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floor-plan rule The principle by which a vehicle owner who has placed for sale a vehicle in a retail dealer's showroom is estopped to deny the title of an innocent purchaser from the dealer in the ordinary course of retail dealing.

flotage See FLOTSAM.

flotation See OFFERING.

flotation cost (usu. pl.) A cost incurred in issuing additional stock.

flotation cost- See COST (1).

floterial district (floh-teer-ee-al). A legislative district that includes several separate districts or political subdivisions that independently would not be entitled to additional representation, but whose conglomerate population entitles the district to another seat in the legislative body being apportioned.

floterial district- See DISTRICT.

flotsam (flot-sam). Goods and debris, esp. those from a shipwreck, that float on the surface of a body of water. Also termedfloatage;flotage. Cf. JETSAM; LAGAK (1); WAVESON.

flowage The natural movement of water from a dominant estate to a servient estate. It is a privilege or easement of the owner of the upper estate and a servitude of the lower estate.

flowage easement A common-law easement that gives the dominant-estate owner the right to flood a servient estate, as when land near a dam is flooded to maintain the dam or to control the water level in a reservoir.

flowage easement- See EASEMENT.

flower bond A Treasury bond redeemable before maturity if used to settle federal estate taxes . Flower bonds were issued before April 1971 and reached final maturity in 1998. Two etymological theories have been advanced to explain the term. The first, and more likely, is that the bonds had flowers engraved on their reverse side. The second is that they "blossomed" upon the death of their owner.

flower bond- See BOND (3).

FLRA abbr. FEDERAL LABOR RELATIONS AUTHORITY.

FLSA abbr. FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT.

fluctuating clause See ESCALATOR CLAUSE.

fly for it To flee after allegedly committing a crime. The ancient custom in criminal trials was to ask the jury after its verdict even a not-guilty verdict - "Did he fly for it?" The purpose was to enable the jury to find whether the defendant had fled from justice. A defendant who had fled would forfeit personal property, even though found not guilty on the underlying charge.

flyer policy See flier policy under INSURANCE POLICY.

flyma See FLEME.

flyman frynth See FLEMENE FRIT.

flymena frynthe See FLEMENE FRIT.

fly-power assignment A blank written assignment that, when attached to a stock certificate, renders the stock transferable.

fly-power assignment- See ASSIGNMENT (2).

flyspeck A potential trivial defect in title to real property, as a result of which a title-insurance company is likely to exclude any risk from that defect before issuing a policy. flyspeck, vb.

FMC abbr. FEDERAL MARITIME COMMISSION.

FMCS abbr. FEDERAL MEDIATION AND CONCILIATION SERVICE.

FMCSA abbr. FEDERAL MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY ADMINISTRATION.

FmHA abbr. FARMERS' HOME ADMINISTRATION.

FMLA abbr. 1. FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE ACT. 2. FEDERAL MARITIME LIEN ACT.

FMS abbr. FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT SERVICE.

FMSF abbr. FALSE MEMORY SYNDROME FOUNDATION.

FMSHRC abbr. FEDERAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH REVIEW COMMISSION.

FMV See fair market value under VALUE (2).

FNMA abbr. FEDERAL NATIONAL MORTGAGE ASSOCIATION.

FNS abbr. FOOD, NUTRITION, AND CONSUMER SERVICE.

FOB abbr. FREE ON BOARD.

FOB destination See FREE ON BOARD.

fob destination A mercantile term denoting that the seller is required to pay the freight charges as far as the buyer's named destination.

fob shipping A mercantile term denoting that the seller is required to bear the risk of placing the goods on a carrier.

FOB shipping See FREE ON BOARD.

FOC See flag ofconvenience under FLAG.

foedus (fee-das). [Latin "league"]. Int'I law. A treaty; league; compact.

foenus nauticum (fee-nas naw-ta-bm). [Latin], Civil law. Nautical or maritime interest; esp., an extraordinary rate of interest charged to underwrite a hazardous voyage. - Also termed usura maritima.

foesting-men See HABENTES HOMINES.

foeticide See FETICIDE.

foetus See FETUS.

