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corner 1. The common end of two survey lines; an angle made by two boundary lines.

corner influence In an appraisal, the additional value of a corner lot, esp. one zoned for commercial purposes, attributable to factors such as increased light and air, easier ingress and egress, greater accessibility by pedestrian and automotive traffic, and more space for displays and advertisements.

cornering the market The act or process of acquiring ownership or control ofa large portion ofthe available supply ofa commodity or security, permitting manipulation of the commodity's or security's price.

corody (kor- or kahr-a-dee). An allowance of money, accommodation, food, or clothing given by a religious house to any person who Signed over personal or real property or both in exchange or to a royal servant at the Crown's request. The amount of property required from a person who purchased a corady depended on the person's age and remaining life expectancy. The Crown was entitled to a corody for a retired royal servant only from houses that the Crown had founded. Theoreticallv, the cost of a retired royal servant's care would come from the royal purse. But since the royal purse did not always open, royal servants were not always accepted as corodiaries. Cf. LIFE-CARE CONTRACT. - Also spelled carrody. corodiary (kd-roh-dee-air-ee), corrodiary, n. "Corrody is a partition for one's sustenance. Be it bread, ale, herring, a yearly robe, or sum of money for the robe. So of a chamber, and stable for my horses, when the same is coupled with other things ...." Sir Henry Finch, Law, or a Discourse Thereof 162 (1759).

corollary (kor-or kahr-a-Ier-ee), A proposition that follows from a proven proposition with little or no additional proof; something that naturally follows.

corona (ka-roh-na). [Latin] Hist. The Crown. This term formerly appeared in criminal pleadings, e.g., placita coronae ("pleas of the Crown").

coronation case Any of the many lawsuits for breach of contract resulting from the postponement of the coronation of Edward VII because of his illness. In one case, for example, the defendant had agreed to hire a ship for watching the naval review by King Edward VII and for a day's cruise around the fleet. The court held that the contract was not frustrated by the cancellation of the naval review - the day's cruise around the fleet was still possible, and indeed, the ship could have been used for many other purposes.

coronator (kor- or kahr-a-nay-tar). [fr. Latin corona "crown"]. A coroner. See CORONER (2). "The formal title of custos (or occasionally conservator) placitorum corone continued to be used throughout the Middle Ages, but the more convenient shorter forms wronarius, which was confined to a short period around 1200, and CORONATOR rapidly gained greater currency. The English form was 'coroner' or 'crowner.'" R.F. Hunnisett, The Medieval Coroner 1 n.1 (1961).

coronatore eligendo See DE CORONATORE ELIGENDO.

coronatore exonerando See DE CORONATORE EXONERANDO.

coroner (kor- or kahr-a-nar). 1. A public official whose duty is to investigate the causes and circumstances of any death that occurs suddenly, suspiciously, or violently. See MEDICAL EXAMINER. 2. A royal official with countywide jurisdiction to investigate deaths, to hold inquests, and to assume the duties of the sheriff if need be. The coroner acted as a check on the sheriff, a local officer whose growing power threatened royal control over the counties. The coroner reported criminal activity to the king's justices in eyre. When the eyre court arrived in a county, it collected the coroner's roll to learn what had occurred in the county during the eyre's absence. The justices fined the coroner if he failed to produce the roll, or if they learned of criminal activity in the county from a source other than the roll. "The office of coroner was established in September 1194, when the justices in eyre were required to see that three knights and one clerk were elected in every county as 'keepers of the pleas of the crown.' These were the first county coroners .... Throughout the Middle Ages the coroner could be ordered to perform almost any duty of an administrative or inquisitorial nature within his bailiwick, either alone or with the sheriff, but there were other duties which belonged more specifically to his office and which he performed without being ordered. These consisted of holding inquests upon dead bodies, receiving adjurations of the realm made by felons in sanctuary, hearing appeals, confessions of felons and appeals of approvers, and attending and sometimes organising exactions and outlawries promulgated in the county court. These were the 'crown pleas' which the coroner had to 'keep' ...." R.F. Hunnisett, The Medieval Coroner 1 (1961).

coroner"s jury A jury summoned by a coroner to investigate the cause of death.

coroner's court See COURT.

coroner's court- English law. A common-law court that holds an inquisition if a person died a violent or unnatural death, died in prison, or died suddenly when the cause is not known. The court also has jurisdiction over treasure trove.

coroner's inquest See INQUEST (1).

coroner's jury See JURY.

