Also known as: legal orders · court order · judicial order
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A judicial directive issued by a court that requires a party to take or refrain from taking specific action.
Laura Lewis receives a subpoena to testify at trial about an observed accident. Despite a legal order directing her to appear and answer questions on the subject, she refuses. The court therefore treats her as unavailable, permitting introduction of her earlier statements under the applicable hearsay exception.
Lola Langley, representing a client in litigation, learns that a legal order requires production of certain documents. She discloses the information to comply with the order. The disclosure is therefore permitted under the professional conduct rules governing client confidences.
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Lars Lindstrom names his spouse as beneficiary on a life insurance policy. After their divorce, a legal order confirming the dissolution is entered. The designation is automatically revoked by operation of the probate statute, so the former spouse receives nothing under the policy.
Leonard Lowe believes a trespasser has no claim to his land and that delay would cause exceptional hardship. He uses reasonable force to re-enter immediately rather than waiting for a legal order. The circumstances satisfy the defense to trespass under the penal code provision.
Luna Lang is the beneficiary of a trust containing a spendthrift clause. Her former spouse obtains a legal order for child support. The court enforces the order against the trust interest because the spendthrift provision yields to judgments for support or maintenance.
Legacy Motors, a limited partnership, petitions the court after a general partner engages in misconduct. The court issues a legal order expelling the partner under the statutory provision. The partner is thereby removed from the entity without further internal action.
A legal order compelling testimony renders a witness unavailable if the witness refuses to testify about the subject matter despite the order. This triggers hearsay exceptions that require unavailability.
A lawyer may disclose information to comply with a legal order or other law. The professional conduct rules expressly permit such disclosure when required by court order.
A legal order confirming divorce or annulment revokes revocable dispositions to the former spouse or the former spouse's relatives under the probate code, unless the governing instrument expressly provides otherwise.
Force may be used to re-enter land without a legal order when the actor believes the other party has no claim of right and circumstances create exceptional hardship from delay. The penal code recognizes this narrow justification.
A spendthrift provision is unenforceable against a beneficiary's child, spouse, or former spouse who holds a judgment or legal order for support or maintenance. The trust interest remains reachable to satisfy the order.
A legal order may expel a general partner for cause under the statutory grounds. Once entered, the order removes the partner from the entity without additional partnership action.
…woman is mature and capable of giving informed consent to the proposed abortion, and has, in fact, given such consent. "(d) Court order.—If the court determines that the pregnant woman is not mature and capable of giving informed consent or if the pregnant woman does not claim to be mature and capable of giving informed…