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]
courts
abate
Abate is to eliminate or nullify.
The term is often used in relation to the elimination of a nuisance. For example, California Civil Code § 3491 provides that one of the “remedies against a public nuisance [is] abatement.”...
abatement
Abatement is the act of reducing or nullifying something. Multiple subjects throughout law are subject to abatement and the term appears in many locations.
In property law, abatement refers to a reduction in property taxes a...
abscond
Abscond means leaving a jurisdiction secretly or suddenly, e.g. to avoid service of process, arrest, or prosecution; or leaving with another person's money or property. Absconding is generally a criminal offense which may lead to imprisonment...
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....
absolute privilege
Absolute privilege, in defamation cases, refers to the fact that in certain circumstances, an individual is immune from liability for defamatory statements.
Absolute privilege applies to statements made in certain contexts...
abstention
The abstention doctrine is an authority that precludes federal courts from hearing cases within its jurisdictions, instead, giving state courts authority over the case. The policy behind this doctrine is rooted in federalism, and the interest...
abstract
Abstract refers to an abbreviated history of an official record. Some common usages of the term “abstract” in a legal sense include:
“Abstract of title” merely recites what the land records disclose without giving opinion or advice...abstract of record
An abstract of record is a summary of a trial that offers the key details for the appellate court to consider, such as the facts, all proceedings in the case to date, the trial court's decision, and the legal issues to be determined. To...
abuse
Abuse is an action that intentionally causes harm or injures another person. This can refer to physical abuse, psychological abuse, mental abuse, or child abuse (see below).
Abuse is also to misuse something - e.g., abuse...