corpnership [Portmanteau word probably formed fr. corporation + partnership]. A limited partnership (usu. having many public investors as limited partners). whose general partner is a corporation.

corporal oath (kor-par-al). An oath made solemn by touching a sacred object, esp. the Bible. Also termed solemn oath; corporale sacramentum. "Oath (juramentum) Is a calling Almighty God to witness that the Testimony is true; therefore it is aptly termed Sac¬ ramentum, a Holy Band, a Sacred Tye, or Godly Vow. And it is called a Corporal Oath, because the party when he swears, toucheth with his right hand the Holy Evangelists or Book of the New Testament." Thomas Blount, Nomo¬ Lexicon: A Law-Dictionary (1670).

corporal oath See OATH.

corporal punishment See PUNISHMENT.

corporal punishment Physical punishment; punishment that is inflicted upon the body (including imprisonment). Past forms of corporal punishment included branding, blinding, mutilation, amputation, and the use of the pillory and the stocks. It was also an element in such violent modes of execution as drowning, stoning, burning, hanging. and drawing and quartering .... In most parts of Europe and in the United States, such savage penalties were replaced by imprisonment during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, although capital punishment itself remained. Physical chastisement became less frequent until, in the twentieth century, corporal punishment was either eliminated as a legal penalty or restricted to beating with a birch rod, cane, whip, or other scourge. In ordinary usage the term now refers to such penal flagellation." Gordon Hawkins, "Corporal Punishment," in 1 Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice 251, 251 (Sanford H. Kadish ed., 1983).

corporale sacramentum (kor-pa-ray-Iee sak-ra-men-tam). See corporal oath under OATH.

corporate adj. Of or relating to a corporation, esp. a business corporation <corporate bonds>.

corporate acquisition The takeover of one corporation by another ifboth parties retain their legal existence after the transaction. Cf. MERGER (8).

corporate agent An agent authorized to act on behalf of a corporation; broadly, all employees and officers who have the power to bind the corporation.

corporate agent- See AGENT (2).

corporate authority 1. The power rightfully wielded by officers of a corporation. 2. In some jurisdictions, a municipal officer, esp. one empowered to represent the municipality in certain statutory matters.

corporate body See CORPORATION.

corporate bond 1. An interest-bearing instrument containing a corporation's promise to pay a fixed sum of money at some future time. A corporate bond be secured or unsecured. 2. A bond issued by a corporation, usu. having a maturity of ten years or longer.

corporate bond- See BOND (3).

corporate books Written records of a corporation's activities and business transactions.

corporate charter 1. CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION (1).2. A document that one files with the secretary of state upon incorporating a business. The corporate charter is often the articles of incorporation.

corporate charter- See CHARTER (3).

corporate citizenship See CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP.

corporate citizenship- Corporate status in the state of incorporation, though a corporation is not a constitutional citizen for the purposes of the Privileges and Immunities Clauses in Article IV § 2 and in the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

corporate counsel See COUNSEL.

corporate counsel- An in-house attorney for a corporation. Cf. in-house counsel.

corporate crime See CRIME.

corporate crime- A crime committed by a corporation's representatives acting on its behalf. Examples include price-fixing and consumer fraud. Although a corporation as an entity cannot commit a crime other than through its representatives, it can be named as a criminal defendant. Also termed organizational crime. Cf. occupational crime.

corporate distribution See DISTRIBUTION.

corporate distribution- A corporation's direct or indirect transfer of money or other property, or incurring of indebtedness to or for the benefit of its shareholders, such as a dividend payment out of current or past earnings.

corporate domicile See DOMICILE.

corporate domicile- The place considered by law as the center of corporate affairs, where the corporation's functions are discharged; the legal home of a corporation, usu. its state of incorporation or the state in which it maintains its principal place of business. For purposes ofdetermining whether diversity jurisdiction exists in federal court, a corporation is considered a citizen of both its state of incorporation and the state of its principal place of business. See DIVERSITY OF CITIZENSHIP.

corporate entity See ENTITY.

corporate entity- A corporation's status as an organization existing independently of its shareholders. As a separate entity, a corporation can, in its own name, sue and be sued, lend and borrow money, and buy, sell, lease, and mortgage property.

corporate franchise See FRANCHISE (2).

corporate immunity See IMMUNITY (2).

corporate immunity- A corporate officer's immunity from personal liability for a tortious act committed while acting in good faith and within the course of corporate duties.

corporate indenture See INDENTURE.

