The Aguilar-Spinelli test is a legal standard used in the United States to evaluate the validity of a search warrant based on information provided by an informant. It stems from two U.S. Supreme Court cases: Aguilar v. Texas and Spinelli v....
legal practice/ethics
707(b) action
707(b) action is defined in Chapter 7 of the United States Bankruptcy code as a motion by court, the United States trustee, the trustee, the administrator, or any party in interest to dismiss a debtor’s case on the ground that granting a...
a.k.a.
A.K.A. is the abbreviation of “also known as.” It is often used to specify a party’s aliases or nicknames in a case.
[Last updated in June of 2022 by the Wex Definitions Team]
ABA
ABA is an abbreviation for American Bar Association (ABA).
[Last updated in June of 2022 by the Wex Definitions Team]
abandoned property
Abandoned property is defined as personal property left by an owner who intentionally relinquishes all rights to its control. Real property may not be abandoned; see adverse possession.
Overview:At common law, a person...
abandonment (of trademark)
Abandonment of a trademark occurs when the owner of the trademark deliberately ceases to use the trademark for three or more years, with no intention of using the trademark again in the future. When a trademark is abandoned, the trademark...
abatement ab initio
Abatement ab initio is a rule in criminal law which negates a conviction if the defendant died before they could exhaust all appeals. In People v. Mount, a California Court of Appeals described the rule as dismissing or remanding a criminal...
abatement clause
An abatement clause is defined as a provision in a lease agreement that releases the tenant from paying rent if an act of God makes occupancy impossible or otherwise precludes the property from being used.
See also:...
absolute disparity
Absolute disparity is a calculation used to analyze a claim that a jury pool did not represent a fair cross-section of the community. For instance, a jury pool that is composed of only white jurors in a community that is predominantly Black....
accomplice
An accomplice is defined as a person who knowingly, voluntarily, or intentionally gives assistance to another in (or in some cases fails to prevent another from) the commission of a crime. An accomplice is criminally liable to the same extent...