in aequali manu (in ee-kway-lIman-yoo). [Law Latin] In equal hand. • This phrase refers to property held indifferently between two parties, as when the parties to an instrument deposit it in the hands of a neutral third person. — Also termed in aequa manu.
privy (priv-ee), n. pl. A person having a legal interest of privity in any action, matter, or property; a person who is in privity with another. • Traditionally, there were six types of privies: (1) privies in blood, such as an heir and an ancestor; (2) privies in representation, such as an executor and a
A person authorized to accept service of process for another person, esp. a corporation, in a particular jurisdiction. — Also termed resident agent. [Cases: Corporations 507(5), 668(4); Process 58. C.J.S. Corporations §§ 728, 954–956; Process § 39.]
A bill that authorizes governmental expenditures. • The federal government cannot spend money unless Congress has appropriated the funds. U.S. Const. art. I, § 9, cl. 7. — Also termed spending bill. See APPROPRIATION(2), (3). [Cases: United States 85. C.J.S. United States §§ 156–158.]
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duplicate (d[y]oo-pli-kit), n. 1. A reproduction of an original document having the same particulars and effect as the original. See Fed. R. Evid. 101(4). 2. A new original, made to replace an instrument that is lost or destroyed. — Also termed (in sense 2) duplicate original. [Cases: Criminal Law 399; Evidence 173. C.J.S. Evidence §§
Hist. The legal termination of a particular marriage, enacted by the legislature rather than by a court. • In the 18th century, Colonial American legislatures granted these special statutes. In 1816, the House of Burgesses of Virginia granted a divorce to Rachel Robards Jackson, the wife of then President Andrew Jackson, from a former spouse.
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survey, n. 1. A general consideration of something; appraisal (a survey of the situation). 2. The measuring of a tract of land and its boundaries and contents; a map indicating the results of such measurements (the lender requires a survey of the property before it will issue a loan). government survey. A survey made by
garnishment, n. 1. A judicial proceeding in which a creditor (or potential creditor) asks the court to order a third party who is indebted to or is bailee for the debtor to turn over to the creditor any of the debtor’s property (such as wages or bank accounts) held by that third party. • A
swap, n. Commercial law. 1. An exchange of one security for another. 2. A financial transaction between two parties, usu. involving an intermediary or dealer, in which payments or rates are exchanged over a specified period and according to specified conditions. currency swap. An agreement to swap specified payment obligations denominated in one currency for
defensor fidei (di-fen-s[schwa]r fI-dee-I), n. [Latin “defender of the faith”] Hist. A unique title of the sovereign of England, first granted by Pope Leo X to Henry VIII for writing against Martin Luther. • The Pope later withdrew the title because of Henry’s harsh regulation of the church, but the title was again bestowed on