courts and procedure

Abuse of discretion is a standard of review used by appellate courts to review decisions of lower courts.

• appellate practice
• APPELLATE PROCEDURE
• APPELLATE REVIEW
• ABUSE OF DISCRETION REVIEW

Abuse of process is a common law tort that involves the misuse of legal process(es) for an ulterior purpose. Abuse of process is one of several actionable offenses aimed at discouraging bad-faith litigation attempts.

Acceptance of service is defined as an agreement by the defendant (or the defendant's attorney) to accept papers or a complaint without having the papers served by a process server or a sheriff.  Acceptance of service is accomplished by signing a "receipt and

An accusation is informally stating that a person has committed an illegal or immoral act.

An accusatory instrument, similar to a criminal complaint, is a document which formally accuses a defendant of a criminal offense. Generally, this document must be signed by a party who has knowledge that the alleged criminal conduct took place. Failure to properly give the potential defendant an accusatory instrument can result in the case’s dismissal. 

• criminal law and procedure

Acknowledgment refers to a formal declaration before an official that one has executed a particular legal document. Some common usages of the term “acknowledgment” in a legal sense include: 

To acquit means to release or discharge a person from an obligation, burden, or accusation.

An acquittal is a resolution of some or all of the factual elements of the offense charged.

In a legal context, an act refers generally to the exercise of will expressed through conduct, or a formal expression of law. The term is used in both criminal law and legislative contexts.

An act of God refers to a severe, unanticipated natural event for which no human is responsible. Despite its facial religious connections, the phrase “act of God” is frequently used in otherwise secular statutory and case law.