Cease and Desist Letter

Answer a few questions to create a professional Cease and Desist Letter, ready to edit and sign.

Step 1 of 76 sections · answer each, then create your document

Who is sending the letter

The address you enter is printed in the letter. If the letter is about harassment or unwanted contact and you do not want the recipient to have your home address, use a mailing address you are comfortable sharing, such as a P.O. box.

Is the sender a business or an individual?

Sender's full legal name

For a business, use its registered name, including "LLC" or "Inc." if it has one.

Street address

City

State

ZIP code

Email optional

Used to reply to this letter.

Phone optional

Who the letter is addressed to

Is the recipient a business or an individual?

Recipient's full legal name

For a business, use its registered name, including "LLC" or "Inc." if it has one.

Street address

City

State

ZIP code

Email optional

Used to reply to this letter.

The conduct

Date of this letter

What kind of conduct do you want stopped?

Choose the closest match. The letter describes the conduct in your own words below. For harassment or unwanted contact, remember that the address you entered for yourself is printed in the letter.

Describe what the recipient did

State only facts you can support with records, messages, screenshots or witnesses: what was done, when and where. Describe the conduct, not the person. Avoid insults, guesses about motives, and any statement you cannot prove, because an untrue statement in this letter could itself be defamatory.

When did the conduct begin (or when did it happen)?

Date of the most recent occurrence optional

Leave blank if it happened only once.

Where did it happen? optional

For example, "at our store at 14 Elm Street", "on the recipient's Instagram account" or "by text message".

Web addresses where the content or conduct appears optional

One per line. Keep your own dated screenshots of each page.

In which state did the conduct happen or have its main effect?

For online conduct, choose the state where you are located. The letter names the state only; it does not state any state-specific rule.

What you rely on

In plain words, why should the recipient stop?

Describe what you rely on, for example "We have used the name Harbor Light Bakery since 2015 and registered it as a trademark", "I wrote and published the photos on my website", "Our agreement says the recipient will not contact our clients for one year", or "The recipient has been asked in writing to stop contacting me". Do not cite laws or say the recipient is guilty of anything; the letter presents this as your belief.

What you are asking for

What do you want the recipient to do?

Stop the conduct immediately

Remove specific content by the deadline

Stop contacting you (and people you name)

Return or destroy materials by the deadline

Confirm in writing by the deadline that they have complied

Choose everything that applies. Ask only for what you actually need.

How many days does the recipient have to respond?

Counted from the date of the letter. The letter shows the date this produces. 10 to 14 days is common.

Ask the recipient to keep documents and messages about this matter?

Yes No

Useful if the dispute may continue. The letter asks the recipient not to delete or change related records, including any content or materials you ask them to remove or return. If you choose this, the letter asks for materials to be returned rather than destroyed.

How should the letter describe what may happen next?

The letter never threatens criminal charges. Only mention legal action if you are prepared to consider it.

Sending the letter

How will you send the letter?

A method with a delivery record, such as certified mail or a courier, lets you show when it was received.

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