Legal Terms and Definitions

Glossary of Legal Terms

Testate One who has died leaving a will or one who has made a will. Plea The defendant's formal response to a criminal charge (guilty, not guilty, nolo contendere, not guilty by reason of insanity, and guilty and mentally ill). Indictment An accusation of a criminal offense made by a grand jury Allegation The assertion, declaration, or statement of a party to an action, made in a pleading, establishing what the party expects to prove. Corpus delicti - The substance or foundation of a crime; the substantial fact that a crime has been committed, e g., the corpse of a homicide victim, the charred remains of a burned house. Domicile That place where a person has his true and permanent home. A person may have several residences, but only one domicile Foreclosure A termination of all rights of the mortgagor or his grantee in the property covered by the mortgage. Intervention A proceeding in a civil suit by which a third person is permitted by the court to join as a party to the suit.

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