De Facto is a legal term meaning "in fact" or "in reality", which is used to qualify many legal concepts, even when the formal legal requirements have not been met. De facto law refers to a legal practice or formality that is not specifically...
ACADEMIC TOPICS
de facto segregation
De facto segregation was a term used during the 1960s racial integration efforts in schools, to describe a situation in which legislation did not overtly segregate students by race, but nevertheless school segregation continued. In Balsbaugh...
de novo
De novo is a Latin term that means "anew," "from the beginning," or "afresh." When a court hears a case “de novo,” it is deciding the issues without reference to any legal conclusion or assumption made by the previous court to hear the case....
dead man's statute
A dead man's statute states that in a civil action, a party with an interest in the litigation may not testify against a dead party about communications with the dead party. In Larkin v. Metz, 398 Pa.Super. 235, the court noted that the “...
deadhand control
Deadhand control refers to individuals controlling how their property will be used after their death through different mechanisms. Historically, deadhand control has been criticized and limited as wealthy individuals attempted to make their...
death penalty
The death penalty is the state-sanctioned punishment of executing an individual for a specific crime. Congress, as well as any state legislature, may prescribe the death penalty, also known as capital punishment, for crimes considered capital...
debit card
A debit card is a card issued by a bank that allows the cardholder to purchase goods and services. A debit card also allows the cardholder to withdraw money from his/her bank account through an ATM, like an ATM card. A debit card functions...
debtor and creditor
Debtor-creditor law governs situations where one party, known as the debtor, is unable to pay a monetary debt to another, known as the creditor. Debtor-creditor law typically plays out through bankruptcy proceedings.
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debtor in possession
A debtor in possession (DIP) is an individual or corporation that has filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code and holds property or assets which can be used to satisfy creditor claims. The debtor in possession...
deceit
Deceit is most commonly seen as the key element of the tort of fraud. Though primarily a common law concept, deceit is sometimes defined by states in either criminal or civil statutes. For example:
In New Jersey, "The term 'deceive'...