pretrial order
pretrial order. A court order setting out the claims and defenses to be tried, the stipulations of the parties, and the case’s procedural rules, as agreed to by the parties or mandated by the court at a pretrial conference. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 16(e). • In federal court, a pretrial order supersedes the pleadings. [Cases: Federal Civil Procedure 1935; Pretrial Procedure 747. C.J.S. Trial § 47.]