Legal Definitions - dehors

Dehors refers to something that is outside or beyond the scope of a particular matter, record, or authority. It indicates that something is irrelevant, not officially recognized, or not permissible within a given legal context.

Here are some examples illustrating the application of dehors:

• Imagine a situation where two businesses have a comprehensive written agreement for a partnership. Later, one party attempts to introduce a casual conversation they had with the other party's representative months before the contract was signed, claiming it established an additional obligation not mentioned in the written document.

  This conversation would be considered dehors the contract because, in legal terms, the written agreement is typically presumed to be the complete and final expression of the parties' intentions, superseding any prior discussions or understandings.

• Consider a court case where a lawyer tries to present a document that was never formally disclosed to the opposing side during the discovery process (the phase where parties exchange information and evidence). The opposing lawyer objects, arguing that the document was not properly introduced.

  The judge might rule that the document is dehors the record, meaning it falls outside the established procedures for presenting evidence and therefore cannot be considered by the court.

• Suppose a local government agency is tasked with regulating environmental permits. An employee of that agency issues a permit for a type of development that is explicitly prohibited by the state laws governing the agency's powers.

  The employee's action would be deemed dehors their statutory authority, meaning they acted beyond the legal limits and powers granted to the agency by the relevant statutes.