By Brian Madigan LL.B.

The latin expression “sine die” means “some uncertain date in the future”.

In terms of legal proceedings the phrase often appears in Court Orders. Frequently, a matter is not ready to proceed before the Judge, but it does appear on the docket, so it must be dealt with in some way. Perhaps it is to be adjourned for a few hours or until tomorrow or to a fixed date in the future. That disposition which is specific will be noted.

However, sometimes the date is unclear. So, the Judge will put the matter over. The case is adjourned “sine die”, that is, to some date in the future. The Court will also order that the matter may be brought back on (onto the court docket) upon 2 days notice by either party (assuming that to be the decision).

In fact, in many cases, that is the end of it. The parties go away and settle the case, and the official court record forever simply indicates that the action was “adjourned sine die”.

This is also a phrase that comes into play in corporate parlance. If an entire Board of Directors resigns or is scheduled to be replaced by another Board elected at a shareholders’ meeting, they will adjourn “sine die”, meaning, of course, that they have absolutely no idea when the new Board will hold the next meeting.

Brian Madigan LL.B., Real Estate Broker, is an author and commentator on real estate, finances and the law related to real estate
www.OntarioRealEstateSource.com