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F

Legal definitions for terms and concepts beginning with F
Fair Comment
A comment made which though defamatory, is not actionable as it is an opinion on a matter of public interest. - (see definition)
Fair Market Value
The hypothetical most probable price that could be obtained for a property by average, informed purchasers. - (see definition)
Falsa Demonstratio Non Nacet
A wrong description of an item in a legal document (such as a will) will not necessarily void the gift if it can be determined from other facts. - (see definition)
Fascism
A form of government which is authoritarian, oppressively conservative, who believe in the supremacy of the stated national group, and which, at least initially, purports to vest law-making and administrative authority in the hands of workers or their organizations. - (see definition)
Federalism
A system of government which has created, by written agreement, a central and national government to which it has distributed specified legislative (law-making) powers, and called the federal government, and regional governments (or sometimes called provinces or states) governments to which is distributed other, specified legislative powers. - (see definition)
Fee simple
The most extensive tenure allowed under the intestate. In modern law, almost all land is held in fee simple and this is as close as one can get to absolute ownership in common law. - (see definition)
Fee Tail
A form of ownership which passes onto successive lineal descendants of the owner. - (see definition)
Felony
A serious crime for which the punishment is prison for more than a year or death. - (see definition)
Feudal system
A social structure that existed throughout much of Europe between 800 and 1400 and that revolved around a multi-level hierarchy between lords (who held land granted under tenure from the king), and their tenants (also called 'vassals'). - (see definition)
Fiat
A shortly-worded and short-form, often truncated, Court order. - (see definition)
Fiduciary
A legal duty of loyalty and faithfulness. - (see definition)
Fieri facias
A writ of fieri facias commands a sheriff to take and sell enough property from the person who lost the law suit, to pay the debt owed by the judgment. - (see definition)
Fifth Amendment
A US Constitution article which provides fundamental rights in regards to legal process such as the immunity in regards to self incrimination. - (see definition)
Fiqh
The law of Islam. Also spelled fikh. - (see definition)
First Amendment
The amendment to the US Constitution which sets out freedom of expression. - (see definition)
Fixtures
A chattel which has become real property by having been affixed thereto. - (see definition)
Flesch reading ease test
A legalese test against which insurance contracts are assessed. - (see definition)
Flotsam
Things found floating on the sea, issue from a ship that has been lost. - (see definition)
FOB
Acronym for 'free on board'; a contract whereby the seller of goods agrees to absorb the costs of delivering the goods to the purchaser's transporter of choice. - (see definition)
Force majeure
French for an act of God; an inevitable, unpredictable act of nature, not dependent on an act of man. Used in insurance contracts to refer to acts of nature such as earthquakes or lightning. - (see definition)
Foreclosure
To eliminate a right of redemption on mortgaged real property. - (see definition)
Forfeiture
Seizure of private property because it was illegally obtained, is an illegal substance or the legal basis for possession has ended. - (see definition)
Fourteenth Amendment
A 1868, post-USA civil war amendment to the US Constitution designed to, inter alia, give full civil and legal rights to former slaves. - (see definition)
Fourth Amendment
US constitutional protection against unreasonable search or arrest. - (see definition)
Frankpledge
A community pledge in medieval England whereby a defined number of people, for example 10 households, were jointly held responsible for the denunciation of any crime within their group. - (see definition)
Fraud
Deceitful conduct designed to manipulate another person to give something of value by (1) lying, (2) by repeating something that is or ought to have been known by the fraudulent party as false or suspect or (3) by concealing a fact from the other party which may have saved that party from being cheated. - (see definition)
Fraudulent Conveyance
A transfer of an interest in property done with intent to defeat creditors or others of their just and lawful entitlements. - (see definition)
Freehold
Use of real estate for an indeterminate time. - (see definition)
Freight
The money paid by a person for the transportation of goods. - (see definition)
Friendly Society
A form of corporate structure in the United Kingdom for the conduct of life or health insurance, pension fund or education-related business. - (see definition)
Fugitive
One who runs away to avoid arrest, prosecution or imprisonment. - (see definition)
Functus Officio
Latin: an officer or agency whose mandate has expired either because of the arrival of an expiry date or because an agency has accomplished the purpose for which it was created. - (see definition)
Fungibles
Goods which are comprised of many identical parts such as a bushel of grain or a barrel of apples or oil, and which can be easily replaced by other, identical goods. If the goods are sold by weight or number, this is a good sign that they are fungible. - (see definition)
Furiosi nulla voluntas est
A Latin expression that mentally impaired persons cannot validly sign a will - (see definition)

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Unless otherwise noted, this article was written by Lloyd Duhaime, Barrister, Solicitor, Attorney and Lawyer (and Notary Public!). It is not intended to be legal advice and you would be foolhardy to rely on it in respect to any specific situation you or an acquaintance may be facing. In addition, the law changes rapidly and sometimes with little notice so from time to time, an article may not be up to date. Therefore, this is merely legal information designed to educate the reader. If you have a real situation, this information will serve as a good springboard to get legal advice from a lawyer.

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