Legal Definitions - untimely

In legal contexts, untimely describes an action, filing, or event that occurs at an inappropriate time, either too early or too late, relative to established deadlines, procedural rules, or the natural progression of a legal process. When something is deemed untimely, it often means it will not be considered or will be rejected because it falls outside the permissible timeframe.

• Example 1: A defendant in a civil lawsuit attempts to file a motion to dismiss the case three months after the court's strict deadline for such preliminary motions has passed.

  Explanation: The defendant's motion would be considered untimely because it was submitted well beyond the court-mandated deadline. As a result, the court would likely refuse to hear or consider the motion, regardless of its merits, due to the procedural delay.

• Example 2: A plaintiff in a personal injury case tries to appeal a judge's preliminary ruling on a minor evidentiary matter while the trial is still ongoing and before a final verdict has been reached.

  Explanation: This appeal would be deemed untimely because appeals are generally only permitted after a final judgment has been issued in the trial court. Attempting to appeal an interlocutory (non-final) order prematurely means the appellate court would likely dismiss the appeal for being brought too soon.

• Example 3: A business owner seeks to enforce a clause in a contract that required written notification of a dispute within 30 days of its occurrence, but they only provide that notification 90 days later.

  Explanation: The business owner's notification is untimely because it failed to meet the specific timeframe stipulated in the contract. This delay could prevent them from legally enforcing that particular contractual clause, as they did not adhere to the agreed-upon conditions for dispute resolution.