FOIA (foy-a). abbr. FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT.

foiable (foy-a-bal), adj. (Of documents) subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

folcland See FOLKLAND.

fold soc See FALDAGE (1).

foldage See FALDAGE (1).

folio (foh-Iee-oh). [fr. Latinfolium "leaf"], 1. A leaf of a paper or parchment, numbered only on the front. A folio includes both sides of the leaf, or two pages, with the letters "a" and "b" (or "r" and "v," signifying recto and verso) added to show which of the two pages was intended. 2. Rist. A certain number of words in a legal document, used as a method of measurement. In England, 72 or 90 words formed a folio; in the United States, 100 words. folio, vb. "Folio ... [a] certain number of words; in conveyances, etc., and proceedings in the High Court amounting to seventytwo, and in parliamentary proceedings to ninety." Ivan Horniman, Wharton's Law Lexicon 368 (13th ed. 1925)_ 3. A page number on a printed book. 4. A large book the pages of which are formed by folding a sheet of paper only once in the binding to form two leaves, making available four pages (both sides of each leaf).

folk laws See LEGES BARBARORUM.

folkland Land held by customary law, without written title. - Also spelled foleland. Cf. BOOKLAND; LOANLAND. "In all discussions on Anglo-Saxon law bookland is contrasted with 'folkland: The most recent and probably the most correct view is that folkland simply means land subject to customary law, as opposed to land which was held under the terms of a charter. It would seem that the view that folkland means public land or land of the people, though till recently generally accepted, must be abandoned as resting on insufficient evidence. It appears that folkland might either be land occupied by indiViduals or families or communities, or it might be waste or unoccupied land. The only characteristic which can be universally ascribed to it is, that it is not bookland." Kenelm E. Digby, An Introduction to the History of the Law of Real Property 15 (5th ed.1897).

folkmote See HALLMOTE (3).

follow vb. (bef. 12c) To conform to or comply with; to accept as authority <the lawyer assumed that the Supreme Court would follow its own precedent>.

following-form policy An insurance policy that adopts the terms and conditions of another insurance policy.

following-form policy See INSURANCE POLICY.

follow-the-fortunes doctrine The principle that a reinsurer must reimburse the reinsured for its payment of settled claims as long as the reinsured's payments were reasonable and in good faith. This rule prevents a reinsurer from second-guessing a reinsured's good-faith decision to pay a claim arguably not covered under the original insurance policy. - Often shortened to follow the fortunes.

follow-the-settlements doctrine The principle that an indemnitor must accede to the actions of the indemnitee in adjusting and settling claims; esp., the principle that a reinsurer must follow the actions of the reinsured.

fons juris See SOURCE OF LAW.

food and drug administration A division of the U.S. Public Health Service in the Department of Health and Human Services responsible for ensuring that food is safe, pure, and wholesome; that human and animal drugs, biological products, and medical devices are safe and effective; and that certain other products, such as electronic products that emit radiation, are safe. Created by the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, the agency today enforces the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938 and related statutes and regulations. 21 USCA §§ 301 et seq. Abbr. FDA.

food safety and inspection service An agency in the U.S. Department of Agriculture responsible for inspecting all types of meat, poultry, eggs, and related products to ensure safety and accurate labeling. Abbr. FSIS.

Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act A 1938 federal law prohibiting the transportation in interstate commerce of adulterated or misbranded food, drugs, or cosmetics. The Act superseded the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. Abbr. FDCA.

food, nutrition, and consumer service An agency in the U.S. Department of Agriculture responsible for reducing hunger by educating children and needy people about healthy diets and by proViding them access to food through the food-stamp and other programs. - Abbr. FNS.

food-disparagement law See AGRICULTURAL-DISPARAGEMENT LAW.

fool's test The test formerly used by federal courts and by the Federal Trade Commission to determine whether an advertisement is deceptive, by asking whether even a fool might believe it. The name comes from Isaiah: "wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein." The test was announced in Charles of the Ritz Distrib. Corp. v. Fed. Trade Comm'n, 143 F.2d 676 (2d Cir. 1944). It was replaced by a "reasonable consumer" test by the FTC in 1984. Cf. REASONABLE-CONSUMER TEST.

foot acre A one-foot -deep layer ofcoal, water, or other material spread over one acre. This measurement method is used to value coal land for tax purposes. It is also used to measure the volume and capacity of reservoirs. 2. Hist. The area ofland that a man with two oxen could plow in one day. Beginning in the mid-13th century, this was statutorily limited to an area of 14,520 square feet.

foot acre- See ACRE.

foot of the fine At common law, the fifth and last part of a fine of conveyance. This part included the entire matter, reciting the names of the parties and the date, place, and before whom it was acknowledged or levied. - Also termed chirograph. See FINE (1).

footage drilling contract Oil & gas. A drilling contract under which the drilling contractor is paid to drill to a specified formation or depth, is paid a set amount per foot drilled, and is given broad control over how to do the work.The risk of unexpected delays, as well as most liabilities, is on the contractor rather than the lease operator under this type of contract. Cf. DAY WORK DRILLING CONTRACT; turnkey drilling contract DRILLING CONTRACT.

foot-frontage rule A method of property-tax assessment used esp. to pay for improvements such as sidewalks and sewers that considers only the lot's actual frontage on the line of improvement and ignores the depth of the lot and the number and character of other improvements or their value.

