Terms Used In Louisiana Revised Statutes > Title 13 > Chapter 17 - Witnesses and Evidence

• Academic health center: means an organization that has a medical school, one or more other health professional schools or programs, and one or more affiliated teaching hospitals. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:1519.1
• Account: means any deposit or credit account with a bank, including a demand, time, savings, passbook, share draft, or like account, other than an account evidenced by a certificate of deposit;

  (2)  "Afternoon" means the period of a day between noon and midnight;

  (3)  "Banking day" means the part of a day on which a bank is open to the public for carrying on substantially all of its banking functions;

  (4)  "Clearing house" means an association of banks or other payors regularly clearing items;

  (5)  "Customer " means a person having an account with a bank or for whom a bank has agreed to collect items, including a bank that maintains an account at another bank;

  (6)  "Documentary draft" means a draft to be presented for acceptance or payment if specified documents, certificated securities (La. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 10:4-104

• Acquittal:
  1. Judgement that a criminal defendant has not been proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
  2. A verdict of "not guilty."
   
• Administrative board: means the administrative board for the Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans created by cooperative endeavor agreement pursuant to Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:1519.1
• Administrator: means any person whose employment requires professional certification issued under the rules of the board. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:3882
• Advance fee: means any consideration which is assessed or collected prior to the issuance of a written commitment to make a loan that is binding on the lender, provided that certain conditions precedent are satisfied. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 9:3574.2
• Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• 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.
• 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 State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:3882
• Board: means the Board of Supervisors of Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:1519.1
• Buyer: means an individual who is solicited to purchase or who purchases the services of a credit repair services organization. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 9:3573.2
• Chambers: A judge's office.
• Chancellor: means either the chancellor of the LSU Health Sciences Center at New Orleans or the chancellor of the LSU Health Sciences Center at Shreveport. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:1519.1
• Chancellors: means both such chancellors. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:1519.1
• Charity: An agency, institution, or organization in existence and operating for the benefit of an indefinite number of persons and conducted for educational, religious, scientific, medical, or other beneficent purposes.
• Chief judge: The judge who has primary responsibility for the administration of a court but also decides cases; chief judges are determined by seniority.
• Codicil: An addition, change, or supplement to a will executed with the same formalities required for the will itself.
• Commission: means the Louisiana Workforce Commission. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 23:1
• Committee membership: Legislators are assigned to specific committees by their party. Seniority, regional balance, and political philosophy are the most prominent factors in the committee assignment process.
• Communication: means the acquiring, recording or transmittal, of any information, in any manner whatsoever, concerning any facts, opinions or statements necessary to enable the health care provider to diagnose, treat, prescribe or to act for the patients; said communications may include, but are not limited to any and all medical records, office records, hospital records, charts, correspondence, memoranda, laboratory tests and results, x-rays, photographs, financial statements, diagnoses and prognoses. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 13:3734
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Components of effective teaching: means the elements of teaching performance defined by the board, in formal, recognized collaboration with educators and other stakeholders involved in education, to be critical to providing effective classroom instruction. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:3882
• Concurrent resolution: A legislative measure, designated "S. Con. Res." and numbered consecutively upon introduction, generally employed to address the sentiments of both chambers, to deal with issues or matters affecting both houses, such as a concurrent budget resolution, or to create a temporary joint committee. Concurrent resolutions are not submitted to the President/Governor and thus do not have the force of law.
• Consumer: means a natural person who purchases goods, services, or movable or immovable property or rights therein, for a personal, family, or household purpose and includes a purchaser or buyer in a consumer credit sale or transaction made with the use of a seller credit card or otherwise, or a borrower or debtor in a consumer loan, revolving loan account, or a lender credit card. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 9:3516
• corporation: shall mean the nonprofit corporation authorized to be formed by this Part or any corporation succeeding to the principal functions thereof or to which the powers conferred upon the corporation by this Part. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:3396.2
• corporation: means a nonprofit corporation organized under and pursuant to the Nonprofit Corporation Law, as provided in Chapter 2 of Title 12 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:3397.3
• Credit repair services organization: means a person who, with respect to a buyer, in return for the payment of money or other valuable consideration, directly or indirectly, provides or represents that he can or will, directly or indirectly, provide any of the following services:

  (a)  Improving a buyer's credit record, history, or rating. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 9:3573.2

• Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
• Department: means the state Department of Education. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:3882
• 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.
• Depository: means an institution which contracts with the state librarian to participate in the public document depository system. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 25:121.1
• Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
• division: means the organizational unit of the LSU Health Sciences Center at New Orleans comprised of the hospitals and administrative personnel immediately responsible for the operation of the division. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:1519.1
• Donor: The person who makes a gift.
• Draft: means a draft as defined in La. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 10:4-104
• Drawee: means a person ordered in a draft to make payment. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 10:4-104
• En banc: In the bench or "full bench." Refers to court sessions with the entire membership of a court participating rather than the usual quorum. U.S. courts of appeals usually sit in panels of three judges, but may expand to a larger number in certain cases. They are then said to be sitting en banc.
• 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}
• Evaluation: means the process by which a local board monitors the continuing performance of its teachers and administrators. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:3882
• Executive session: A portion of the Senate's daily session in which it considers executive business.
• Executor: A male person named in a will to carry out the decedent
• Fair market value: The price at which an asset would change hands in a transaction between a willing, informed buyer and a willing, informed seller.
• Forgery: The fraudulent signing or alteration of another's name to an instrument such as a deed, mortgage, or check. The intent of the forgery is to deceive or defraud. ^{Source: OCC}
• Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
• Grantor: The person who establishes a trust and places property into it.
• Guarantor: A party who agrees to be responsible for the payment of another party's debts should that party default. ^{Source: OCC}
• Health care provider: means a hospital, as defined in this Subsection, and means a person, corporation, facility, or institution licensed by the state to provide health care or professional services as a physician, hospital, dentist, registered or licensed practical nurse, pharmacist, optometrist, podiatrist, chiropractor, physical therapist, psychologist, social worker, or licensed professional counselor and an officer, employee, or agent thereof acting in the course and scope of his employment. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 13:3734
• Hearsay: Statements by a witness who did not see or hear the incident in question but heard about it from someone else. Hearsay is usually not admissible as evidence in court.
• Hospital: means any hospital as defined in Louisiana Revised Statutes 13:3734
• Impeachment: (1) The process of calling something into question, as in "impeaching the testimony of a witness." (2) The constitutional process whereby the House of Representatives may "impeach" (accuse of misconduct) high officers of the federal government for trial in the Senate.
• 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.
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• Inter vivos: Transfer of property from one living person to another living person.
• 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.
• Item: means an instrument or a promise or order to pay money handled by a bank for collection or payment. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 10:4-104
• Jurisprudence: The study of law and the structure of the legal system.
• Juror: A person who is on the jury.
• 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}
• Legacy: A gift of property made by will.
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• Local board: means a city, parish, or other local public school board. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:3882
• LSU HSC-NO hospitals: means all the health care institutions set forth in Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:1519.1
• LSU HSC-S hospitals: means all the health care institutions set forth in Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:1519.1
• Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans: means Charity Hospital and the Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans including University Hospital at New Orleans. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:1519.1
• Medically indigent: means any person whose income is below two hundred percent of the federal poverty level and who is uninsured. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:1519.1
• Organization: means corporation, government or governmental subdivision or agency, trust, estate, partnership, cooperative, or association. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 9:3516
• Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
• Patient: means a natural person who receives health care from a licensed health care provider. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 13:3734
• Performance expectations: means the elements of effective leadership approved by the board that shall be included as evaluation criteria for all building-level administrators. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:3882
• Person: means an individual, corporation, partnership, trust, association, joint venture pool, syndicate, sole proprietorship, unincorporated organization, or any other form of entity not specifically listed herein. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 9:3573.2
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• Petit jury: A group of citizens who hear the evidence presented by both sides at trial and determine the facts in dispute. Federal criminal juries consist of 12 persons. Federal civil juries consist of six persons.
• PIPS: means units by which the effort and quality of improvement activities are measured. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:3602
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• Plan: means an uncompleted professional improvement program. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:3602
• Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
• Plea agreement: An arrangement between the prosecutor, the defense attorney, and the defendant in which the defendant agrees to plead guilty in exchange for special considerations. ^Source:
• 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}
• Precedent: A court decision in an earlier case with facts and law similar to a dispute currently before a court. Precedent will ordinarily govern the decision of a later similar case, unless a party can show that it was wrongly decided or that it differed in some significant way.
• Presiding officer: A majority-party Senator who presides over the Senate and is charged with maintaining order and decorum, recognizing Members to speak, and interpreting the Senate's rules, practices and precedents.
• Principal: means the amount financed or amount deferred under a consumer credit transaction. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 9:3516
• Pro se: A Latin term meaning "on one's own behalf"; in courts, it refers to persons who present their own cases without lawyers.
• Probate: Proving a will
• Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
• Program: means a completed five-year professional improvement program, or refers to the subject of this Chapter. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:3602
• Public defender: Represent defendants who can't afford an attorney in criminal matters.
• Public document: means informational matter, for public distribution regardless of format, method of reproduction, source, or copyright, originating in or produced with the imprint of, by the authority of, or at the total or partial expense of, any state agency. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 25:121.1
• Public law: A public bill or joint resolution that has passed both chambers and been enacted into law. Public laws have general applicability nationwide.
• 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.
• Remand: When an appellate court sends a case back to a lower court for further proceedings.
• Representative: means the spouse, parent, tutor, curator, trustee, attorney or other legal agent of the patient. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 13:3734
• Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
• Secretary: means the secretary of the commission. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 23:1
• State agency: means an office, department, board, bureau, commission, council, institution, college or university, division, officer, or other person or group within the executive, judicial, or legislative branch of state government that is authorized to exercise or that exercises any of the functions of the government of the state of Louisiana. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 25:121.1
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Subpoena duces tecum: A command to a witness to produce documents.
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• system: means and refers to the programs and institutions under the jurisdiction of the respective management boards for postsecondary education created by or under authority of the Constitution of Louisiana. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:3202
• Teacher: means any public school classroom teacher, librarian, school counselor, secondary vocational instructor, principal, assistant principal, or other personnel for whom a valid Louisiana teaching certificate is required for employment; any teacher in an institution which offers thirteenth and fourteenth grade instruction; any speech therapist who possesses a valid Louisiana ancillary certificate issued by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education; and any instructor seeking to continue in the program who has been transferred from the Department of Public Safety and Corrections to vocational-technical schools under the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:3602
• Testify: Answer questions in court.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Transcript: A written, word-for-word record of what was said, either in a proceeding such as a trial or during some other conversation, as in a transcript of a hearing or oral deposition.
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• University Hospital Shreveport: means Louisiana State University Hospital Shreveport, which merged with the LSU Health Sciences Center at Shreveport pursuant to Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:1519.1
• Verdict: The decision of a petit jury or a judge.
• Voir dire: The process by which judges and lawyers select a petit jury from among those eligible to serve, by questioning them to determine knowledge of the facts of the case and a willingness to decide the case only on the evidence presented in court. "Voir dire" is a phrase meaning "to speak the truth."
• Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.