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If the law is on your side, pound the law. If the facts are on your side, pound the facts. If neither the law nor the facts are on your side, pound the table.
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Legal Definitions - exigency
Definition of exigency
An exigency refers to a pressing and urgent situation that demands immediate action, often because delaying could lead to significant harm, danger, or loss.
Emergency Response to a Fire: When firefighters arrive at a building engulfed in flames, they do not need to wait for a warrant or permission to enter and rescue occupants or extinguish the fire. The immediate danger to life and property creates an exigency that justifies their rapid entry and actions.
Medical Intervention for an Unconscious Person: If an individual collapses unconscious in a public place, paramedics will provide immediate medical care, such as administering CPR or life-saving medication, without first obtaining explicit consent. The critical need to preserve life constitutes an exigency that overrides normal procedural requirements for consent.
Preventing Destruction of Evidence: Police officers pursuing a suspect witness them throwing a package into a dumpster. Believing the package contains illegal drugs that could be quickly destroyed or retrieved by others, the officers immediately search the dumpster without a warrant. The risk of imminent destruction or disappearance of evidence creates an exigency allowing for immediate action to secure it.
Simple Definition
An exigency, in a legal context, refers to an urgent situation that demands immediate action. This pressing need often justifies actions that might otherwise be legally restricted, due to the critical nature of the circumstances.