Glossary

A summary judgment is based on the judge's conclusion that the litigation involves only a question of law, with no associated questions of fact.

A summons is an instrument used to commence a civil action or special proceeding and as a means of acquiring jurisdiction over a party.

A sump pump is found at the lowest level of a building. Its purpose is to pump water away from the foundation.

Superfund is the program operated under the legislative authority of Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act as well as the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 that funds and carries out Environmental Protection Agency solid waste emergency and long-term removal and remedial activities.

A superseded surety rider is a provision or endorsement on a bond under which the surety company assumes liability for claims that cannot be recovered from a prior bond because of the lapse of the discovery period.

A supplemental employee retirement plan is a nonqualified retirement program—that is, one not subject to ERISA.

Supplemental extended reporting period refers to the optional extended reporting period (of unlimited duration) under the standard claims-made commercial general liability policy.

A supplementary contract is an agreement between a life insurance company and a policyholder or beneficiary by which the insurer retains the cash sum payable under the policy and makes payments in accordance with the settlement option chosen.

Supplementary payments is a term used in liability policies for the costs associated with the investigation and resolution of claims.

In the construction context, surcharge is where you place more of something than is natural; for example, they will add 20 feet of stone over a construction site to "surcharge" the soil underneath from the weight. This is a common term for adding more weight to the edge of an excavation where there was no weight before. These additional vertical loads or weights placed on the ground surface near an excavation can include spoil piles, equipment, vehicles, or other materials. The closer a surcharge load is to the edge of the excavation, the greater the potential for destabilizing the soil and causing a cave-in.