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Legal Dictionary V
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Vagrant :
A tramp or homeless person. Vendor : The seller; the person selling.
Venue :
This has the same meaning as in everyday English except that in a
legal context it usually refers specifically to the location of a
judicial hearing. For example, if a criminal case has a very high media
profile in a particular city, the "venue" may change to another city to
ensure objective witnesses (i.e. that would not have been spoiled by
media speculation on the crime).
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Vehicle :
Any thing that is designed to transport persons or objects. A
bicycle has been held to be a vehicle.
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Verba fortius accipiuntur contra
proferentem :
Latin: a principle of construction whereby if words of a contract
are ambiguous, of two equally possible meanings, they should be
interpreted against the author of the words and not against the other
party.
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Verdict :
The decision of a jury. In criminal cases, this is usually expressed
as "guilty" or "not guilty".In a civil case, the verdict would be a
finding for the plaintiff or for the defendant.
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Videlicet :
Latin for "to wit" or "that is to say." "Viz.", which is the
abbreviation of videlicet, is much more commonly used. It is often found
in legal documents to advise that what follows provides more detail
about a preceding general statement. For example: "The defendant
committed adultery; viz., on April 15th, at approximately 10:30 pm, he
had sexual intercourse with Ms Jane Doe."
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Vis :
An abbreviation of the Latin word videlicet. Short for "namely" or
"that is to say."
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Vicarious liability :
When a person is held responsible for the tort of another even
though the person being held responsible may not have done anything
wrong. This is often the case with employers who are held vicariously
liable for the damages caused by their employees.
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Vir :
Latin: man or husband. Vir et uxor censentur in lege una persona is
an old (and long abandoned in most countries) legal principle meaning
that man and wife are considered to be one person in law.
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Void or void ab initio :
Not legally binding. A document that is void is useless and
worthless; as if it did not exist.For example, in many countries,
contracts for immoral purposes are said to be "void":unenforceable and
not recognized by the courts. A good example is a contract to commit a
serious crime such as murder.
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Voidable :
The law distinguishes between contracts which are void and those
which are voidable. Some contracts have such a latent defect that they
are said to be void (see definition of "void" above). Other have more
minor defects to them and are voidable at the option of the party
victimized by the defect. For example, contracts signed by a person when
they are totally drunk are voidable by that person upon recovering
sobriety.
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Voir dire :
A mini-hearing held during a trial on the admissibility of contested
evidence. For example, a defendant may object to a plaintiff's witness.
The court would suspend the trial, immediately preside over a hearing on
the standing of the proposed witness, and then resume the trial with or
without the witness, or with any restrictions placed on the testimony by
the judge as a result of the voir dire ruling. In a jury trial, the jury
would be excused during the voir dire.
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Volenti non fit injuria :
Voluntary assumption of risk. A defence in tort that means where a
person engages in an event accepting and aware of the risks inherent in
that event, then they can not later complain of, or seek compensation
for an injury suffered during the event. This is used most often to
defend against tort actions as a result of a sports injury.
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