Terms Used In Virginia Code > Title 8.01 > Chapter 3 > Article 5 - Death by Wrongful Act.

• Accessibility mechanic: means an individual who is engaged in erecting, constructing, installing, altering, servicing, repairing, testing or maintaining wheelchair lifts, incline chairlifts, dumbwaiters with a capacity limit of 300 pounds, and private residence elevators, in accordance with the Uniform Statewide Building Code (§ 36-97 et seq. See Virginia Code 54.1-1140
• Accredited residential building energy analyst training program: means a training program that has been approved by the Board to provide training for individuals to engage in blower door, duct blaster, or similar testing to measure energy efficiency, conduct energy modeling, prepare a residential building energy analysis report, and provide recommendations for improvements with return on investment or third-party verification for nationally accredited energy efficiency programs. See Virginia Code 54.1-1144
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Audiologist: means the same as that term is defined in § Virginia Code 54.1-1500
• Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. ^{Source: OCC}
• Board: means the Board for Hearing Aid Specialists and Opticians. See Virginia Code 54.1-1500
• Board: means the Board for Contractors. See Virginia Code 54.1-1100
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• 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.
• Decedent: A deceased person.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Elevator mechanic: means an individual who is certified by the Board in accordance with this article to engage in erecting, constructing, installing, altering, servicing, repairing, testing or maintaining elevators, escalators, or related conveyances in accordance with the Uniform Statewide Building Code. See Virginia Code 54.1-1140
• 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.
• 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.
• Hearing aid: means any wearable instrument or device designed or offered to aid or compensate for impaired human hearing and any parts, attachments, or accessories, including earmolds, but excluding batteries and cords. See Virginia Code 54.1-1500
• Includes: means includes, but not limited to. See Virginia Code 1-218
• 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.
• Licensed hearing aid specialist: means any person who is the holder of a hearing aid specialist license issued by the Board for Hearing Aid Specialists and Opticians. See Virginia Code 54.1-1500
• Licensed optician: means any person who is the holder of an optician license issued by the Board for Hearing Aid Specialists and Opticians. See Virginia Code 54.1-1500
• Licensed residential building energy analyst: means an individual who has successfully completed an accredited residential building energy analyst training program or meets the criteria of experience required by this article and regulations of the Board and who has been licensed by the Board. See Virginia Code 54.1-1144
• Optician: means any person not exempted by § Virginia Code 54.1-1500
• Over-the-counter hearing aid: means an air-conduction hearing aid that does not require implantation or other surgical intervention and is intended for use by a person age 18 or older to compensate for perceived mild to moderate hearing impairment. See Virginia Code 54.1-1500
• Person: means any individual, firm, corporation, association, partnership, joint venture, or other legal entity. See Virginia Code 54.1-1100
• Person: shall include individuals, a trust, an estate, a partnership, an association, an order, a corporation, or any other legal or commercial entity;

  6. See Virginia Code 8.01-2

• Person: includes any individual, corporation, partnership, association, cooperative, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, government, political subdivision, or any other legal or commercial entity and any successor, representative, agent, agency, or instrumentality thereof. See Virginia Code 1-230
• Person under a disability: shall include :

  a. See Virginia Code 8.01-2

• Personal representative: includes the executor of a will or the administrator of the estate of a decedent, the administrator of such estate with the will annexed, the administrator of such estate unadministered by a former representative, whether there is a will or not, any person who is under the order of a circuit court to take into his possession the estate of a decedent for administration, and every other curator of a decedent's estate, for or against whom suits may be brought for causes of action that accrued to or against the decedent. See Virginia Code 1-234
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• Pleadings: Written statements of the parties in a civil case of their positions. In the federal courts, the principal pleadings are the complaint and the answer.
• Power of attorney: A written instrument which authorizes one person to act as another's agent or attorney. The power of attorney may be for a definite, specific act, or it may be general in nature. The terms of the written power of attorney may specify when it will expire. If not, the power of attorney usually expires when the person granting it dies. ^{Source: OCC}
• Process: includes subpoenas, the summons and complaint in a civil action, and process in statutory actions. See Virginia Code 1-237
• Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
• Residential building energy analysis: means (i) an inspection, investigation, or survey of a dwelling or other structure to evaluate, measure, or quantify its energy consumption and efficiency, including lighting, HVAC, electronics, appliances, water heaters, insulation, and water conservation, and (ii) recommendations to reduce energy consumption and improve efficiency of a dwelling or other structure, including lighting, HVAC, electronics, appliances, water heaters, insulation, and water conservation for compensation conducted or made by a licensed residential building energy analyst. See Virginia Code 54.1-1144
• sale: means any transfer of title or of the right to use by lease, bailment, or any other contract, excluding wholesale transactions with distributors or practitioners. See Virginia Code 54.1-1500
• Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
• 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
• Supreme Court: means the Supreme Court of Virginia. See Virginia Code 1-249
• Testify: Answer questions in court.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Verdict: The decision of a petit jury or a judge.