Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws > Chapter 5-5 - Private Detective Act

• 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.
• Alkaline-manganese battery: means any dry cell battery containing manganese dioxide and zinc electrodes and an alkaline electrolyte. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-60.1-2
• 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.
• 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.
• Applicant: means any person who has applied for permission to engage in any act or activity that is regulated pursuant to the provisions of this chapter. See Rhode Island General Laws 5-5-2
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• 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.
• Computer forensic specialist: means a person who holds a professional certification as a computer examiner and who interprets, evaluates, tests, or analyzes preexisting data from computers, computer systems, networks, or other electronic media, provided to them by another person who owns, controls, or possesses the computer, computer system, network, or other electronic media. See Rhode Island General Laws 5-5-2
• Consumer: means an individual who purchases a vehicle battery for use, consumption, or any use other than resale;

  (2)  "Dealer" means every person in this state who engages in the sale of vehicle batteries;

  (3)  "Director" means the director of the department of environmental management;

  (4)  "Distributor" means every person who engages in the sale of vehicle batteries to a dealer in this state including any manufacturer who engages in such sales;

  (5)  "Manufacturer" means a person who manufactures vehicle batteries;

  (6)  "Person" means any person, firm, partnership, association, corporation, or organization of any kind whatsoever;

  (7)  "Vehicle" means every vehicle which is self-propelled and designed for carrying persons or property or which is used for the transportation of persons, including, but not limited to, buses, automobiles, truck, boats, motorcycles, farm, lawn and garden equipment, and snowmobiles;

  (8)  "Vehicle battery" means batteries used in any vehicle, or of a capacity of six (6) volts or more, and of one hundred fifty (150) pounds or less in weight, and like batteries in stationary uses. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-60-2

• Continuing care: means providing or committing to provide board, lodging, and nursing services to an individual, other than an individual related by blood or marriage: (i) pursuant to an agreement effective for the life of the individual or for a period in excess of one year, including mutually terminable contracts, and (ii) in consideration of the payment of an entrance fee and/or periodic charges. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-59-1
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• 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.
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Department: means the Rhode Island state department of health. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-59-1
• Dry cell battery: means all batteries in which the electrolyte is absorbed, gelled, or solidified such that the electrolyte is not a free-standing body of liquid. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-60.1-2
• Embezzlement: In most states, embezzlement is defined as theft/larceny of assets (money or property) by a person in a position of trust or responsibility over those assets. Embezzlement typically occurs in the employment and corporate settings. ^{Source: OCC}
• Entrance fee: means an initial or deferred transfer to a provider of a sum of money or other property made or promised to be made in advance or at some future time as full or partial consideration for acceptance of a specified individual as a resident in a facility. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-59-1
• 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.
• Facility: means the place or places in which a person undertakes to provide continuing care to an individual. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-59-1
• 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.
• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• in writing: include printing, engraving, lithographing, and photo-lithographing, and all other representations of words in letters of the usual form. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-16
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• 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.
• Lead-acid dry cell battery: means a battery containing a lead-acid system, generally used in rechargeable consumer products, and weighing less than twenty-five (25) pounds. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-60.1-2
• License: means any license required by this chapter. See Rhode Island General Laws 5-5-2
• Local licensing authority: means the town councils of license boards of the several towns, the mayor and city council or license bureau of a city. See Rhode Island General Laws 5-5-2
• 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}
• 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.
• 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: may be construed to extend to and include co-partnerships and bodies corporate and politic. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-6
• Private detective: means a person who is hired for the purpose of conducting investigations involving:

  (i)  Inquiries into unsolved crimes;

  (ii)  Clandestine surveillance;

  (iii)  The search for missing persons; and

  (iv)  The search for lost or stolen property. See Rhode Island General Laws 5-5-2

• Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
• Provider: means any person, corporation, partnership, or other entity that provides or offers to provide continuing care to any individual in an existing or proposed facility in this state. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-59-1
• Public law: A public bill or joint resolution that has passed both chambers and been enacted into law. Public laws have general applicability nationwide.
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
• Resident: means an individual entitled to receive continuing care in a facility. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-59-1
• seal: shall be construed to include an impression of the seal made with or without the use of wax or wafer on the paper. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-15
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• town: may be construed to include city; the words "town council" include city council; the words "town clerk" include city clerk; the words "ward clerk" include clerk of election district; the words "town treasurer" include city treasurer; and the words "town sergeant" include city sergeant. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-9
• United States: include the several states and the territories of the United States. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-8