Legal Definitions - fine

Definition: A fine is an amicable final agreement or compromise of a fictitious or actual suit to determine the true possessor of land. It was formerly used as a form of conveyance to disentail an estate.

Examples:

• Executed fine: A fine made on acknowledgment of the right of the grantee to land given to him as a gift from the grantor. This was abolished in England in 1833.
• Fine for alienation: A fee paid by a tenant to the landlord at the commencement of the tenancy to reduce the rent payments.
• Common fine: A sum of money due from a tenant to a lord to defray the cost of a court leet or to allow the litigants to try the action closer to home.
• Day fine: A fine payable over time, usually as a percentage of the defendant's earnings on a weekly or monthly basis.
• Excessive fine: A fine that is unreasonably high and disproportionate to the offense committed. The Eighth Amendment proscribes excessive fines. An example of an excessive fine is a civil forfeiture in which the property was not an instrumentality of the crime and the worth of the property was not proportional to the owner's culpability.
• Fresh fine: A fine levied within the past year.

Explanation: A fine is a legal term that refers to various types of payments made in different contexts. For example, an executed fine is a fine made on acknowledgment of the right of the grantee to land given to him as a gift from the grantor. A common fine is a sum of money due from a tenant to a lord to defray the cost of a court leet or to allow the litigants to try the action closer to home. An excessive fine is a fine that is unreasonably high and disproportionate to the offense committed. The examples illustrate the different types of fines and how they are used in different legal contexts.