Debtee: One who is owed money or other performance of obligation by a debtor.
Debtor: One who owes money or other performance of obligation to a creditor.
Declaration of intention: A preliminary naturalization statement made to an appropriate court by an alien announcing an intention of becoming a United States citizen and renouncing allegiance to any foreign power.
Decree: A declaration by a court announcing the legal consequences of the fact found. It is similar to a judgment.
Defendant: A person against whom recovery or relief is sought in a civil case or the accused in a criminal case.
Docket: Generally, a book containing brief entries describing all important acts of a court in the conduct of each case from inception to conclusion. The term also describes a book with a more specialized purpose such as a bar, civil, criminal, execution, judgment, or juvenile docket.
Donation Land Claim: In Oregon, land granted to persons who fulfilled the requirements of the Donation Land Claim Act of 1850. This act specified that citizens of the United States, or those who filed a declaration of intention prior to Dec. 1, 1850, and had resided upon or cultivated the land for four consecutive years, were granted a specified amount of acreage in the Oregon Territory.
Dower: Legal provisions made for a widow from her husband's property to support her and her children. The widow usually received an interest for the remainder of her life in one-third of the land and certain other property which her husband had acquired during the marriage.
Easement: The acquired or reserved right of use over the property of another. Examples include road and utility easements.
Equalization: The comparison and adjustment of the assessed value of property to better conform with real value for taxation purposes. The process is supervised by the county board of equalization.
Equity suit: A suit brought for the enforcement or protection of a private right or the prevention of or redress for an injury where there is no plain, adequate, and complete remedy at law. Essentially, judges were empowered to use equity or fairness to decide cases in which the law did not appear to address the issue at hand. Equity suits were abolished in Oregon in 1978.
Estate: The total property owned by a person at the time of death. It is distributed according to the terms of a will, if one exists, or by inheritance laws as applied in probate proceedings.
Execution: An action to carry into effect the directions of a decree or judgment. Typically, a writ of execution authorizes the sheriff or other officer to enforce the decision of the court.
Executor/Executrix: A person appointed by the testator (one who has made a will) to carry out the directions and requests of the will and distribute the property accordingly. See also Administrator/Administratrix.
Ex officio: Powers resulting from holding an office but not specifically conferred to an individual. For example, by virtue of office the county clerk serves as ex officio clerk to the county board of equalization.
Foreclosure: Legal process which deprives a mortgagor of interest in property, usually as a result of failure to make mortgage, judgment or tax payments.