Legal Definitions - inconvenience

Definition: Inconvenience refers to something that causes trouble or difficulty. The rule of inconvenience is a principle of statutory interpretation that states that a court should not interpret a law in a way that will harm an important public interest or cause serious hardship for anyone, unless there is no other option.

For example, if a law requires all businesses to close by 6 pm, but a particular business needs to stay open later to serve its customers, the court may interpret the law in a way that allows the business to stay open. This is because forcing the business to close early would cause inconvenience to its customers and harm the public interest in having access to the business's services.

Another example could be a law that requires all vehicles to have a certain type of safety equipment. If a person cannot afford to install the equipment on their vehicle, the court may interpret the law in a way that allows the person to continue driving without the equipment. This is because forcing the person to install the equipment would cause a serious hardship for them.