public figure. A person who has achieved fame or notoriety or who has voluntarily become involved in a public controversy. • A public figure (or public official) suing for defamation must prove that the defendant acted with actual malice. New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254, 84 S.Ct. 710 (1964). — Also termed […]
perdonatio utlagariae (p[schwa]r-d[schwa]-nay-shee-oh [schwa]t-l[ schwa]-gair-ee-ee). [Law Latin “pardon of outlawry”] Hist. A pardon given to a person outlawed for failing to obey a court’s summons. • A person who voluntarily surrendered was eligible for this type of pardon.
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vis compulsiva (vis kom-p[schwa]l-sI-v[schwa]), n. [Latin “compulsive force”] Hist. Force exerted to compel another to do something involuntarily; menacing force exerted by terror.
issuer. 1. A person or entity (such as a corporation or bank) that issues securities, negotiable instruments, or letters of credit. 2. A bailee that issues negotiable or nonnegotiable documents of title. nonreporting issuer. An issuer not subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act because it (1) has not voluntarily become subject to
volenti non fit injuria (voh-len-tI non fit in-joor-ee-[schwa]). [Law Latin “to a willing person it is not wrong,” i.e., a person is not wronged by that to which he or she consents] The principle that a person who knowingly and voluntarily risks danger cannot recover for any resulting injury. • This is the type of
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good-samaritan law. A statute that exempts from liability a person (such as an off-duty physician) who voluntarily renders aid to another in imminent danger but negligently causes injury while rendering the aid. • Some form of good-samaritan legislation has been enacted in all 50 states and in the District of Columbia. — Also written Good
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waiver of counsel. A criminal defendant’s intentional relinquishment of the right to legal representation. • To be valid, a waiver of counsel must be made voluntarily, knowingly, and intelligently.
An adoption in which parental rights are terminated and legal custody is relinquished to an agency that finds and approves the adoptive parents. • An agency adoption can be either public or private. In all states, adoption agencies must be licensed, and in most they are nonprofit entities. Parents who voluntarily place a child for
sequestratio (see-kwes-tray-shee-oh), n. [Latin] Roman law. The depositing of an object in dispute with a holder, the sequester, either voluntarily or by court order. Pl. sequestrationes (see-kwes-tray-shee-oh-neez).
An accused person’s formal admission in court of having committed the charged offense. • A guilty plea is usu. part of a plea bargain. It must be made voluntarily, and only after the accused has been informed of and understands his or her rights. A guilty plea ordinarily has the same effect as a guilty