Injunctions

Civil Court Injunctions

Injunctions are simply Orders of the Court which tell a person what they may, and just as importantly, may not do. The most common are perhaps domestic violence injunctions which are dealt with separately.

Sometimes, rather than make an injunction Order, the Court will accept an Undertaking from the Respondent. As breach would be a contempt of Court, imprisonment would result if the undertaking was broken.

Certain injunctions are available from the High Court.

Civil Injunctions are extreme measures. They will often be granted ex-parte, but are likely to involve the Applicant in giving an undertaking to the Court to pay the Respondent’s costs if the application is ill founded and you lose the case.

The types of injunctions that may be available are:-

a. Freezing Injunctions. These are made to prevent a Respondent from removing property and assets from the jurisdiction of the Court in order to prevent the Applicant from making a claim against them.

b. Search Orders. Such are intended to allow an Applicant to enter the home or workplace of a Respondent and to search for documents or evidence that it is believed will be withheld.

If an Injunction is broken, it will be necessary to return to Court in Committal Proceedings, and ask for the Respondent to be committed to prison.

Injunctions are discretionary remedies which are not granted as of right. A court has to be satisfied that an injunction is appropriate under any given set of circumstances.

Anti-Harassment Injunction.

These are Orders made under the ‘Protection from Harassment Act 1997’ and make harassment a criminal as well as civil offence. As such the police may intervene and arrest a person suspected of harassment. Commonly these injunctions are used to prevent harassing behaviour by neighbours, protesters, family members, the media etc.

Harassment includes, nuisance phone calls, stalking, threats, excessive noise etc. Basically any behaviour which causes you "alarm" or "distress". The harassment has to have happened more than once. In the case of stalking you must show the behaviour caused you to think that person was likely to use violence on you. In extreme cases, a Crown Court may sentence up to 5 years in prison.

If the police are unwilling to assist a private application can be made to the County Court. A power of arrest can be attached if the initial Order is broken, and the Court may award damages for anxiety, distress, alarm and any financial loss.

Common Law Injunction

These are sometimes called "Assault & Trespass Injunctions". Application can be made to the County Court to stop somebody coming onto your property without your permission or assaulting you.

Housing Injunctions.

Under the Housing Act 1996 a local council or housing association has the power to apply for an injunction against any tenant who causes a nuisance or harassment. If an injunction order is made, and subsequently broken, the offending tenant could be sent to prison. A power of arrest is may be attached to an Order

Publication Injunctions

An application can be made to the Court to prevent somebody publishing something adverse about you. A penal notice warning them that they could be sent to prison for breach.:

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Civil Court Injunctions