Creditor: Person to whom money, goods or services are owed by a debtor.
Crime
Crime: Act or omission forbidden by criminal law. The commission of a crime is punishable by a fine, imprisonment or some other form of punishment. Crimes are divided into minor offences (which may be tried in the District Court) and indictable offences, which are tried by a judge and jury in the Circuit Court or Central Criminal Court.
Cross-examination
Cross-examination: In a trial, each side calls its own witnesses and may also question the other side”s witnesses under oath. Examination-in-chief is the questioning of a party”s own witnesses cross-examination involves questioning the other side”s witnesses. A party may not put leading questions (which suggest the answer, or require a simple yes or no) to his own witness, but he may ask such questions in cross-examination.
Curtilage
Curtilage: Land around a dwelling house, used by the occupants for their enjoyment or work. Curtilage may be enclosed by fencing and includes any outhouses such as sheds, garages or workshops.
DAC
A certificate granted by a building control authority which certifies compliance, at design stage of non–domestic buildings and apartment blocks, with the requirements of Part M of the Second Schedule to the Building Regulations 1997 to 2009. With the exception of houses and certain agricultural buildings, a Disability Access Certificate is required for all new non-domestic buildings (including apartments and flats), material alterations and extensions to buildings and certain changes of use.
Damages
Damages: Financial compensation ordered by a court to offset losses or suffering caused by another person”s action or inaction. Damages are typically awarded in claims for breach of contract, negligence or breach of statutory duty.
De facto
De facto: (Latin: in fact) Something which exists in fact, though not necessarily approved by law (de jure). A common law spouse may be referred to as a de facto spouse, although not legally married.
De minimis non curat lex
De minimis non curat lex: (Latin: the law does not concern itself with trifles) A common law principle whereby very minor transgressions of the law are disregarded. Under the Consumer Information Act 1978, for example, a description must be false “to a material degree” to constitute an offence.
De novo
De novo: (Latin: anew) Used to refer to a trial which begins all over again, as if any previous partial or complete hearing had not occurred. A District Court appeal is heard by the Circuit Court de novo, with the court considering afresh all the law and facts.
Debtor
Debtor: Person who owes money, goods or services to a creditor. If a court judgment has been registered against the person owing the money, he is known as a judgment debtor.
