excusable neglect

0.01 sec.

excusable neglect n. a legitimate excuse for the failure of a party or his/her lawyer to take required action (like filing an answer to a complaint) on time. This is usually claimed to set aside a default judgment for failure to answer (or otherwise respond) in the period set by law. Illness, press of business by the lawyer (but not necessarily the defendant), or an understandable oversight by the lawyer's staff ("just blame the secretary") are common excuses which the courts will often accept. However, if the defendant loses the complaint or fails to call his/her attorney the courts will be less lenient. In any event, the defendant must show he/she had some worthwhile defense. (See: default, default judgment)

How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.

?Page tools

Printer friendly
Cite / link

Feedback
Add definition

Mentioned in	?		References in periodicals archive	?		Legal browser	?		Full browser	?
Coram Nobis excuse neglect			Good cause requires a greater showing than excusable neglect. Keep discovery civil: when opposing counsel obstructs or deflects ... by Kosieradzki, Mark; Rahimi, Kara / Trial The Second District denied the request of an appellant on the basis that its request was one day late as a result of excusable neglect in Cann v. The 21-day battle in administrative actions by Persaud, Shiv Narayan / Florida Bar Journal The bill would allow employees to exceed that 15-day time limit if the failure to contest results from "mistake, inadvertence, surprise, or excusable neglect. Congressional wrap-up by Anderson, Teresa / Security Management			excommunication excorciating excoriate excoriating excoriation excrescence excrescent excrete excruciare excruciating exculpable exculpate exculpated exculpating exculpation exculpatory exculpatory clause exculpatory excuse excurse excursion excursive excursus excusabilis excusable Excusable homicide excusable neglect excusal excusare Excusat aut extenuat delictum in capitalibus excusatio excusatory excuse excuse oneself excused excuser excusing Exeat execrable execrableness execrate execration execrative execute execute a sentence execute judgment execute justice executed executed and delivered writing executed with care executed with exactness executed with proper formalities			excursionism excursionist excursionist excursionist excursionist excursionists excursionists excursionists excursionists Excursions Excursions Excursions Excursions Excursions of Mr Broucek, The excursive excursive excursively excursively excursiveness excursiveness excursus excursus excursuses excursuses excusabilis excusable excusable excusable Excusable homicide Excusable homicide excusable neglect excusableness excusableness excusableness excusably excusably excusably excusal excusals excusare Excusat aut extenuat delictum in capitalibus excusatio Excusation Excusator excusatory excusatory excuse excuse excuse excuse for excuse from Excuse me Excuse me Excuse me Excuse Me for Butting In Excuse Me For Jumping In excuse my French excuse my French excuse my French excuse my French excuse oneself

Legal Dictionary

Free Tools:	For surfers: Free toolbar & extensions \| Word of the Day \| Help For webmasters: Free content \| Linking \| Lookup box \| Double-click lookup \| Partner with us

Disclaimer
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.