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Warning
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Simple English definitions for legal terms
Self-help
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A quick definition of Self-help:
Self-help: When someone tries to protect or restore their legal rights without going to court, it is called self-help. This means they take action on their own to protect their interests, as long as it is legal and does not involve violence or breaking the law. For example, taking back something that belongs to them, like a car, is a form of self-help.
A more thorough explanation:
In legal contexts, self-help refers to taking matters into one's own hands and using lawful means to protect or restore a legal right without going through the regular legal process. It involves attempting to protect one's interests without a court order and of one's own initiative by doing what one may legally do to protect those interests.
An example of self-help is repossession. If a borrower defaults on a loan, the lender may repossess the collateral without going to court as long as it does not involve unlawful actions or a breach of the peace.
Self-help is not the same as self-defense and may not be exercised in circumstances that might reasonably be expected to lead to violence or a breach of the peace. For example, if someone is trying to take your property, you cannot use self-help to physically stop them.