Terms Used In Louisiana Revised Statutes > Title 46 > Chapter 28 - Protection From Family Violence Act

• Adult: means any person eighteen years of age or older, or any person under the age of eighteen who has been emancipated by marriage or otherwise. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 46:2132
• 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.
• Agency: means any governing body employing persons in the public school system. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:1002
• Allegation: something that someone says happened.
• 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 of Trustees: means the board provided to administer the retirement system. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:1002
• bonds: means any bonds, notes, warrants, certificates of indebtedness, certificates of participation or other written contracts, agreements, or instruments evidencing the obligation of a governmental entity to repay borrowed money, regardless of the designation thereof. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:503
• Caucus: From the Algonquian Indian language, a caucus meant "to meet together." An informal organization of members of the legislature that exists to discuss issues of mutual concern and possibly to perform legislative research and policy planning for its members. There are regional, political or ideological, ethnic, and economic-based caucuses.
• Continuance: Putting off of a hearing ot trial until a later time.
• Court: shall mean any court of competent jurisdiction in the state of Louisiana. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 46:2132
• Creditable service: means "prior service" plus "in service" plus "membership service" for which credit is allowable as provided in Part III of this Chapter. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:1002
• Dating partner: means any person protected from violence under Louisiana Revised Statutes 46:2132
• Department: means the Department of Children and Family Services or the Louisiana Department of Health. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 46:1
• Domestic abuse: includes but is not limited to physical or sexual abuse and any offense against the person, physical or non-physical, as defined in the Criminal Code of Louisiana, except negligent injury and defamation, committed by one family member, household member, or dating partner against another. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 46:2132
• Employee: means any person legally occupying a position as a school bus driver who actually renders a service by driving a school bus during the full time of his employment, a school janitor, a school custodian, a school maintenance employee, school bus aide, monitor or attendant, or other regular school employee who actually works on a school bus helping with the transportation of school children, and who is a legal employee of a parish or city school board of the state of Louisiana, and shall include the employees of this system. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:1002
• Family members: means spouses, former spouses, parents and children, stepparents, stepchildren, foster parents, foster children, other ascendants, and other descendants. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 46:2132
• Family or household members: means spouses, former spouses, parents, children, stepparents, stepchildren, foster parents, and foster children. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 46:2121.1
• Family violence: means any assault, battery, or other physical abuse which occurs between family or household members, who reside together or who formerly resided together. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 46:2121.1
• Governing authority: means the elected or appointed body that exercises the legislative functions of a parish, municipality, school board, school district, or other political subdivision, including:

              (a) A sheriff in the case of a law enforcement district. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:503

• Governmental entity: means any parish, municipality, school board, school district, or other political subdivision of the state, other than the city of New Orleans and its agencies, boards, authorities, and commissions, and other than the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:503
• Household members: means any person presently or formerly living in the same residence with the defendant and who is involved or has been involved in a sexual or intimate relationship with the defendant, or any child presently or formerly living in the same residence with the defendant, or any child of the defendant regardless of where the child resides. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 46:2132
• In forma pauperis: In the manner of a pauper. Permission given to a person to sue without payment of court fees on claim of indigence or poverty.
• Indigent: means any person who meets the state definition of indigent who would have qualified for indigent care in any general hospital owned and operated by the state of Louisiana prior to arrest and who is housed in any parish or municipal jail or detention facility or state prison, shall be treated in the nearest general hospital owned and operated by the state of Louisiana. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 46:17
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• Member: means any school employee, as defined in Paragraph (13) of this Section, as provided in Part II of this Chapter. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:1002
• Membership service: means service as an employee rendered while a member of the retirement system. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:1002
• Obligation: means an amount which a government may be required legally to meet out of its resources. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:2
• Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
• Recipient: means the person who has received assistance under this Title. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 46:1
• Retirement: means withdrawal from active service with a retirement allowance granted under the provisions of this Chapter. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:1002
• Retirement system: means the Louisiana School Employees Retirement System established and described in Louisiana Revised Statutes 11:1002
• Secretary: means the secretary of the Department of Children and Family Services or the Louisiana Department of Health. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 46:1
• 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.
• State: means the state of Louisiana. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 39:503
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.