Deposit

What deposit means

Put simply, deposit is part of the working vocabulary of a civil case. The short definition above covers the usual meaning. Still, a specific rule, statute or contract can give it a narrower meaning. For that reason, check how it is used in your own documents.

Where deposit comes up

For example, the term appears in these procedures:

• Deposit into the Court Registry (CRIS) (Fed. R. Civ. P. 67; 28 U.S.C. §§ 2041, 2042): a procedure for paying money, or delivering a thing in dispute, into the court's custody while the court decides the case. Federal courts then invest registry funds through the Court Registry Investment System (CRIS), which the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts administers.

How to research the term

To research deposit, begin with the rule, statute or contract where the word is used. Each one can give it a slightly different meaning. Then compare that text with how courts in your area have applied it. Also check the local rules of your court, since they can add requirements. If your case is in state court, the state rules control. So start with our state procedures guide to find them. In the end, always confirm that the source you rely on is current.

You can read the official rule text online for free.

Related legal terms

• Disbursement: a payment of money out of an account or fund, such as the release of loan funds, a distribution from a trust or estate, or a payment from a court's registry. Money deposited in a federal court's registry may be withdrawn only by order of the court (28 U.S.C. § 2042).
• Court Registry Investment System: the program, administered by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, through which federal courts invest money deposited into a court's registry, for example under Fed. R. Civ. P. 67 and 28 U.S.C. § 2041. Money in the registry may be withdrawn only by order of the court (28 U.S.C. § 2042). Abbreviated CRIS.
• Demand: an assertion of a right or a claim, calling on another person to do something.
• Demurrer: in California and some other states, a pleading that challenges the legal sufficiency of a complaint, similar to a federal motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim.

Why precise terms matter

Courts read legal terms closely. As a result, knowing the exact meaning of a word helps you follow orders, rules and filings. Each glossary entry on Lawtopolis is short on purpose and links to the pages where the term is used.