Terms Used In Michigan Laws > Chapter 600 > Act 236 of 1961 > Chapter 49

• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Chief judge: The judge who has primary responsibility for the administration of a court but also decides cases; chief judges are determined by seniority.
• Commission: means the public service commission. See Michigan Laws 445.111
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• 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.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Do-not-call list: means a do-not-call list of consumers and their residential telephone numbers maintained by the commission, by a vendor designated by the commission, or by an agency of the federal government, under section 1a. See Michigan Laws 445.111
• employer: includes any person acting directly or indirectly in the interest of an employer in relation to an employee. See Michigan Laws 445.102
• 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.
• Existing customer: means an individual who has purchased goods or services from a person, who is the recipient of a voice communication from that person, and who either paid for the goods or services within the 12 months preceding the voice communication or has not paid for the goods and services at the time of the voice communication because of a prior agreement between the person and the individual. See Michigan Laws 445.111
• Federally insured depository institution: means a state or national bank, state or federal savings bank, state or federal savings and loan association, or state or federal credit union that holds deposits insured by an agency of the United States. See Michigan Laws 445.111
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• Fixed location: means a place of business where the seller or an agent, servant, employee, or solicitor of that seller primarily engages in the sale of goods or services of the same kind as would be sold at the residence of a buyer. See Michigan Laws 445.111
• Home solicitation sale: means a sale of goods or services of more than $25. See Michigan Laws 445.111
• in writing: shall be construed to include printing, engraving, and lithographing; except that if the written signature of a person is required by law, the signature shall be the proper handwriting of the person or, if the person is unable to write, the person's proper mark, which may be, unless otherwise expressly prohibited by law, a clear and classifiable fingerprint of the person made with ink or another substance. See Michigan Laws 8.3q
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• judgment: as used in this act , includes decree. See Michigan Laws 600.112
• 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.
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Mortgage loan: A loan made by a lender to a borrower for the financing of real property. ^{Source: OCC}
• National Bank: A bank that is subject to the supervision of the Comptroller of the Currency. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is a bureau of the U.S. Treasury Department. A national bank can be recognized because it must have "national" or "national association" in its name. ^{Source: OCC}
• panel: means a mediation panel selected pursuant to section 4905. See Michigan Laws 600.4901
• 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, firm, co-partnership, joint adventure, association, municipal or private corporation whether organized for profit or not, company, estate, trust, or any other group or combination acting as a unit, and the plural as well as the singular number, unless the intention to give a more limited meaning is disclosed by the context. See Michigan Laws 445.102
• Person: means an individual, partnership, corporation, limited liability company, association, governmental entity, or other legal entity. See Michigan Laws 445.111
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• Right of rescission: Right to cancel, within three business days, a contract that uses the home of a person as collateral, except in the case of a first mortgage loan. There is no fee to the borrower, who receives a full refund of all fees paid. The right of rescission is guaranteed by the Truth in Lending Act (TILA). ^{Source: OCC}
• sell: includes any sale, exchange, contract to sell, consignment for sale, shipment for sale, or other disposition. See Michigan Laws 445.102
• 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.
• shall not apply: means that the pertinent provision is not operative as to certain persons or things or in conjunction with a particular date or dates. See Michigan Laws 8.4c
• state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories belonging to the United States; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the district and territories. See Michigan Laws 8.3o
• subscriber: means a person residing in this state who has residential telephone service. See Michigan Laws 445.111
• Telephone solicitation: means any voice communication over a telephone for the purpose of encouraging the recipient of the call to purchase, rent, or invest in goods or services during that telephone call. See Michigan Laws 445.111
• Telephone solicitor: means any person doing business in this state who makes or causes to be made a telephone solicitation from within or outside of this state, including, but not limited to, calls made by use of automated dialing and announcing devices or by a live person. See Michigan Laws 445.111
• 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.
• Trust account: A general term that covers all types of accounts in a trust department, such as estates, guardianships, and agencies. ^{Source: OCC}
• United States: shall be construed to include the district and territories. See Michigan Laws 8.3o
• Vendor: means a person designated by the commission to maintain a do-not-call list under section 1a. See Michigan Laws 445.111
• Verdict: The decision of a petit jury or a judge.
• Written solicitation: means a postcard or other written notice delivered to a buyer's residence that requests that the buyer contact the seller or seller's agent by telephone to inquire about a good or service, unless the postcard or other written notice concerns a previous purchase or order or specifies the price of the good or service and accurately describes the good or service. See Michigan Laws 445.111