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Debts - Law Dictionary Search Results

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Debt

Debt [fr. debitum, Lat.], a sum of money due from one person to another. An action of debt lay where a person claimed the recovery of a liquidated or certain sum of money affirmed to be due to him; and it was generally founded on some contract alleged to have taken place between the parties, or on some matter of fact from which the law would imply a contract between them. This was debt in the debet, which was the principal and only common form. There is another species mentioned in the books, called debt in the detinet, which lay for the specific recovery of goods, under a contract to deliver them. An action of debt as a technical term is now obsolete. See PLEADINGS. The order of the payment of debts and expenses out of legal assets in an ordinary administration action in the Chancery Division of the High Court is as follows:-1. Funeral expenses, which in the case of an insolvent estate must be strictly reasonable and necessary only, the executor or administrator being personally liabl...


debt

debt [Old French dette, ultimately from Latin debita, plural of debitum debt, from neuter of debitus, past participle of debere to owe] 1 : something owed: as a : a specific sum of money or a performance due another esp. by agreement (as a loan agreement) [to pay the s…of the United States "U.S. Constitution art. I"] [a for alimony] b : an obligation to pay or perform on another's claim [discharged the ] compare asset, equity NOTE: It is often up to the courts to decide what is or is not a debt under various laws. Courts disagree whether criminal restitution is a debt under the Bankruptcy Code. The historical practice of imprisoning debtors for nonpayment is no longer used. antecedent debt : debt that is incurred prior to a property transfer paying or securing the debt compare preference bad debt : a debt that cannot be collected NOTE: An income tax deduction is allowed for bad debts. consumer debt : debt that is incurred by an individual primarily for the purchase of ...


bad debt expense

bad debt expense An expense account that reflects the amount of your company's accounts that are not collectable, that is the amount of your company's accounts that are "bad debts." A "bad debt expense" account is an expense account of your company. A typical company makes an estimate as to how much it has in bad debts on a periodic (usually monthly) basis. For example, your company estimates that it has about $1,200 per year in accounts that are not collectable. Your company would make the following accounting entries each month: a debit to your "bad debt expense" account in the amount of $100, and a credit to your "allowance for bad debts" account in the amount of $100. When you actually decide that a particular debt is not collectable, you would not make an entry to the "bad debt expense" account. Instead, you would debit your company's "allowance for bad debts" account for the amount of the bad debt and credit your accounts receivable account for that amount. ...


nondischargeable debt

nondischargeable debt A debt that cannot be eliminated in bankruptcy. Examples include a home mortgage, debts for alimony or child support, certain taxes, debts for most government funded or guaranteed educational loans or benefit overpayments, debts arising from death or personal injury caused by driving while intoxicated or under the influence of drugs, and debts for restitution or a criminal fine included in a sentence on the debtor's conviction of a crime. Some debts, such as debts for money or property obtained by false pretenses and debts for fraud or defalcation while acting in a fiduciary capacity may be declared nondischargeable only if a creditor timely files and prevails in a nondischargeability action. Source: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts ...


Antecedent debt

Antecedent debt, means antecedent in fact as well as in time, that is to say, that the debt must be truly independent of and not part of the transactions impeached. The debt may be a debt incurred in connection with a trade started by the father, V. Prasad v. Govindswami Mudaliar, (1982) 1 SCC 185 (203): AIR 1982 SC 84.Antecedent debt in this context means a debt antecedent in fact as well as in time, i.e., the debt must be truly independent and not part of the mortgage which is impeached. In other words, the prior debt must be independent of the debt for which the mortgage is created and the two transaction must be dissociated in fact so that they cannot be regarded as part of the same transaction, Virdhachalam Pillai v. Chaldean Syrian Bank Ltd, 1964 SC 1425: AIR (1964) 5 SCR 647....


allowance for bad debts

allowance for bad debts Your best guess at how much of your accounts receivable will not be collectable. In other words, your best guess at how much of your accounts receivable will be "bad debts." An "allowance for bad debts" account is kind of like a savings account for bad debts. Your company puts money into it on a periodic basis (usually monthly) as an expense of the company. When you decide that a particular account is not collectable, you tap the allowance for bad debts account to pay for the bad debt. Because you already made the allowance for bad debts, your profit and loss statement will not be out of whack in the particular month that you decide to "write-off" a particular account. Your company's accounting entries to "write off" a $500 account that you have decided is not collectable would look something like this: a debit to your allowance for bad debts account in the amount of $500 and a credit to your accounts receivable account for $500. ...


Bankruptcy debt

Bankruptcy debt, in relation to a bankrupt, means (1) any debt or liability to which he is subject at the commencement of the bankruptcy or (b) any debt or liability to which he may become subject after the commencement of the bankruptcy (including after his discharge from bankruptcy) by reason of any obligation incurred before commencement of the bankruptcy, R (Steele) v. Birmingham City Council, (2006) 1 WLR 2380 (CA).Bankruptcy debt, in relation to a bankrupt, means (1) any debt or liability to which he is subject at the commencement of the bankruptcy (b) any debt or liability to which he may become subject after the commencement of the bankruptcy by reason of any obligation incurred before the commencement of the bankruptcy, Glenister v. Rowe, (1999) 3 WLR 716 (CA)....


Debt owing and debt due

Debt owing and debt due, the word 'debt' is an applicable to a sum of money which has been promised at a future day as to a sum now due and payable. When there is an obligation to pay a sum of money at a future date, it is a debt owing but when the obligation is to pay a sum of money in presenti, it is a debt due, Union of India v. Raman Iron, (1974) 2 SCC 231: AIR 1974 SC 1265: (1974) 3 SCR 556...


Crown debts

Crown debts. It is a prerogative of the Crownto claim priority for its debts before all other creditors, and to recover them by a summary process called an extent. See 33 Hen. 8, c. 39.Every person having money belonging to the Crown is a Crown-debtor. When upon in quisition a personis found to be a Crown-debtor by simple contract, the debt immediately becomes a specialty; but a person givien to the Crown a bond on condition is not a bond-debtor before the condition is broken.S. 28(1) of the Bankruptcy Act, 1914, provides that an order of discharge shall not release a bankrupt from his Crown debts.It is provided by the (English) Land Chargs Act, 1900 (63 & 64 Vict. c. 26), replaced by the Land Charges Act,1925, ss. 6 and 7, and see also the Law of Property Act, 1925, that Crown debts shall not affectlands until writ or ordr for the purpose of enforcing the judgment has been issued and registered. See Chitty's Statutes, tit. 'Land,' and titles EXTENT; PREFERENTIAL PAYMENTS....


Passive debt

Passive debt, a debt upon which, by or without agreement between the debtor and creditor, no interest is payable, as distinguished from active debt, i.e., a debt upon which interest is payable. In this sense, the term 'active' and 'passive' were long applied to certain debts due from the Spanish Government Distinguish from 'Actif' (assets) to 'Passif' (liabilities) (Fr. law.)...


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