corporate indenture- A document containing the terms and conditions governing the issuance of debt securities, such as bonds or debentures.

corporate merger See MERGER (8).

corporate name See NAME.

corporate officer See OFFICER (1).

corporate officer An officer of a corporation, such as a CEO, president, secretary, or treasurer.

corporate purpose The general scope of the business objective for which a corporation was created. A statement of corporate purpose is commonly required in the articles of incorporation.

corporate raider A person or business that attempts to take control of a corporation, against its wishes, by buying its stock and replacing its management. Often shortened to raider. Also termed hostile bidder; unfriendly suitor. Cf. WHITE KNIGHT.

corporate resolution See RESOLUTION (2).

corporate seal A seal adopted by a corporation for executing and authenticating its corporate and legal instruments.

corporate seal See SEAL.

corporate speech See SPEECH.

corporate speech Speech deriving from a corporation and protected under the First Amendment. It does not lose protected status simply because of its corporate source.

corporate stock An equity security issued by a corporation.

corporate stock See STOCK.

corporate trustee See TRUSTEE (1).

corporate veil The legal assumption that the acts of a corporation are not the actions of its shareholders, so that the shareholders are exempt from liability for the corporation's actions. See PIERCING THE CORPORATE VEIL.

corporate welfare See WELFARE (2).

corporate-mortgage trust A financing device in which debentures are issued and secured by property held in trust. An independent trustee protects the interests of those who purchase the debentures.

corporate-opportunity doctrine The rule that a corporation's directors, officers, and employees are precluded from using information gained as such to take personal advantage of any business opportunities that the corporation has an expectancy right or property interest in, or that in fairness should otherwise belong to the corporation. In a partnership, the analogous principle is termed the firm-opportunity doctrine.

corporate-owned life insurance See LIFE INSURANCE.

corporation An entity (usu. a business) having authority under law to act as a single person distinct from the shareholders who own it and having rights to issue stock and exist indefinitely; a group or succession of persons established in accordance with legal rules into a legal or juristic person that has a legal personality distinct from the natural persons who make it up, exists indefinitely apart from them, and has the legal powers that its cop.stitution it. Also termed corporation aggregate; aggregate corporation; body corporate; corporate body. See COMPANY. - incorporate, vb. corporate, adj. "A corporation is an artificial being, invisible, intangible, and existing only in contemplation of law.... [I]t possesses only those properties which the charter of its creation confers upon it." Trustees of Dartmouth College v. Woodward, 17 U.S. (4 WheaL) 518, 636 (1819) (Marshall, J.).

corporation act A 1661 English statute (13 Car. 2, St. 2, ch. 1) prohibiting the holding of public office by anyone who would not take the Anglican sacrament and the oaths of supremacy and allegiance. The Act was repealed by the Promissory Oaths Act of 1871.

corporation aggregate 1. See CORPORATION. 2. Hist. A corporation made up of a number of individuals. Cf. corporation sole. "The first division of corporations is into aggregate and sole. Corporations aggregate consist of many persons united together into one society, and are kept up by a perpetual succession of members, so as to continue forever: of which kind are the mayor and commonalty of a city, the head and fellows of a college, the dean and chapter of a cathedral church." 1 William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of Eng/and 457 (1765). The corporation aggregate is the typical corporation, which, at any given time, normally contains a number of individuals as members. This number may be great or small, varying from the hundreds of thousands of burgesses of a large borough to the two members of a private joint-stock company. It is even said that a corporation aggregate would not necessarily cease to exist if all its members died, leaving no successors; and this is, probably, sound doctrine." EdwardJenks, The Book ofEnglish Law 118 (P.B. Fairest ed., 6th ed. 1967).

corporation by estoppel A business that is deemed, by operation of law, to be a corporation because a third party dealt with the business as if it were a corporation, thus preventing the third party from holding a shareholder or officer of the corporation individually liable. See ESTOPPEL.

corporation by prescription A corporation that, though lacking a charter, has acquired its corporate status through a long period of operating as a corporation. Such an entity may engage in any enterprises that are not manifestly inconsistent with the purposes for which it is assllmed to have been created. - Also termed common-law corporation.

corporation counsel See COUNSEL.

corporation counsel- A city attorney in an incorporated municipality. See CITY ATTORNEY.

corporation court See COURT.

corporation court- In some jurisdictions, a court that serves an incorporated municipality. See municipal court.

corporation de facto See de facto corporation.

corporation de jure See de jure corporation.

