Terms Used In Oregon Statutes > Chapter 51 - Justice Courts; Jurisdiction

• Accessory building or structure: means any portable, demountable or permanent structure, including but not limited to cabanas, ramadas, storage sheds, garages, awnings, carports, decks, steps, ramps, piers and pilings, that is:

  (a) Owned and used solely by a tenant of a manufactured dwelling or floating home; or

  (b) Provided pursuant to a written rental agreement for the sole use of and maintenance by a tenant of a manufactured dwelling or floating home. See Oregon Statutes 90.100

• Acquittal:
  1. Judgement that a criminal defendant has not been proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
  2. A verdict of "not guilty."
   
• Action: includes recoupment, counterclaim, setoff, suit in equity and any other proceeding in which rights are determined, including an action for possession. See Oregon Statutes 90.100
• Adjourn: A motion to adjourn a legislative chamber or a committee, if passed, ends that day's session.
• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Annuity: A periodic (usually annual) payment of a fixed sum of money for either the life of the recipient or for a fixed number of years. A series of payments under a contract from an insurance company, a trust company, or an individual. Annuity payments are made at regular intervals over a period of more than one full year.
• Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
• Arraignment: A proceeding in which an individual who is accused of committing a crime is brought into court, told of the charges, and asked to plead guilty or not guilty.
• Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
• Attorney: includes an associate member of the Oregon State Bar practicing law within the member's approved scope of practice. See Oregon Statutes 90.100
• Bankruptcy: Refers to statutes and judicial proceedings involving persons or businesses that cannot pay their debts and seek the assistance of the court in getting a fresh start. Under the protection of the bankruptcy court, debtors may discharge their debts, perhaps by paying a portion of each debt. Bankruptcy judges preside over these proceedings.
• 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}
• Bias crime: has the meaning given that term in ORS § 147. See Oregon Statutes 90.100
• Building and housing codes: includes any law, ordinance or governmental regulation concerning fitness for habitation, or the construction, maintenance, operation, occupancy, use or appearance of any premises or dwelling unit. See Oregon Statutes 90.100
• Chief judge: The judge who has primary responsibility for the administration of a court but also decides cases; chief judges are determined by seniority.
• Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
• Conduct: means the commission of an act or the failure to act. See Oregon Statutes 90.100
• Continuance: Putting off of a hearing ot trial until a later time.
• Counterclaim: A claim that a defendant makes against a plaintiff.
• Credit report: A detailed report of an individual's credit history prepared by a credit bureau and used by a lender in determining a loan applicant's creditworthiness. ^{Source: OCC}
• Dealer: means any person in the business of selling, leasing or distributing new or used manufactured dwellings or floating homes to persons who purchase or lease a manufactured dwelling or floating home for use as a residence. See Oregon Statutes 90.100
• Decedent: A deceased person.
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
• Docket: A log containing brief entries of court proceedings.
• Donee: The recipient of a gift.
• Donor: The person who makes a gift.
• Drug and alcohol free housing: means a dwelling unit described in ORS § 90. See Oregon Statutes 90.100
• Dwelling unit: means a structure or the part of a structure that is used as a home, residence or sleeping place by one person who maintains a household or by two or more persons who maintain a common household. See Oregon Statutes 90.100
• 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.
• 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}
• Escheat: Reversion of real or personal property to the state when 1) a person dies without leaving a will and has no heirs, or 2) when the property (such as a bank account) has been inactive for a certain period of time. ^{Source: OCC}
• Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
• Executive session: A portion of the Senate's daily session in which it considers executive business.
• Extradition: The formal process of delivering an accused or convicted person from authorities in one state to authorities in another state.
• Facility: means a manufactured dwelling park or a marina. See Oregon Statutes 90.100
• Fair Credit Reporting Act: A federal law, established in 1971 and revised in 1997, that gives consumers the right to see their credit records and correct any mistakes. ^{Source: OCC}
• Fair Debt Collection Practices Act: The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act is a set of United States statutes added as Title VIII of the Consumer Credit Protection Act. Its purpose is to ensure ethical practices in the collection of consumer debts and to provide consumers with an avenue for disputing and obtaining validation of debt information in order to ensure the information's accuracy. It is often used in conjunction with the Fair Credit Reporting Act. ^{Source: OCC}
• 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.
• Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation: A government corporation that insures the deposits of all national and state banks that are members of the Federal Reserve System. ^{Source: OCC}
• Fee: means a nonrefundable payment of money. See Oregon Statutes 90.100
• Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
• Finance charge: The total cost of credit a customer must pay on a consumer loan, including interest. The Truth in Lending Act requires disclosure of the finance charge. ^{Source: OCC}
• 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 term tenancy: means a tenancy that has a fixed term of existence, continuing to a specific ending date and terminating on that date without requiring further notice to effect the termination. See Oregon Statutes 90.100
• Floating home: has the meaning given that term in ORS § 830. See Oregon Statutes 90.100
• 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}
• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• Gender identity: means an individual's gender-related identity, appearance, expression or behavior, regardless of whether the identity, appearance, expression or behavior differs from that associated with the gender assigned to the individual at birth. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
• Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
• Good faith: means honesty in fact in the conduct of the transaction concerned. See Oregon Statutes 90.100
• 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}
• Informal dispute resolution: includes voluntary consultation between the landlord or landlord's agent and one or more tenants or voluntary mediation utilizing the services of a third party, but does not include mandatory mediation or arbitration. See Oregon Statutes 90.100
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• Intangible property: Property that has no intrinsic value, but is merely the evidence of value such as stock certificates, bonds, and promissory notes.
• Interest rate: The amount paid by a borrower to a lender in exchange for the use of the lender's money for a certain period of time. Interest is paid on loans or on debt instruments, such as notes or bonds, either at regular intervals or as part of a lump sum payment when the issue matures. ^{Source: OCC}
• Intestate: Dying without leaving a will.
• Invitation to bid: means all documents, whether attached or incorporated by reference, used for soliciting bids. See Oregon Statutes 279B.005
• Irrevocable trust: A trust arrangement that cannot be revoked, rescinded, or repealed by the grantor.
• Joint committee: Committees including membership from both houses of teh legislature. Joint committees are usually established with narrow jurisdictions and normally lack authority to report legislation.
• Landlord: includes a person who is authorized by the owner, lessor or sublessor to manage the premises or to enter into a rental agreement. See Oregon Statutes 90.100
• 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.
• Manufactured dwelling: includes an accessory building or structure. See Oregon Statutes 90.100
• Manufactured dwelling park: means a place where four or more manufactured dwellings are located, the primary purpose of which is to rent space or keep space for rent to any person for a charge or fee. See Oregon Statutes 90.100
• Month-to-month tenancy: means a tenancy that automatically renews and continues for successive monthly periods on the same terms and conditions originally agreed to, or as revised by the parties, until terminated by one or both of the parties. See Oregon Statutes 90.100
• National Credit Union Administration: The federal regulatory agency that charters and supervises federal credit unions. (NCUA also administers the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund, which insures the deposits of federal credit unions.) ^{Source: OCC}
• Nolo contendere: No contest-has the same effect as a plea of guilty, as far as the criminal sentence is concerned, but may not be considered as an admission of guilt for any other purpose.
• Organization: includes a corporation, government, governmental subdivision or agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership or association, two or more persons having a joint or common interest, and any other legal or commercial entity. See Oregon Statutes 90.100
• Owner: includes a mortgagee in possession and means one or more persons, jointly or severally, in whom is vested:

