Latin for Lawyers

SUICIDE

SUICIDE [L. sui , suus / reflexive pronoun him, her, its, their; himself, herself, yourself, themselves + caedo , caedere / to cut down, kill] The act of taking one’s own life intentionally and while in sound mind. A person who ends his own life. Assisted suicide is the act of a doctor, relative or friend in helping a person to end his life when that person is terminally ill and close to death. Assisted suicide usually involves handing the patient a drug which he administers himself, but it may also involve the administering of the drug directly by the doctor or relative. A suicide clause in a life insur ance policy is a provision limiting the liability of the carrier to the payment of net premiums in the event of suicide by the assured. SUI GENERIS [L. sui + genus , generis / class, kind] Of its own kind. Unique; in a class by itself. Different from others. SUI JURIS [L. sui + ius , iuris / right, law] Of his own right; a term used to describe one who is no longer dependent upon others, e.g., one who has reached the age of majority. Possessing the legal capacity to act in one’s own behalf. Enjoying all the rights of citizens, including the right to vote. SUITOR [L. sequor , sequi / to follow] Anyone who asks, entreats or petitions. A man who asks a woman to marry him. Anyone who applies or works to take over a business. A party to a law suit. SUMMARY [L. superus , supremus , summus / the highest] A statement setting forth a collection of facts or data. A compendium of points made in a document or speech. Short, concise. Reduced to fewer words. Completed expeditiously and without delay. Done without the usual formalities and procedures. A summary court-martial is the lowest form of military court-martial. It is heard by a single commissioned officer and deals only with petty offenses by non-commissioned personnel. Summary distribu tion is an expedited form of distribution which is utilized when the assets of an estate are sufficient only to pay superior claims (such as statutory shares). A summary proceeding is a proceeding, e.g., a landlord’s dispossess action, conducted without the usual formalities (usually without a jury) and with the intent of obtaining speedy disposition of a matter. Summary judgment is a judgment granted on motion when the pleadings and other papers in an action establish that there is no triable issue of fact and that the moving party is enti tled to judgment on the facts before the court, as a matter of law. Under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, a summary judgment motion may be made at any time after 20 days following commencement of the action.

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