footgeld (fuut-geld). In forest law, a fine imposed for not making a dog incapable of hunting by either cutting out the ball of its paw or cutting off its claws. The cutting was known as "expeditating" the dog. To be "free" or "quit" of footgeld was to be relieved of the duty to expeditate one's dog.

footprint 1. Evidence. The impression made on a surface of soil, snow, etc., by a human foot or a shoe, boot, or any other foot covering. 2. Real estate. The shape of a building's base.

for account of A form of indorsement on a note or draft introducing the name of the person entitled to receive the proceeds.

for cause For a legal reason or ground. The phrase expresses a common standard governing the removal of a civil servant or an employee under contract. forcause, adj.

for use For the benefit or advantage of another. See USE.

foraker act (for-a-kar). The original (1900) federal law i providing Puerto Rico with a civil government, but' keeping it outside the u.s. customs area. See 48 USCA §§ 731-752.

foraneous (fa-ray-nee-as), adj. [fr. Latin forum "marketplace"], Of or relating to a court or marketplace.

foraneus (fa-ray-nee-as), n. [fr. Latin joris "without"], A foreigner; an alien; a stranger.

forathe (for-ayth). In forest law, one who can make an oath or bear witness for another.

forbannitus (for-ban-a-tas). [Law Latin]. 1. A pirate; an outlaw. 2. One who was banished. - Also termed forisbanitus.

forbarre (for-bahr), vb. [Law French]. To preclude; to bar out; to estop.

forbatudus (for-ba-t[y]oo-das). [Law Latin]. A person who provokes and dies in - a fight.

forbearance 1. The act of refraining from enforcing a right, obligation, or debt. Strictly speaking, forbearance denotes an intentional negative act, while omission or neglect is an unintentional negative act. 2. The act of tolerating or abstaining. forbear, vb.

forbidden degree See prohibited degree under DEGREE.

forbidden departure An impermissible deviation from the federal sentencing guidelines based on race, sex, national origin, creed, religion, or socioeconomic status.

forbidden departure- See DEPARTURE.

for-cause See challenge for cause under CHALLENGE (2).

force Power, violence, or pressure directed against a person or thing.

force- To compel by physical means or by legal requirement <Barnes used a gun to force Jillian to use her ATM card> <under the malpractice policy, the insurance company was forced to defend the doctor>.

force and arms The phrase was used in common-law pleading in declarations of trespass and in indictments to denote that the offending act was committed violently. See VI ET ARMIS.

force and effect Legal efficacy <mailing the brief had the force and effect of filing it with the clerk>. The term is now generally regarded as a redundant legalism.

force majeure (fors ma-zhar). [Law French "a superior force"]. An event or effect that can be neither anticipated nor controlled. The term includes both acts of nature (e.g., floods and hurricanes) and acts of people (e.g., riots, strikes, and wars). - Also termed force majesture; vis major; superior force. Cf. ACT OF GOD; VIS MAJOR (1).

forced abortion An abortion performed without the mother's consent.

forced abortion- See ABORTION.

forced conversion The conversion of a convertible security, after a call for redemption, when the value of the security that it may be converted to is greater than the amount that will be received if the holder permits the security to be redeemed. 2. Tort & criminal law. The wrongful possession or disposition of another's property as if it were one's own; an act or series of acts of willful interference, without lawful justification, with an item of property in a manner inconsistent with another's right, whereby that other person is deprived of the use and possession of the property. convert, vb. conversionary, adj. "There are three distinct methods by which one man may deprive another of his property, and so be guilty of a conversion and liable in an action for trover (l) by wrongly taking it, (2) by wrongly detaining it, and (3) by wrongly disposing of it. The term conversion was originally limited to the third of these cases. To convert goods meant to dispose of them, or make away with them, to deal with them, in such a way that neither owner nor wrongdoer had any further possession of them: for example, by consuming them, or by destroying them, or by selling them, or otherwise delivering them to some third person. Merely to take another's goods, however wrongfully, was not to convert them. Merely to detain them in defiance of the owner's title was not to convert them. The fact that con· version in its modern sense includes instances of all three modes in which a man may be wrongfully deprived of his goods, and not of one mode only, is the outcome of a process of historical development whereby, by means of legal fictions and other devices, the action of trover was enabled to extend its limits and appropriate the territories that rightly belonged to other and earlier forms of action." R.F.V. Heuston, Salmond on the Law of Tors 94 (17th ed. 1977).

forced conversion- See CONVERSION (1).

forced exile Compelled removal or banishment from one's native country. 2. A person who has been banished. 3. A prolonged voluntary absence from one's home country. exile, vb.

forced exile- See EXILE.