  (a) All or part of the legal title to property; or

  (b) All or part of the beneficial ownership and a right to present use and enjoyment of the premises. See Oregon Statutes 90.100

• Person: includes an individual or organization. See Oregon Statutes 90.100
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• Pleadings: Written statements of the parties in a civil case of their positions. In the federal courts, the principal pleadings are the complaint and the answer.
• 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}
• Prepaid rent: means any payment of money to the landlord for a rent obligation not yet due. See Oregon Statutes 90.100
• Probate: Proving a will
• public notice: means any legal publication which requires an affidavit of publication as required in ORS § 193. See Oregon Statutes 174.104
• Recreational vehicle: has the meaning given that term in ORS § 174. See Oregon Statutes 90.100
• Rent: means any payment to be made to the landlord under the rental agreement, periodic or otherwise, in exchange for the right of a tenant and any permitted pet to occupy a dwelling unit to the exclusion of others and to use the premises. See Oregon Statutes 90.100
• Rental agreement: includes a lease. See Oregon Statutes 90.100
• 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).
• Request for proposals: means all documents, whether attached or incorporated by reference, used for soliciting proposals. See Oregon Statutes 279B.005
• Revocable trust: A trust agreement that can be canceled, rescinded, revoked, or repealed by the grantor (person who establishes the trust).
• Screening or admission criteria: means a written statement of any factors a landlord considers in deciding whether to accept or reject an applicant and any qualifications required for acceptance. See Oregon Statutes 90.100
• Security deposit: means a refundable payment or deposit of money, however designated, the primary function of which is to secure the performance of a rental agreement or any part of a rental agreement. See Oregon Statutes 90.100
• 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: has the meaning given that term in ORS § 147. See Oregon Statutes 90.100
• Sexual orientation: means an individual's actual or perceived heterosexuality, homosexuality or bisexuality. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
• Stalking: means the behavior described in ORS § 163. See Oregon Statutes 90.100
• Statement of policy: means the summary explanation of information and facility policies to be provided to prospective and existing tenants under ORS § 90. See Oregon Statutes 90.100
• Statute of limitations: A law that sets the time within which parties must take action to enforce their rights.
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• Surrender: means an agreement, express or implied, as described in ORS § 90. See Oregon Statutes 90.100
• Testate: To die leaving a will.
• Testator: A male person who leaves a will at death.
• Truth in Lending Act: The Truth in Lending Act is a federal law that requires lenders to provide standardized information so that borrowers can compare loan terms. In general, lenders must provide information on ^{Source: OCC}
• Venue: The geographical location in which a case is tried.
• Verdict: The decision of a petit jury or a judge.
• Week-to-week tenancy: means a tenancy that has all of the following characteristics:

  (a) Occupancy is charged on a weekly basis and is payable no less frequently than every seven days;

  (b) There is a written rental agreement that defines the landlord's and the tenant's rights and responsibilities under this chapter; and

  (c) There are no fees or security deposits, although the landlord may require the payment of an applicant screening charge, as provided in ORS § 90. See Oregon Statutes 90.100