Norwich Pharmacal Order
A court order requiring a third party who has become 'mixed up' in wrongdoing (innocently) to disclose information or documents to help identify the wrongdoer. Named after Norwich Pharmacal Co v Customs and Excise [1974].
Independent editorial summary — not the official statute text. Read the official version on legislation.gov.uk.
A Norwich Pharmacal order takes its name from Norwich Pharmacal Co v Customs and Excise Commissioners [1974] AC 133, in which the House of Lords established the principle that, where a wrong has been done or arguably done, a third party who has got mixed up in the wrongdoing so as to facilitate it, albeit innocently, may be ordered to provide information which is needed to enable the victim to sue the alleged wrongdoer.
The order is typically sought against institutions such as banks or internet service providers who, without being at fault themselves, hold information that would let a victim identify who wronged them or trace what happened to their property. It does not depend on the third party owing any legal duty to volunteer that information — it is the court's order that compels disclosure, not an independent obligation on the third party.
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Official sources
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