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Simple English definitions for legal terms
no-action letter
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A quick definition of no-action letter:
A no-action letter is a letter from a government agency that says they won't take action against someone if the facts they presented are true. People usually ask for these letters from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) when they want to know if they can do something without getting in trouble, like selling stock or using certain marketing techniques.
No actus reus is a plea that a person makes when they say they didn't do a crime or that the harm caused by the crime wasn't their fault. It's like saying "I didn't do it" or "It wasn't my fault."
A more thorough explanation:
A no-action letter is a letter from a government agency that states that if the facts presented in a person's request for an agency ruling are accurate, the agency will not take any action against the person. This letter is typically requested from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on matters such as shareholder proposals, resales of stock, and marketing techniques.
Suppose a company wants to sell its stock to the public but is unsure if it complies with SEC regulations. The company can request a no-action letter from the SEC, which will review the facts presented and advise the agency not to take any action against the company if it is compliant.
No actus reus is a plea made by a criminal defendant who either denies involvement in a crime or argues that the harm suffered is too remote from the criminal act to be attributed to the defendant.
If a person is accused of stealing a car, but they can prove that they were out of the country at the time of the theft, they can plead no actus reus. This means that they did not commit the crime because they were not physically present when it occurred.