Injunction

An injunction is a court order requiring a party to do or refrain from doing a specified act. Injunctions may be interim (pending trial) or final (permanent). The High Court and County Court both have jurisdiction to grant injunctions under s.37 of the Senior Courts Act 1981 and s.38 of the County Courts Act 1984 respectively.

In practice

Breach of an injunction is contempt of court and punishable by imprisonment, fine, or sequestration of assets. To enforce an injunction by committal, the order must carry a penal notice and have been personally served on the respondent. Applications for injunctions frequently involve without-notice hearings where urgency demands it, with a return date for the respondent to be heard.