What does the abbreviation "PTO" stand for?
Answer
PTO can be an abbreviation for "paid time off" and "Patent and Trademark Office." In the courts, the abbreviation can be for "pre-trial order." The best definition of a pre-trial order is in New York Practice Series -- Commercial Litigation in New York State Courts:
"A pretrial order is a standing order that a judge may require, stating what is required for proceeding to trial. ... Although CPLR 4012 refers to the possibility of the pleadings being superseded by a pretrial order, nowhere else in the CPLR or the Uniform Rules3 is the pretrial order mentioned, and there is no direction as to what should be contained in such an order. Current practice varies from judge to judge and case to case. Therefore, the practice of each judge should be ascertained."
§ 45:5. Pretrial orders, 4A N.Y.Prac., Com. Litig. in New York State Courts § 45:5 (5th ed.)