Personal property left by an owner who intentionally relinquishes all rights to its control. Real property may not be abandoned. See Adverse Possession.
At common law, a person who finds abandoned property may...
wex articles
Abandoned Property
Abandoned property: an overview
Abnormally Dangerous Activity
DEFINITION
In tort law, an activity that (1) is not of common usage, and (2) creates a foreseeable and highly significant risk of physical harm even when reasonable care is exercised by all actors. See Restatement (Third) of Torts § 20(b) (2009). A...
Abortion
Abortion: an overview
In 1973, Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113, changed the legal status of abortion by striking down a Texas law that criminalized abortion except as a means of saving the mother’s life. The case pitted individual privacy rights against...
Abstention
Definition
A federal court's decision not to exercise jurisdiction over a case. The usual goal of abstention is the avoidance of needless conflict with a state court. See Federalism.
Abstention: an overviewAbstention is a doctrine under which...
Acceleration Clause
Definition
An accelerated clause is a term in a loan agreement that requires the borrower to pay off the loan immediately under certain conditions.
OverviewAn accelerated clause is typically invoked when the borrower materially breaches the loan...
Actual Innocence
Definition
An absence of facts required for conviction under a criminal statute. For example, a defendant accused of robbery who never illegally took anyone's property is actually innocent of the charge.
OverviewDefendants often claim...
Adhesion Contract (Contract of Adhesion)
Overview
An adhesion contract (also called a "standard form contract" or a "boilerplate contract") is a contract drafted by one party (usually a business with stronger bargaining power) and signed by another party (usually one with weaker...
Administrative Law
Definition
Branch of law governing the creation and operation of administrative agencies. Of special importance are the powers granted to administrative agencies, the substantive rules that such agencies make, and the legal relationships between...
Administrative Office of the United States Courts
The Administrative Office of the United States Courts (AO) is an administrative agency that is the central support entity for the judicial branch providing a wide range of administrative, legal, financial, management, program, and information...
Administrative Procedure Act
Definition
A federal statute that governs the procedures and practices of administrative law.
§ 3 of the APA, 5 USC § 552, addresses the procedural formalities that agencies must employ when making decisions. There is a distinction made...