1181. Ad Valorem
Latin for "based on value," which generally applies to property taxes based on a percentage of the county's assessment of the property's value.
1182. Ad Seriatim
Latin for "one after another"
1183. Ad Litem
From Latin, "for the purposes of the legal action only;" most often the term that applies to a parent who files a lawsuit for his or her minor child as "guardian at litem" (guardian just for the purposes of legal action, or a lawsuit)
1184. Ad Hoc
From Latin, meaning "for this purpose only;" thus, an ad hoc committee is formed to serve a specific purpose; an ad hoc attorney is hired to handle one problem and often is a specialist in a particular area.
1185. Actual Notice
Having been informed directly of something or having seen it occur, as distinguished from constructive notice.
1186. Actual Controversy
A true legal dispute which leads to a genuine lawsuit rather than merely a "cooked up" legal action filed to get a court to give the equivalent of an advisory opinion.
1187. Actionable
When enough facts or circumstances exist to meet the legal requirements to file a legitimate lawsuit; if the facts required to prove a case cannot be alleged in the complaint, the case is not "actionable" and the client and his/her attorney should not file a suit; whether many cases are actionable is a matter of judgment and interpretation of the facts and law; if a case is filed which is clearly not actionable, it may result in a lawsuit against the filer of the original suit for malicious prosecution by the defendant after he/she has won the original suit.
1188. Action
A lawsuit in which one party (or parties) sue(s) another.
1189. Act Of God
unpreventable natural catastrophe, such as; an earthquake, tidal wave, volcanic eruption, hurricane, or tornado; an act of God is determined on two grounds: 1) the extent of damage and chaos they wreak 2) the impingement on established contracts, which often state that "acts of God" are admissible excuses for delay or failure to fulfill a commitment; many insurance policies exempt coverage for damage caused by acts of God.
1190. Act
statutory plan passed by Congress or any legislature which is a bill until enacted and becomes law 2) (v.) a court offering a decision or ruling on a motion or petition