Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes > Chapter 428 > Part I - General Provisions

• 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.
• Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
• Arraignment: A proceeding in which an individual who is accused of committing a crime is brought into court, told of the charges, and asked to plead guilty or not guilty.
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Articles of organization: means initial, amended, and restated articles of organization and articles of merger. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 428-101
• Business: includes every trade, occupation, profession, and other lawful purpose, whether or not carried on for profit. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 428-101
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Continuance: Putting off of a hearing ot trial until a later time.
• 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.
• county: includes the city and county of Honolulu. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 1-22
• Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Department: means the department of commerce and consumer affairs. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 428-101
• Director: means the director of commerce and consumer affairs. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 428-101
• Distributional interest: means all of a member's interest in distributions by the limited liability company. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 428-101
• Docket: A log containing brief entries of court proceedings.
• Entity: includes domestic and foreign corporations, domestic professional corporations, domestic and foreign limited liability companies, domestic and foreign nonprofit corporations, domestic and foreign business trusts, estates, domestic and foreign partnerships, domestic and foreign limited partnerships, domestic and foreign limited liability partnerships, trusts, two or more persons having joint or common economic interest, associations and cooperative associations, and state, federal, and foreign governments. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 428-101
• 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.
• Foreign limited liability company: means an unincorporated entity organized under laws other than the laws of this State which afford limited liability to its owners comparable to the liability under § 428-303 and is not required to obtain a certificate of authority to transact business under any law of this State other than this chapter. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 428-101
• Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
• Grand jury: agreement providing that a lender will delay exercising its rights (in the case of a mortgage,
• Indictment: The formal charge issued by a grand jury stating that there is enough evidence that the defendant committed the crime to justify having a trial; it is used primarily for felonies.
• Individual: means a natural person. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 428-101
• 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.
• Limited liability company: means a limited liability company organized under this chapter. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 428-101
• Manager: means a person, whether or not a member of a manager-managed limited liability company, who is vested with authority under section 428-301(b). See Hawaii Revised Statutes 428-101
• Manager-managed limited liability company: means a limited liability company which is so designated in its articles of organization. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 428-101
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• 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.
• Operating agreement: means the agreement under section 428-103 concerning the relations among the members, managers, and limited liability company. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 428-101
• 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.
• Person: includes any individual or entity. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 428-101
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• 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.
• Principal office: means the office, whether or not in this State, where the principal executive office of a domestic or foreign limited liability company is located. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 428-101
• Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
• Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
• Record: means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in perceivable form. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 428-101
• Signed: includes any symbol executed or adopted by a person with the present intention to authenticate a record. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 428-101
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Transfer: includes an assignment, conveyance, deed, bill of sale, lease, mortgage, security interest, encumbrance, and gift. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 428-101
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• True bill: Another word for indictment.