Also known as: unreasonably · unreasonableness
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A standard or condition that deviates from what reason or a reasonable person would accept under the circumstances. The deviation may render an act, risk, fee, or detention impermissible when it lacks rational basis or imposes excessive burden.
Umar Usmani took a neighbor's bicycle and kept it hidden for six months before returning it. The extended period of deprivation satisfied the intent element because it lasted so long that the loss became unreasonable from the owner's perspective.
Federal agents entered Ulf Ulfsson's residence without a warrant after receiving an anonymous tip about contraband. The entry constituted an unreasonable search because no exigent circumstances or other exception justified bypassing the warrant requirement.
Uptown Apparel already produced transaction summaries in response to initial requests from Ultra Precision. When Ultra Precision demanded the identical records again plus documents it could obtain directly from a government agency, the court limited the requests as unreasonably cumulative and obtainable from a more convenient source.
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Umar Underwood agreed to pay his lawyer a flat fee of $75,000 for a routine contract review that required only eight hours of work. The court found the fee unreasonable after weighing the time required, the simplicity of the matter, and the lawyer's customary charges for similar services.
Uliana Ustinova leased an apartment from Ultimate Solutions without being told that a loose stair railing posed a serious fall risk. The landlord's failure to disclose the condition created an unreasonable risk of physical harm, exposing the company to liability for injuries that occurred after the tenant took possession.
Uriah Urban bumped into a passerby while rushing through a crowd, creating an unreasonable risk of an offensive touching. Because Uriah lacked the intent to cause harmful or offensive contact, he avoided battery liability even though the same conduct would have been negligent if it threatened bodily harm.
The Fourth Amendment prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures absent probable cause and a particularized warrant. Discovery rules require courts to limit requests that are unreasonably cumulative or obtainable from more convenient sources. Both standards protect against excessive government or litigant intrusion but apply distinct triggers and remedies.
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A fee is unreasonable when it exceeds what is appropriate after considering time and labor required, novelty of the questions, skill needed, likelihood of precluding other work, customary local charges, and results obtained. Courts examine these factors to prevent overreaching.
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A risk is unreasonable when a reasonable person would recognize the danger and take precautions, yet the responsible party fails to disclose or mitigate it. Liability follows if the tenant or victim lacks knowledge of the condition and the landlord or actor knows or should know of the risk.
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In some jurisdictions an honest but unreasonable belief that deadly force is necessary mitigates murder to voluntary manslaughter. The belief must be genuine though objectively unreasonable under the circumstances.
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…terms of the taking of property; the freedom of speech, press, and religion; the right to keep and bear arms; the freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures; and so on. It is a rational continuum which, broadly speaking, includes a freedom from all substantial arbitrary impositions and purposeless restraints . . . and…