Also known as: formerly · before
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A Latin adverb denoting a prior time or state of affairs. It signals that a fact, rule, or condition existed before the point of reference in a legal discussion or citation.
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Antonio Alvarado hid inside an empty warehouse intending to commit theft. Because no one had yet moved in and used the structure regularly for sleeping, antea the building did not qualify as a dwelling under the burglary rule. The court therefore dismissed the burglary charge.
Aisha Ahmed signed a binding land-sale contract with Azure Solutions. Antea formation of the contract, the seller bore the risk of loss. Once the contract was executed, equity treated the buyer as owner and the risk passed to her under the majority rule.
Adam Anderson introduced a revenue bill in the Senate. Antea the constitutional rule took effect, the Senate could originate such measures. The House parliamentarian rejected the bill because it failed to originate in the House as required.
Amelia Amari produced a privileged email during discovery. Antea receiving the claw-back notice, she had used the document in a deposition. After notification she promptly sequestered all copies and presented the matter to the court for resolution.
Ava Adebayo requested a hearing after the court took judicial notice of a historical fact. Antea the notice, she had no opportunity to contest the fact. The court granted the timely request and allowed argument on the propriety of noticing the fact.
Anika Anand was acquitted of theft and later prosecuted for robbery arising from the same incident. Antea the later charge, the offenses required proof of distinct facts and prevented substantially different harms. The court permitted the second prosecution under the separate-offense test.
Antea signals that a fact, rule, or condition existed at an earlier point in time. Courts and commentators employ the term to contrast a prior state of the law or facts with the current reference point.
Supporting sources
…and then back to the Secretary's office where the seal was affixed. Commissions were not usually delivered from the office before they were recorded though sometimes they were. He believed none of those commissions were ever sent out or delivered to the persons for whom they were intended and did not know what became…