LEGAL GLOSSARY
F
false
arrest - Any unlawful physical restraint of another's
personal liberty, whether or not carried out by a peace officer.
false pretenses - Representation
of some fact or circumstance which is not true and is calculated to mislead,
whereby a person obtains another's money or goods.
fee simple absolute - The
most complete, unlimited form of ownership of real property.
felony - A
crime punishable by death or imprisonment for a term of not less than one
year, and the crime is of a more serious nature than a misdemeanor.
fiduciary
- A person who has assumed a special relationship to another person or
another person's property, such as a trustee, administrator, executor, lawyer,
or guardian. The fiduciary must exercise the highest degree or care to maintain
and preserve the person's rights and/or property which are within his/her
charge.
Fifth Amendment
- Among other
right, the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees that a person
cannot be compelled to present self-incriminating testimony in a criminal
proceeding.
fine - A sum of money paid
as part of a penalty of conviction for a particular criminal offense.
first appearance - A proceeding in a felony case in which the defendants
come before the magistrate and are informed of the charges against them and
of their rights to a preliminary hearing, to counsel and to bail. No plea
is asked for at this state.
forcible entry and detainee - Ordinarily refers to a summary proceeding
for restoring possession of land to one who has been wrongfully deprived of
possession.
foreclosure
- A termination of all rights of the mortgagor or his grantee in the property
covered by the mortgage.
forgery - The false making or material altering, with intent
to defraud, of any writing which, if genuine, might be the foundation of a
legal liability.
foundation - In
a trial, a foundation must be laid to establish the basis for the admissibility
of certain types of evidence. For example, an expert witnesses' qualifications
must be shown before expert testimony will be admissible.
Fourteenth Amendment - Among
other matters, the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits states
from depriving any person of life, liberty, or property without adequate due
process.
fraud - An intentional perversion of truth; deceitful practice or device
resorted to with intent to deprive another of property or other right.