Terms Used In New York Laws > Transportation > Article 2-D - Utica Transit Authority

• Affirmed: In the practice of the appellate courts, the decree or order is declared valid and will stand as rendered in the lower court.
• Allegation: something that someone says happened.
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Authority: shall mean a public benefit corporation created by section forty-one of this Article -I of the general municipal law. See N.Y. Transportation Law 40
• Bequest: Property gifted by will.
• Capital project: shall mean the acquisition, construction, reconstruction or improvement of any omnibus, transportation or other omnibus transportation capital facility and real property and capital equipment used in connection therewith; including the preparation of feasibility studies, plans, specifications and estimates of cost therefor. See N.Y. Transportation Law 40
• 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.
• 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.
• Devise: To gift property by will.
• 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}
• 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.
• Federal project: shall mean a municipal project aided or financed in whole or in part by the federal government. See N.Y. Transportation Law 40
• Foreclosure: A legal process in which property that is collateral or security for a loan may be sold to help repay the loan when the loan is in default. ^{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.
• Governing body: shall mean (1) In a county, the county legislative body; (2) in a city, the board of aldermen, a common council, commission or other body vested by its charter or other law with jurisdiction to enact ordinances or local laws, except that in a city having a population of one million or more, if there be a board of estimate, the term "governing body" shall mean such board of estimate; (3) in a town, the town board; and, (4) in a village, the board of trustees. See N.Y. Transportation Law 40
• Government: shall include the state, municipality and the federal government, and any agency or instrumentality, corporate or otherwise, or any of them acting for and on behalf of the state, a municipality or the federal government. See N.Y. Transportation Law 40
• Grand jury: agreement providing that a lender will delay exercising its rights (in the case of a mortgage,
• 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.
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Majority leader: see Floor Leaders
• Minority leader: See Floor Leaders
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Mortgagee: The person to whom property is mortgaged and who has loaned the money.
• Municipal corporation: shall mean a city, town, village, or county not wholly contained within a city, special transportation district, public benefit corporation or other public corporation, or two or more of the foregoing acting jointly. See N.Y. Transportation Law 40
• Municipal project: shall mean any omnibus transportation capital project undertaken by a municipal corporation. See N.Y. Transportation Law 40
• Municipality: shall mean a city, town, village or county not wholly contained within a city. See N.Y. Transportation Law 40
• 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}
• Oath: A promise to tell the truth.
• 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.
• 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.
• Plan: shall mean a plan or undertaking to carry into effect any municipal project. See N.Y. Transportation Law 40
• Project: shall mean a specific work or improvement to effectuate all or any part of a plan. See N.Y. Transportation Law 40
• Property: shall mean both real and personal property. See N.Y. Transportation Law 40
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• Real Property: shall include lands, waters, rights in lands or waters, structures, franchises and interests in land, including lands under water, riparian rights, and air rights, and any and all other things and rights usually included within the said term and includes also any and all interests in such property less than full title, such as easements, permanent or temporary, rights-of-way, uses, leases, licenses and all other incorporeal heriditaments and every estate, interest or right legal or equitable. See N.Y. Transportation Law 40
• State: shall mean New York State. See N.Y. Transportation Law 40
• State Project: shall mean a municipal project aided or financed in whole or in part by the state. See N.Y. Transportation Law 40
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Testify: Answer questions in court.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Tort: A civil wrong or breach of a duty to another person, as outlined by law. A very common tort is negligent operation of a motor vehicle that results in property damage and personal injury in an automobile accident.
• Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
• Uniform Commercial Code: A set of statutes enacted by the various states to provide consistency among the states' commercial laws. It includes negotiable instruments, sales, stock transfers, trust and warehouse receipts, and bills of lading. ^{Source: OCC}
• Venue: The geographical location in which a case is tried.