Legal Definitions - abeyance

An abeyance is a temporary pause in activity while waiting for something else to happen. This means that the activity cannot continue until the other thing is resolved.

• A defendant may enter a plea in abeyance, which means they plead guilty but the plea is held in abeyance until they complete certain conditions. If they complete the conditions, the charges are dropped. If they don't, the guilty plea is entered.
• An appeal may be held in abeyance while waiting for the outcome of another court case that deals with similar issues.
• In property law, abeyance occurs when the true owner of a property cannot be determined. The property is held in abeyance until the true owner can be identified.

These examples illustrate how abeyance is used in different contexts. In each case, there is a pause in activity until something else happens. This could be completing certain conditions, waiting for the outcome of another case, or identifying the true owner of a property.