Last Updated on May 11, 2022 by Fair Punishment Team

Typically, the disposition date on a court record is the date that the court will make a final ruling on the case in question which will bring it to its full conclusion.

Some cases will have multiple disposition dates such as the date of a court ruling on a pretrial motion as well as the date of a final ruling in a criminal case. The final order aka the actual disposition of a case will vary depending on the type of case that is in court.

Disposition Date On A Criminal Record

The disposition date on a criminal record is the date when the defendant was found either guilty to not guilty. If the defendant is convicted then they will be sentenced on a date after the disposition date.

Generally, the disposition date is used to keep records and sentencing is not usually included as part of a disposition. Therefore, in criminal law, the disposition is the final conclusion with regards to conviction. A ‘convicted’ disposition means that the defendant has been found guilty by a court of law and an ‘acquitted’ disposition means that they have been conversely found not guilty.

A ‘dismissed’ disposition means that all charges have been dropped and the case is therefore concluded by termination. A ‘suspended sentence’ disposition means that the court has suspended any sentencing pending a probation period which may include the necessary completion of some form of treatment program.

If you want or need to obtain a copy of a criminal disposition then you should contact the court that dealt with your case and request a certificate of the record which will certify the conviction and the sentencing disposition. You may need to pay a fee in order to do this but this is dependent on the court where you are sentenced or acquitted.

During juvenile proceedings, the disposition date is the date when the court will hold a disposition hearing. At the end of this hearing, a final order will be made which is similar to adult sentencing. However, this disposition will set out a plan that meets the needs of the juvenile in question based on any written evidence, testimonials or written reports.

It will then specify the form of treatment, custody, training of rehabilitation that best suits the needs of the juvenile offender. It is important to note that juvenile proceedings greatly differ from criminal proceedings for adult offenders as they place focus on rehabilitation as opposed to punishment and this is inherently reflected in the disposition hearing.

Disposition Date In Litigation

In civil litigation proceedings, the disposition date that is listed on a court document is usually the date in which the defendant is found either liable or not liable but it can also refer to the date when a judgement has been entered. If a defendant is found liable and the other party is thus awarded monetary damages, the other party will also want to enforce the judgement.

However, they will need to wait for a specific period of time in order to allow the defendant to appeal the decision or seek another form of relief such as a stay of enforcement or a petition. In this case, the disposition date is crucial because the deadline to appeal starts from the disposition date.

Disposition Date In Bankruptcy

In the case of bankruptcy, the disposition date is the outcome of the case and the date that this outcome is decided by a court of law. Some common dispositions include ‘confirmed’ (the court has confirmed a reorganization plan), ‘dismissed’ (the case has been dismissed entirely), and ‘converted’ (the case has been converted to a case that falls under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code).

This date shouldn’t be mistaken for the disposition of assets in bankruptcy cases which specifically refers to the necessary sale of assets in order to pay any outstanding creditors.

To conclude, the meaning of a disposition date varies depending on the nature of your court case. If it is concerning criminal law, then this is the date when a conviction is either implemented or you are acquitted.

In the case of juvenile criminal law, this is a date when a plan for the rehabilitation of the juvenile is implemented and this can include conviction, being remanded in custody or the implementation of some form of treatment program. In the case of litigation law, this is the date when the defendant is found either liable or not liable for the matter in question.

In the case of bankruptcy, the disposition date is the outcome of the case. Therefore, a disposition date refers to the conclusion of the matter in hand and although some criminal cases may require more than one disposition date, this is usually the date where the case culminates entirely.

However, in litigation law, you should remember that if the defendant is found liable, there is still a period of time available for them to appeal the case and suspend the repayment of any monetary damages.

They may also need to seek another form of relief such as a petition or a stay of enforcement and whilst the judgement will be issued on this date, it is not always a smooth sailing process from this moment onwards. If you are uncertain about anything to do with your specific disposition date then you should consult with your attorney who will and should have explained the process in depth.

You will then be able to prepare yourself fully for your disposition date and have a deepened understanding of what will occur on the day in question.