Law Library Legal Dictionary – O

Legal Definitions – O

Obamacare Individual Mandate Law – A federal directive that all American citizens must have healthcare insurance or face a tax penalty.

Obesity Discrimination – Discrimination by an employer against an employee who is officially classified as obese. Some states and cities have made obesity discrimination in the workplace illegal.

Obligation to Reduce Damages in a Personal Injury Claim – An obligation that a plaintiff in a personal injury lawsuit has to take steps to reduce or avoid any further damages that might be connected to the injury or accident.

Obscenity – Any statement or act that strongly offends the prevalent morality of the time. It is a type of speech that is not protected by the First Amendment.

Obstruction of Justice – The crime of interfering with the administration and due process of the law, including criminal proceeding or investigation.

Occupational Disease – A disease or ailment resulting from the unique characteristics of a person’s line of employment.

Occupational License – A license that is given to a professional who is working in an occupation that is regulated by the government.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) – A federal administrative agency whose mission it is to assure the safety and health of workers by imposing standards.

Occupational Stress – Stress that can be attributed to one’s job or line of work. It is often considered a type of occupational disease.

Odometer Rollback – An alteration of the mileage on a car’s odometer by the seller to deceive a consumer.

Off-Label Drug Prescription – Prescription of a drug use that has not been approved by the FDA

Offer in Compromise – A way to settle one’s income tax debt where they cannot pay it in full and an installment agreement is not feasible.

Office-Based Surgery – A surgery that is performed without hospitalization but under both local and general anesthesia for everything from dermatological eradications to cosmetic modifications.

Offshore Accounts – Financial accounts that are maintained by U.S. citizens in foreign countries, often to avoid paying taxes on the money in the accounts.

On the Job Injury – An injury that occurred at the work site and during a period of employment. It must bear a causal relationship to the job.

On-Call Employment Wage Laws – Laws that govern wage compensation for on-call employment.

On-site Key Making – The situation where a locksmith comes to a home or residence and creates a spare key right then and there for the person to gain access to the residence.

Online Auction – An auction that takes place via a website, such as eBay. This type of auction is regulated by the FTC.

Online Copyright Infringement Liability Limitation Act (OCILLA) – Federal law that provides the ability for online service providers to take down content that is alleged to violate copyright law.

Online Libel – Libel that is posted online, such as comments on a review website or statements made in a chat room.

Online Pharmacy – An online company that ships medication to consumers based on a prescription from the person’s physician or pharmacist. Although this type of company can be legal, many are not properly registered and are actually covers for fraudulent scams.

Online Piracy – The illegal downloading of songs and movies.

Online Will – A will document that has been created through the use of online legal document services.

Open Container Laws – Laws that criminalize having an open container of alcohol inside the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle.

Option Contract – A contract to purchase rights at a set time for a stated price.

Oral Contract – A spoken agreement that is legally binding.

Oral Will – A will where the will maker tells someone close by how they want their assets to be distributed after death.

Order of Protection – A special type of court injunction requiring a person to take certain actions, or to cease certain conduct towards another person.

Organ Donation – The donating of one’s human organs. Most donations occur when the donor dies.

Organizational Costs – The financial costs of setting up a corporation.

Ouster – The wrongful dispossession or exclusion of a person entitled to possession of property.

Out of Court Bankruptcy Settlement – A privately conducted negotiation between debtor and creditor.

Out-of-State Arrest Warrant – A warrant that is issued to allow for an arrest of someone in a state other than where the crime that the suspect is being arrested for has been committed.

Output Contract – A contract in which the producer or seller agrees to sell his entire production to the buyer.

Overdraft – The situation where a bank is presented with a check against an account totaling an amount greater than cash in the account and the check is deposited but not collected from the payor’s banks.

Overstaying A Visa – The situation where a foreign citizen stays in the United States after their visa expires.

Overtime Pay Exemptions – Exemptions designated by the FLSA where an employer does not have to pay overtime ages.

Owner Carryback Mortgage – A type of lending arrangement wherein the owner of a house finances the entire mortgage or a portion of it for a different person.

Owner Move In (OMI) Eviction – An eviction of a residential tenant by an owner so that the owner can move into the unit.