Legal Definitions - lodge

Lodge means to deliver a legal document to the court clerk or record custodian for placement into the official record. It can also mean to commence a lawsuit or to record or deposit something in an organized retention system or container for preservation and future reference. In parliamentary law, it means to acknowledge and deposit a report, communication, or other document for information and reference only without necessarily taking any substantive action.

• On Tuesday, the lawyer needs to lodge the legal document with the court clerk.
• The seller threatened to lodge a lawsuit against the buyer.
• Please file my notes under the heading "research" for future reference.
• The committee decided to lodge the report for information and reference only.

These examples illustrate how the term "lodge" is used in legal and parliamentary contexts. In each example, something is being delivered or recorded for future reference or action. Whether it's a legal document, a lawsuit, notes, or a report, the act of lodging ensures that it is officially recognized and preserved for future use.