Definition

Noun: * In legal contexts, an intervenor is a person or entity that is not originally a party to a lawsuit or legal proceeding but is allowed by the court to enter the case because they have a direct and substantial interest in its outcome. Their role is to interpose or insert themselves into the proceeding to protect their rights or interests.

Usage

The term is used almost exclusively in formal legal and judicial settings. It describes the status of a party joining an existing case. * The court granted the environmental group permission to participate as an intervenor in the case. * As an intervenor, the company could file briefs and present evidence relevant to its interests.

Examples

• The state attorney general filed a motion to become an intervenor in the federal lawsuit.
• The judge must decide whether the proposed intervenor has a sufficient stake in the matter.
• The rights of the intervenor are typically more limited than those of the original parties.

Advanced Usage

• Intervenor status: The official permission granted by a court allowing a non-party to join a case.
  • The organization was granted intervenor status to argue for the protection of historical sites.
• The concept is specific to adversarial legal systems (like those in the U.S., U.K., and Commonwealth countries) and is governed by specific rules of civil procedure.

Variants and Related Words

• Intervene (verb): To come between or involve oneself in a situation, especially to alter or prevent an action. In law, it specifically means to enter a legal proceeding as a third party.
  • The government decided to intervene in the antitrust case.
• Intervention (noun): The act of intervening. In law, the formal process of becoming an intervenor.
  • The court approved the intervention of the consumer advocacy group.

Synonyms

• Third party (in a legal context)
• Amicus curiae (Note: An or "friend of the court" is different; they offer information or expertise but do not become a party to the case with the same rights as an intervenor.)

Notes on Meaning

The core meaning of intervenor is tied to the legal action of "intervention." It does not have a general, non-legal meaning for someone who simply interferes or gets involved in a situation. For that general sense, words like "interloper," "mediator," or simply "someone who intervenes" are used.

Noun

1. (law) a party who interposes in a pending proceeding