Commonly referred to as a "PDL order,"  an Order Pendente Lite is an order of the court that guides the parties' actions while the case is pending.  If issues regarding temporary child support and periods of custody with the children cannot be resolved by agreement, a party may ask the court for a PDL order to fill the gap between the time the order is entered and the time the court enters an order of dissolution. 

PDL Orders for custody, child support, maintenance, mortgage payments, medical payments, visitation, restraining orders, injunctions and other relief may be requested from the time after you start your case until a Judgment of Dissolution is entered.  The court may also award temporary attorney fees to assist a party with the costs of obtaining counsel.  This may be part of a PDL motion containing other requests. 

When the motion is filed, the attorney seeking the orders also schedules a hearing and notifies the opposing side of the date of the hearing.  You should know that as a practical application, while PDL Orders are provided for by statute, courts strongly encourage parties to resolve interim disputes by agreement, as a hearing regarding a PDL issue is like a mini-trial of the same issues that will be presented to the court later on if there is a final trial.  This tends to be very repetitious often taxes the Judge's patience.

Another consideration before you decide you want to file a PDL motion is that any court appearance that requires your attorney's attendance increases the cost to you of the litigation.  If matters can be resolved without a hearing, it may be to your advantage.  Sometimes there is no choice, and a formal order must be requested from the court in order to protect a child's or client's interests while the case is pending. 

It is to everyone's advantage if the parties can work out issues between themselves without the necessity of filing motions with the court.  The sooner, the better! Do not wait too long to determine if this is necessary, as  stabilizing your situation as quickly as possible will allow all parties to focus on the ultimate resolution of your matter instead of interim issues.

Disclaimer