Also known as:exempt · exempts · exempted · exempting · exemptions · immunity
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
An exception granted by law or court order that relieves a person or entity from complying with a general legal requirement or from incurring liability. The exception may arise from a privilege, a statutory carve-out, or a constitutional protection and operates only when the specific conditions for the exemption are satisfied.
Sources & Authorities· 37 primary sources
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Cases
Statutes
Federal Rules
Uniform Acts
Model Codes
Common Law
Restatements
How it applies
Common Examples
6
Witness Invokes Privilege
Emmett Egan is called to testify about a conversation he had with his attorney. The court rules that the attorney-client privilege applies to the subject matter. Because the privilege exempts him from testifying, the court declares him unavailable under the evidence rules.
Oral Servitude Agreement
Ezra Eastman orally promises his neighbor an access easement across his land. The neighbor begins using the path and spends money improving it. Because no written instrument exists, the burden is unenforceable unless an exemption from the Statute of Frauds applies.
Religious Use of Controlled Substance
Edward Everett is fired after using peyote during a religious ceremony. State law prohibits the substance and denies unemployment benefits to those dismissed for its use. The Free Exercise Clause does not require an exemption from the neutral, generally applicable prohibition.
Spousal Election Waiver
Esme Ellington signs a written agreement before marriage waiving her right to elect against her spouse's will and to claim homestead allowance or exempt property. The agreement is enforceable without consideration because the statute permits such waivers only in signed writings.
Early Discovery Request
Elliot Edmonds serves document requests on the defendant before the parties hold their Rule 26(f) conference. The case is not one of the proceedings exempted from initial disclosure. The requests are therefore premature and may not be pursued without a court order or stipulation.
Prescriptive Use Immunity
Evelyn Ellison has used a path across her neighbor's land openly and adversely for the full prescriptive period. The use creates an immunity protecting her from liability for continuing to use the path during that period.
Common questions
Frequently Asked
6
When does a privilege create unavailability under the evidence rules?+
A declarant is unavailable when a court rules that a privilege exempts the declarant from testifying about the subject matter of the statement. This satisfies one of the listed grounds for unavailability.
Supporting sources
Does failure to comply with the Statute of Frauds always prevent enforcement of a servitude?+
No. The burden is unenforceable and the benefit terminable at will unless an applicable exemption exists or the transaction falls within a recognized exception such as estoppel or part performance.
When does the Free Exercise Clause require an exemption from a neutral law?+
The clause does not require an exemption from a neutral, generally applicable law that incidentally burdens religious practice. Strict scrutiny applies only when the law is not generally applicable or targets religion.
Supporting sources
How may a surviving spouse waive rights to exempt property and allowances?+
The rights may be waived only by a written agreement signed by the surviving spouse. The agreement is enforceable without consideration.
Supporting sources
When may a party seek discovery before the Rule 26(f) conference?+
A party may not seek discovery before the conference unless the proceeding is exempted from initial disclosure, the rules authorize it, the parties stipulate, or the court orders otherwise.
Supporting sources
What protection does adverse use for the prescriptive period create?+
Adverse use for the prescriptive period results in an immunity protecting the user from liability for the acts of use during that period.
Supporting sources
for PACs, separate segregated funds established by a corporation for political purposes. See 2 U. S. C. §441b(b)(2)(C); Mich. Comp. Laws Ann. §169.255 (West 2005). “The ability to form and…
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