Abandon Abandonment definition and legal meaning

Abandon, Abandonment

To abandon is to intentionally and permanently give up, leave, surrender, desert or relinquish all interest and/or ownership in property, a home or other premises, an easement, a right of way, and even a spouse, family, or one's children.

Abandon is often used in situations to determine whether a tenant has left their apartment and the property in it with no intent to come back for it. In this situation a landlord can take over an apparently abandoned residence, however, the landlord must store anything that a tenant leaves behind and give notice to the tenant before selling the possessions which are left. 

To abandon children often means to have no contact and give no support for to the children for year or more.

Also see: Abandon - The Online Black's Law Dictionary

Ab initio legal meaning and definition

Ab initio

Ab initio is Latin for from the start.

a priori assumption definition and legal meaning

a priori assumption
pronounced: (ah-pree-ory)

A priori assumption is from Latin.  It means an assumption which is true without further proof or need to prove it. For example, It is assumed that cows eat grass. 

Keep in mind, however, that a priori assumption has a negative side: an a priori assumption made without question on the basis that no study or analysis is needed can be seen as mental laziness when the truth is not so certain.

a fortiori definition and legal meaning

A fortiori

pronounced:  (ah-for-she-ory) 

A fortiori is Latin for with even stronger reason.

A fortiori states that if one thing is true then it can be inferred that a second thing is even more certainly true. Thus, if Juan is too young to legally drink alcohol, then his younger brother Cain certainly is too young.

Alienation of Affections Law Dictionary Legal Meaning

Alienation of Affections

Alienation of Affections is the deliberate diversion of a person's affection away from a person, usually a spouse. The spouse has a right to expect affection. In most places, this is no longer recognized as a legal claim.

Generally, a person will convince someone's wife to leave their husband for themself. The husband will lose conjugal relations. In an alienation of affection claim, a deprived husband could sue the party that convinced the wife to leave in civil court. Almost every state has abolished this right to sue.