Legal Definitions - en demeure

En demeure

En demeure means "in default" in French. In civil law, it refers to a debtor who fails to pay according to the terms of the obligation when demanded.

Example 1: John borrowed $100 from Jane and promised to pay her back in a week. However, a week has passed, and John has not paid Jane back. Jane can now consider John to be en demeure.

Example 2: A company signed a contract to deliver goods to another company within a specific time frame. If the company fails to deliver the goods on time, they will be considered en demeure.

These examples illustrate that en demeure is used when someone fails to fulfill their obligation, such as paying back a loan or delivering goods on time, after being demanded to do so.