any of the grade crossing elimination acts, and (d) such tangible property of such railroad company situated in, upon, under or above any street, highway, public place or public waters; but does not include the value of any franchise, right or permission to construct, maintain or operate, in, under, above, on or through, streets, highways or public places. See N.Y. Real Property Tax Law 489-B
• Railroad real property: means the land, real estate and real property (as defined in subdivision twelve of section one hundred two of this chapter) of a railroad company, which is used by such railroad company for transportation purposes and which is subject to real property taxation except as provided in this title, and includes (a) such property leased to such railroad company, (b) such property used for transportation purposes by such railroad company under a trackage right or other operating agreement, title to which is in other than a railroad company as defined in subdivision two of this section and subdivision two of section four hundred eighty-nine-b of this chapter, (c) such property used or occupied by such railroad company, title to which is in the state or in any municipal corporation thereof under any of the grade crossing elimination acts, and (d) the tangible property of such railroad company situated in, upon, under or above any street, highway, public place or public waters; but does not include the value of any franchise, right or permission to construct, maintain or operate, in, under, above, on or through, streets, highways or public places. See N.Y. Real Property Tax Law 489-BB
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Subsidized railroad real property: means any railroad real property for which a rail service continuation subsidy is paid by the United States or the state of New York. See N.Y. Real Property Tax Law 489-BB
• taxation: means an ad valorem charge or special ad valorem levy imposed upon real property by or on behalf of a county, city, town, village, school district or special district. See N.Y. Real Property Tax Law 489-B
• taxation: means an ad valorem charge or special ad valorem levy imposed upon real property by or on behalf of a county, city, town, village, school district or special district. See N.Y. Real Property Tax Law 489-BB
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.