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Feminine noun. It is the set of rights, powers and duties that parents have over their non-emancipated children. The lexical phrase is ejercer/ejercicio de la patria potestad. E.g.: La propuesta del ponente es que los nombres de aquellos que tengan la patria potestad deben aparecer impresos en el pasaporte del niño: The rapporteur’s proposal is that the names of those with parental responsibility should be printed in the child’s passport. dc
Masculine noun. This is a word just used in business and accounting and it refers to the amount of a price, credit, debt or balance. It always expresses a number and we use it in the lexical phrase importe a pagar (amount due) at a the end of an invoice or receipt. E.g.: En algunos casos, podemos suprimir por completo el importe de la factura hospitalaria para pacientes calificados: In some cases, we can completely waive the cost of hospital bills for qualifying patients.
Both verbs, importarle a uno: to matter, and importar: to import, are not related to the noun el importe but to la importancia and la importación respectively. dc
Feminine noun. Legal institution by which a person, tutor (guardian), is entrusted with the representation of minor children without parents or those legally unable to exercise their rights. E.g.: La tutela sobre los menores se rige por los principios universales consagrados por el Código Civil: Guardianship of minors is regulated by the universal principles enshrined in the Civil Code.
The verb is tutelar. dc
Feminine noun. In Spanish related to Civil and Commercial Law, rebeldía is the situation in which a litigant (plaintiff or defendant) does not appear or does not present their arguments and/or refrains from complying with the acts of the procedure. E.g.: En caso de que el demandante no comparezca ante el tribunal, o bien no consienta su defensa, se le podrá declarar en rebeldía: If the defendant does not appear a judgment by default can be rendered against him.
In Spanish related to Criminal Law rebeldía is a legal situation, produced by the disappearance of the accused, that produces certain effects such as the suspension of the course of the proceedings once the summary phase is finished, until the accused is present. E.g.: Los seis acusados restantes están siendo juzgados en rebeldía: The remaining six defendants are being tried in absentia. Some legal systems, such as in Argentina, do not accept the conviction in rebeldía. The person is called rebelde.
By the way, rebeldía means also rebelliousness. dc
Masculine and feminine noun. In Legal Spanish, a reo is the defendant in a civil or (especially) a criminal trial. The feminine form is rea. E.g.: El fiscal, en el término de 24 horas, pondrá al reo a disposición del tribunal en el territorio en el que fue arrestado, junto con la documentación correspondiente: Within twenty four hours the prosecutor makes the arrested person available to the court in the territory of which the arrest has been performed, sending also the respective documentation.
Reo/a is also and adjective and it can mean indistinctly suspect and guilty. dc
