Legal Linguistics

Note to all those in the legal profession:

When leaving messages about the status of any legal action, never use the words "held over" or "over." "Over" has connotations of finality and/or completion. If the trial has been postponed, deferred, delayed, moved to another date, on hiatus, in recess, not happening anytime soon, etc. USE ONE OF THOSE WORDS INSTEAD.

Think about the recipient. They may be retrieving voice messages via their cell phones while on train platforms. Their reception may be spotty and muddled by loud background noises. Your use of "over" may leave the listener with the sense that maybe a long, arduous four-year process may be finally over ... A bit of optimism which could be promptly squashed (to bits) upon hearing the rest of the words in the message, especially the part about "until June 2."

Second and third listening of your message under better conditions may confirm that, in fact, "over" doesn't really mean "over."

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Auntie Nettie

P.S.
I know it's not over until it's over, but I'm SO over this whole legal mess already. People really choose to be in the legal profession? People choose to torment other people with ongoing legal actions? People choose to do this sometimes intentionally?

Query: When is "over" really, really, truly "OVER" when it comes to lawsuits and trials?

Answer: Wait. Don't answer that. Just continue to pray to the dietie(s) of your choice that it is really "over" soon, settled amicably out of court, without my presence in a courtroom, without affecting my pocketbook, and without the possibility of the issue rearing its head again.

I'm off to console myself with caffeine and lots of big fat carbs and to count down until the time when my plane ticket precludes me from being on the East Coast. Like around the time when the next trial date is "supposed" to occur!