C Legal definitions for terms and concepts beginning with C Court of Pie Powder A special court that sat in times of public markets or fairs in England in medieval times, with exclusive jurisdiction over disputes between merchants and consumers and any other dispute arising as a result of the market or fair and on fair grounds. Court of Record A court of law which retains written records of its proceedings and which has the ability to fine or imprison. Covenant A written document in which signatories either commit themselves to do a certain thing, to not do a certain thing or in which they agree on a certain set of facts. Coverture Formula A method of proportionate division of a spouse's pension benefits as accrued during the period of marriage. Crack Street name for a form of cocaine base, usually prepared by processing cocaine hydrochloride and sodium bicarbonate, and usually appearing in a lumpy, rocklike form. Cramdown In a bankruptcy proceeding, forcing a secured creditor to lose his collateral and instead to take a specified cash payment. Cramming The practice of imposing unauthorized charges on consumer credit card and other billing statements Credit Card A plastic card issued to concede to the holder, upon presentation to authorized stores or service providers, products or services on credit. Creditor A person to whom money, goods or services are owed by the debtor. Cremation The reduction of the body of a deceased human to its essential elements by incineration. Crime An act or omission which is prohibited by criminal law and punished, usually by fine or imprisonment. Crimen Omnia Ex Se Nata Vitiat Latin: property obtained by crime is tainted (vitiated). Crimes Against Humanity An international criminal justice offence; the perpetration of acts of war upon a civilian, non-soldier population. Criminal Bankruptcy The forced bankruptcy of a convicted person. Criminal Code A statute which purports or attempts to set out all prohibited or criminal offences, and their various punishments. Criminal Contempt Contumacious behaviour or behaviour which tends to publicly depreciate the authority of the court or the administration of justice. Criminal Conversation Criminal conversation: synonymous with adultery. Criminal Harassment Unsolicited annoying, alarming or abusive conduct or words which are threatening. Criminal Law That body of the law that deals with conduct considered so harmful to society as a whole that it is prohibited by statute, prosecuted and punished by the government. Criminal Libel A criminal offence; deliberate publication of defamatory lies which the publisher knows to be false. Criminal Negligence Reckless disregard for the lives or safety of other persons. Cross Examination The examination of a witness called by the other side at trial and for which leading questions are permitted. Crown The English Monarch, where she is the symbolic head of state. Cruel and Unusual Punishment Punishments which involve unnecessary and wanton infliction of pain. Cruelty Conduct that causes bodily or mental injury, or apprehension to such injury, to a person or an animal, without legitimate purpose. Crumbling Skull Rule A legal theory, companion to the thin skull rule, which limits a tort defendant’s exposure to a plaintiff’s injuries to the plaintiff’s condition at the time of the tort. Cucking Stool A medieval form of punishment; a chair in which was restrained an offender. Cuius Est Solum Ejus Est Usque Ad Caelum Latin: whose is the soil, his it is even to the skies and to the depths below. Cuius Est Solum Ejus Est Usque Ad Coelum Et Ad Inferos Latin: for whoever owns the soil, it is theirs up to heaven and down to hell. Culpa Lata Latin: gross negligence. Curfew A sentence or bail condition that gives the individual the freedom to move about in the community so long as they return to their residence for the hours specified (often 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.). Curial Deference That general courts ought to defer to the rulings of specialized tribunals save exceptional circumstances. Curtesy Widower's right to an interest in his deceased wife's real property. Curtilage The yard surrounding a residence or dwelling house which is reserved for or used by the occupants for their enjoyment or work. Custodia Legis In the custody of the law; the taking, seizing or holding of something by lawful authority. Custody Charge and control of a person or item of property. Custom The consensual regulation of human conduct and commerce by the community itself. Customary International Law International law which does not have a treaty base but, rather, exists because of international custom. Cyber-bullying Using the Internet to support deliberate, repeated and hostile behaviour by an individual or group that is intended to harm someone else. Cyberspace Synonymous with Internet; a decentralised but interconnected body of data and self-maintained telecommunications network. Cybersquatting The bad faith registration of trademarks, as domain names, by non-trademark owners, who then try to sell the domain names back to the trademark owners. Cy-pres As near as may be. Page1 (Ca - Ce) | Page2 (Ce - Co) | Page3 (Co - Co) | Page4 (Co - Co) | Page5 (Co - Co) | Page6 (Co - Cy) Find you are constantly looking up definitions? Try our search provider (works in most modern browsers) If you find an error or omission in Duhaime's Legal Dictionary, or if you have legal term suggestion, we'd love to hear from you!