An irreparable injury is, in equity, "the type of harm which no monetary compensation can cure or put conditions back the way they were."Law Dictionary.
The irreparable injury rule It has traditionally been a requirement of equity that no relief can be granted unless there is irreparable injury. This requirement, commonly called the "irreparable injury rule", has been the subject of sustained academic criticism, especially by remedies scholar Douglas Laycock, who has argued at length that the rule does not actually explain the decisions of courts in the United States.Douglas Laycock, The Death of the Irreparable Injury Rule (Oxford Univ. Press 1991). Nevertheless, the irreparable injury rule was reaffirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court in eBay v. MercExchange, 547 U.S. 388 (2006), a case in which the Court announced a test for injunctive relief that required, among other things, that the plaintiff prove "that it has suffered an irreparable injury". Friday, 16 April 2021
The concept of irreparable injury in various jurisdictions The general idea that there are irreparable injuries has been recognized in various jurisdictions.
United Nations The United Nations Staff Rules recognize the concept for the purpose of employment appeals.See U.N. Joint Appeals Board web site, citing, Law Dictionary, supra.
United States Virtually every state recognizes the concept under common law or equity, including New YorkPrivate law firm's web site glossary. Oklahoma,Oklahoma case South Dakota,S.D. Public Service Commission web site and Utah.
In addition to state law, the federal government takes note of the purpose of an injunction as being to "prevent irreparable damage or injury". D.Ariz. official web site .DOJ Web site, Kid's page.e5quire Law, 17 January 2023
Africa The East Africa Court of Justice has noted the concept in enjoining an election in Kenya.EAC web page .
Philippines Philippines law notes the phrase in employment law,See case on Philippines Supreme Court official web site .Philippine Jurisprudence web site in a report regarding indigenous peoples,See an Order on the - National Commission on Indigenous Peoples web page . as well as in agrarian reform.
See also Equity (law) Injunction Preliminary injunction Temporary restraining order Quia timet
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