term:

Casualty

casualty n

pl: -ties
1 : an unfortunate occurrence
;esp
: a serious and often disastrous accident [conversion of property…arising from fire, storm, shipwreck, or other "Internal Revenue Code"]
2 : something lost, stolen, damaged, or destroyed see also casualty gain at gain casualty loss at loss

Source: Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law ©1996. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. Published under license with Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.