Terms Used In Louisiana Revised Statutes > Title 44 > Chapter 1 - Public Records

• Abuse: means causing or attempting to cause physical harm, placing another person in fear of physical harm, or causing another person to engage involuntarily in sexual activity by force, threat of force, or duress, when committed by any of the following:

  (a)  A person against such person's spouse. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 44:51

• 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.
• 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.
• Applicant: means a person or place of business that makes a formal application for a license, permit, certification, registration, or certificate issued pursuant to this Title. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 3:1
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Board: means the Louisiana Board of Animal Health augmented by the persons named in Louisiana Revised Statutes 3:663
• Board of trustees: means the board provided for in Part V of this Chapter to administer the retirement system. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:701
• Charter: means the charter for livestock market operations authorized under this Part. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 3:663
• Commissioner: means the Louisiana commissioner of agriculture and forestry. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 3:663
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• 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.
• Court reporter: A person who makes a word-for-word record of what is said in court and produces a transcript of the proceedings upon request.
• custodian: means the public official or head of any public body having custody or control of a public record, or a representative specifically authorized by him to respond to requests to inspect any such public records. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 44:1
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Dating relationship: means an intimate or sexual relationship. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 44:51
• Decedent: A deceased person.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Department: means the Department of Agriculture and Forestry. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 3:1
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Docket: A log containing brief entries of court proceedings.
• Donor: The person who makes a gift.
• Enrolled bill: The final copy of a bill or joint resolution which has passed both chambers in identical form. It is printed on parchment paper, signed by appropriate officials, and submitted to the President/Governor for signature.
• Entitlement: A Federal program or provision of law that requires payments to any person or unit of government that meets the eligibility criteria established by law. Entitlements constitute a binding obligation on the part of the Federal Government, and eligible recipients have legal recourse if the obligation is not fulfilled. Social Security and veterans' compensation and pensions are examples of entitlement programs.
• Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
• 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.
• Ex officio: Literally, by virtue of one's office.
• 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
• Expenses: means amounts represented by cash paid out or by obligations to pay cash or partly by each for maintaining and operating government services. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:2
• Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
• Fund: means an independent fiscal and accounting entity with a self-balancing set of accounts recording cash or other resources together with all related liabilities, obligations, reserves, and equities which are segregated for the purpose of carrying on specific activities or attaining certain objectives in accordance with regulations, restrictions, and limitations. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:2
• 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.
• 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.
• Lawsuit: A legal action started by a plaintiff against a defendant based on a complaint that the defendant failed to perform a legal duty, resulting in harm to the plaintiff.
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• Livestock: means cattle, buffalo, bison, oxen, and other bovine; horses, mules, donkeys, and other equine; sheep; goats; swine; domestic rabbits; fish, turtles, and other animals identified with aquaculture that are located in artificial reservoirs or enclosures that are both on privately owned property and constructed so as to prevent, at all times, the ingress and egress of fish life from public waters; imported exotic deer and antelope, elk, farm-raised white-tailed deer, farm-raised ratites, and other farm-raised exotic animals; chickens, turkeys, and other poultry; and animals placed under the jurisdiction of the commissioner of agriculture and forestry and any hybrid, mixture, or mutation of any such animal. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 3:663
• Livestock market: means any place, establishment or facility commonly known as a "buying station" "livestock market" "livestock auction market" "sales ring" "stockyard" or the like, operated for compensation or profit as a market for livestock, consisting of pens, or other enclosures, and their appurtenances, in which livestock are received, held, sold, or kept for sale or shipment. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 3:663
• 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.
• Physical address: means a residential street address, school address, or work address of a program participant. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 44:51
• 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.
• Program participant: means a person currently certified as a program participant under Louisiana Revised Statutes 44:51
• public body: means any branch, department, office, agency, board, commission, district, governing authority, political subdivision, or any committee, subcommittee, advisory board, or task force thereof, any other instrumentality of state, parish, or municipal government, including a public or quasi-public nonprofit corporation designated as an entity to perform a governmental or proprietary function, or an affiliate of a housing authority. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 44:1
• public records: except as otherwise provided in this Chapter or the Constitution of Louisiana. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 44:1
• Reporter: Makes a record of court proceedings and prepares a transcript, and also publishes the court's opinions or decisions (in the courts of appeals).
• Retirement: means withdrawal from active service with a retirement allowance granted under the provisions of this Chapter. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:701
• Retirement system: means the Teachers' Retirement System of Louisiana as defined in Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:701
• Service: means service as a teacher within the meaning of Paragraph (33) of this Section. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:701
• Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
• Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
• Sexual assault: means any of the acts defined as crimes in Louisiana Revised Statutes 44:51
• Stalking: means the acts defined as crimes in Louisiana Revised Statutes 44:51
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Substitute address: means an address designated to a program participant by the secretary of state. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 44:51
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
• Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.