corporation for national and community service A federal corporation that fosters civic responsibility, provides educational opportunity for those who contribute services, and oversees AmeriCorps (the domestic Peace Corps), Learn and Serve America, and the National Senior Service Corps .o It was established in 1993.42 USCA § 12651.

corporation for profit See for-profit corporation.

corporation qualified to do business See admitted corporation.

corporation sole A series of sllccessive persons holding an office; a continuous legal personality that is attributed to successive holders of certain monarchical or ecclesiastical positions, such as kings, bishops, rectors, vicars, and the like. This continuous personality is viewed, by legal fiction, as having the qualities of a corporation. Cf. corporation aggregate (2). "It would have been quite possible to explain in the same way the devolution of the lands of the Crown, or of a bishopriC, or of a rectory, from the sovereign, bishop. or rector, to his successor; but English law has preferred to introduce for this purpose the fiction, peculiar to itself, of a 'corporation sole.'" Thomas E. Holland, The Elements of jurisprudence 350-51 (13th ed. 1924). "But English Law knows another kind of corporation, the 'corporation sole', in which the group consists, not of a number of contemporary members, but of asuccession of single members, of whom only one exists at any given time. This kind of corporation has been described by eminent legal writers as a 'freak'; but it is a freak which undoubt· edly has a legal existence. It has been said that the Crown is the only common law lay corporation sole; though the Master of Trinity College, Cambridge, has been claimed as another example, and statutory examples, such as the Public Trustee and the Treasury Solicitor, are conspicuous. But the examples of ecclesiastical corporations sole are numerous. Every diocesan bishop. every rector of a parish, is a corporation sole, and can acquire and hold land (and now also personal property) even during the vacancy of the see or living, for the benefit of his successors, and can bind his successors by his lawful conveyances and con· tracts. But, obviously, the distinction between the bishop or rector, in his personal and in his corporate character, is even harder to grasp than.

corporator (kor-pa-ray-tar). 1. A member of a corporation. 2. INCORPORATOR. "Usually, a member of a corporation, in which sense it includes a stockholder; also, one of the persons who are the original organizers or promoters of a new corporation. The corporators are not the corporation, for either may sue the other." William C. Anderson, A Dictionary of Law 266 (1889).

corporeal (kor-por-ee-aI), adj. Having a physical, material existence; TANGIBLE <land and fixtures are corporeal property>. Cf. INCORPOREAL. - corporeality, n.

corporeal hereditament See HEREDITAMENT.

corporeal hereditament- (kor-por-ee-al). A tangible item of property, such as land, a building, or a fixture.

corporeal ownership See OWNERSHIP.

corporeal ownership The actual ownership of land or chattels.

corporeal possession Possession of a material object, such as a farm or a coin. Also termed natural possession; possessio corporis; (Ger.) Sachenbesitz.

corporeal possession See POSSESSION.

corporeal property 1. The right of ownership in material things. 2. Property that can be perceived, as opposed to incorporeal property; tangible property.

corporeal property See PROPERTY.

corporeal thing See THING.

corps diplomatique (kor dee-pla-ma-teek). DIPLOMATIC CORPS.

corpus (kor-pas), [Latin "body"] 1. The property for which a trustee is responsible; the trust principal. Also termed res; trust estate; trust fund; trust property; trust res; trust. 2. PRINCIPAL (4). PI. corpora (kor-pa-ra), corpuses (kor-pa-saz).

corpus comitatus (kor-pas kom-a-tay-tas). [Latin "the body of a county"]. The area within a territorial jurisdiction rather than on the "high seas" and hence where admiralty jurisdiction did not originally extend. See INFRA CORPUS COMITATUS.

corpus corporatum (kor-pas kor-pa-ray-tam). [Latin]. A corporate body; a corporation.

corpus cum causa (kor-pas kam kaw-za). [Law Latin "the body with the cause"] Hist. A writ issuing out of Chancery to remove both a person and a record from an inferior court in order to review a judgment issued by the inferior court. ''The first use of the writ to challenge imprisonment was in cases of privilege; an officer of a central court, or a litigant there, could be released from imprisonment in another court by writ of privilege in habeas corpus form. The Court of Chancery at the same time developed a similar procedure for reviewing the cause of imprisonment in an inferior tribunal; this species of writ was called corpus cum causa, and it became a common remedy against the misuse of borough jurisdiction in the fifteenth century." J.H. Baker, An Introduction to English Legal History 168 (3d ed. 1990).