Cooling-Off Period

An interval of time during which no action of a specific type can be taken by either side in a dispute. An automatic delay in certain jurisdictions, apart from ordinary court delays, between the time when DIVORCE papers are filed and the divorce hearing takes place. An amount of time within which a buyer is permitted to cancel a contract for the purchase of consumer goods—designed to effect CONSUMER PROTECTION. A number of states require that a three-day cancellation period must be allowed purchasers following door-to-door sales.

A cooling-off period is frequently used in labor disputes. There might, for example, be a period of one month following the filing of a grievance by a union or company against the other, during which neither the union nor the company is allowed to take retaliatory actions against each other.