Legal Definitions - abstractor

An abstracter, also spelled abstractor, is a person who prepares abstracts of title. This means they create a summary of the history of ownership and any legal claims on a piece of property.

When someone wants to buy a house, they hire an abstracter to research the property's history and create an abstract of title. This document shows if there are any liens, mortgages, or other legal claims on the property that could affect the sale.

Absurdity is the state or quality of being grossly unreasonable. It can refer to an interpretation of something that would lead to an unconscionable result, especially one that the parties or drafters could not have intended or probably never considered.

For example, if a law was interpreted in a way that would require people to give up their basic human rights, that interpretation would be considered an absurdity. The Golden Rule, which suggests interpreting laws in a way that avoids absurd results, can help prevent these kinds of interpretations.