Also known as: good cause · good-cause standard · good cause exception
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A flexible judicial standard that permits a court to excuse noncompliance with procedural requirements or deadlines when the moving party demonstrates sufficient justification. The standard balances the need for orderly process against fairness in individual cases. Courts apply it to late filings, missed notices, and similar defaults.
Gideon Graves served interrogatories on Grandview Holdings in a contract suit. Grandview Holdings responded three weeks late and omitted any objection to one question about internal emails. At the pretrial conference Grandview Holdings moved to excuse the omission. The court found good cause because the email system had crashed during the response period and the oversight was promptly corrected once discovered.
Gary Goldman was indicted for theft. His counsel filed a written insanity notice twelve days after the not-guilty plea because hospital records confirming a recent psychotic episode arrived late. The court permitted the late filing after finding good cause based on the newly obtained medical documentation that counsel could not have secured earlier.
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Grace Gupta sought to introduce a witness statement under the residual exception. She provided written notice of the statement and declarant only on the morning of trial. The court excused the lack of earlier notice for good cause after learning that the declarant had been hospitalized until the day before and the proponent had no prior way to identify the statement.
George Garcia was charged with assault. Defense counsel filed the required insanity notice two weeks after the pretrial-motion deadline because Garcia had been transferred between jails and counsel could not obtain psychiatric records sooner. The court allowed the late notice for good cause and granted the government extra preparation time.
Gustavo Gutierrez, a solo practitioner, was appointed to represent an indigent defendant in a complex fraud case. Gutierrez sought to decline the appointment because the matter would require extensive travel and would leave other clients without representation for months. The court denied the request after finding no good cause under the professional-conduct rule.
Gareth Glover agreed to represent a client in a pending divorce involving custody and substantial assets. After six months the client could no longer pay and the case grew more complex. Glover moved to withdraw solely on the ground that continued representation had become unprofitable. The court denied the motion because withdrawal would prejudice the client and no good cause existed.
A party must demonstrate sufficient justification for the default, such as unexpected technical failures or newly discovered information that could not have been obtained earlier with diligence. Courts weigh the reason for the delay against any prejudice to the opposing party.
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Yes when the reliance was reasonable and the insurer's inaction was unexpected. The court also requires a meritorious defense and prompt action after learning of the default.
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A court may permit late notice when the defendant shows good cause, such as newly obtained psychiatric records that counsel could not have secured earlier. Tactical delay after an unfavorable plea offer does not qualify.
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The proponent must show good cause for the lack of earlier written notice, such as the declarant's recent hospitalization that prevented identification of the statement until the eve of trial.
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…[in Sherbert and Thomas ] provided that a person was not eligible for unemployment compensation benefits if, ‘without good cause,’ he had quit work or refused available work. The ‘good cause’ standard created a mechanism for individualized exemptions.” Bowen v. Roy, supra , at 708 (opinion of Burger, C. J., joined…