In trade and contract law, a drop dead date is a provision added to a legal or trade act, such as a contract or a court order. A contract is an exchange of promises between two or more parties to do or refrain from doing an act which is enforceable in a court of law A court order (or court ruling) is an official proclamation by a Judge (or panel of judges that defines the legal relationships between the parties to a hearing Such a provision sets a last-delay date (hence the name drop dead date) past which certain consequences will automatically follow, such as cancelling the contract, taking property or entering a judgment. Property is any physical or virtual entity that is owned by an individual In non-legal contexts a judgment is a balanced weighing up of evidence preparatory to making a decision