Cease and Desist: Meaning
'Cease' means stop. 'Desist' means do not start again. Together, they demand that someone end a behavior permanently.
Plain-English definition
A cease and desist is a formal demand that someone stop doing something that is harming you, and refrain from doing it again in the future. It can come from a private individual (a letter) or from a court or agency (an order).
Letter vs. order
A cease and desist letter is written by you or your lawyer and has no direct legal force on its own, but it puts the recipient on notice and creates evidence for later. A cease and desist order is issued by a court or regulator and is legally binding; violating it can result in contempt or fines.
Common examples
Telling a debt collector to stop calling under the FDCPA, telling a neighbor to stop trespassing, telling a former employee to stop using your trademark, or telling a website to remove defamatory content.
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StopAndDesist provides self-help templates and is not a law firm. This page is information, not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
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