Legal Definitions - motion for protective order

Definition: A motion for protective order is a request made by a party to the court to protect them from potentially harmful actions by the other party, usually related to the discovery process. For example, if one party seeks to obtain the other party's trade secrets during discovery, the other party may file a motion for protective order to prevent the disclosure of such information.

A court may issue a protective order to safeguard a party's trade secrets by limiting the use of any confidential information exchanged during discovery to the pending lawsuit and prohibiting its public disclosure.

Example: Company A is involved in a lawsuit with Company B. During the discovery process, Company B requests access to Company A's confidential financial information. Company A files a motion for protective order to prevent the disclosure of this information, arguing that it contains trade secrets that could harm their business if made public. The court grants the motion and issues a protective order, limiting the use of the financial information to the pending lawsuit and prohibiting its public disclosure.

Explanation: This example illustrates how a motion for protective order can be used to protect a party's trade secrets during the discovery process. Company A is concerned that the disclosure of their confidential financial information could harm their business, so they file a motion for protective order to prevent this from happening. The court agrees and issues a protective order to limit the use of the information to the pending lawsuit and prohibit its public disclosure.