Glossary of Family Law Terms

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z #

Impeachment: The act of proving a witness is not credible due to inconsistent statements or other conflicting evidence.

In Camera: When proceedings are held in the chambers of a judge without the participating parties. This is usually the procedure followed when children testify.

Income and Expense Declaration: The form completed by a parent under oath stating that parent's income, assets, expenses and liabilities. The document is used to help determine child support to be paid by the non - custodial parent.

Incompatibility: The state of a marriage in which the spouses no longer have the mutual desire to live together and/or stay married, and is thus a ground for divorce (dissolution) in most states even though the other spouse may disagree.

Incompatible: 1) Inconsistent. 2) Unmatching. 3) Unable to live together as husband and wife due to irreconcilable differences. In no-fault divorce states, if one of the spouses desires to end the marriage, that fact proves incompatibility, and a divorce (dissolution) will be granted even though the other spouse does not want a divorce. The term also has the general meaning that two people do not get along with each other.

Incorporation: Part of civil law, making one document part of another. For example, the Agreement becomes part of the Decree in Divorce.

Injunction: A court order preventing someone from doing a particular act which is likely to cause physical, mental injury or property loss of another individual.

Intangible Assets: Items of personal property; examples; franchises, trademarks, patents, copyrights, goodwill.

Intangible Value: A value that cannot be imputed to any part of the physical property.

Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress: Intentionally causing severe emotional distress by extreme or outrageous conduct.

Intercept: A process by which CSE agencies take part of a non-custodial parent's unemployment insurance payments, disability insurance payments, income tax returns and lottery gains to pay child support arrearages owed by the non-custodial parent.

Interlocutory Hearing: Any hearing at which a pretrial or court ruling is requested.

Interrogatories: A group of questions served upon the opposing party to gain knowledge pertaining to the issues in the matrimonial proceedings.

Inventory and Appraisement: A listing and valuation of properties owned by the parties seeking a divorce.

Investment Analysis: A process in which the attractiveness of an investment is measured by analyzing ratios.