Pivot latch

A lever latch for releasably latching a door to a corresponding door frame, said lever latch comprising:

• a housing mounted in an opening in the door;
• a handle pivotally mounted to said housing and rotatable between opened and closed positions;
• a bolt pivotally mounted to said housing and engageable to the door frame when said handle is in said closed position and disengageable from the door frame when said handle is in said opened position, said bolt being automatically pivotable in a first predetermined direction toward said opened position;
• a trigger pivotally mounted to said housing for movement between first and second positions, said trigger being operable to retain said handle when in said first position and being operable to release said handle when in said second position, said trigger being pivotable in a direction opposite said first predetermined direction to release said handle;
• and
• a pawl rotatably mounted to said housing for movement between locked and unlocked positions,
• wherein, in said unlocked position, at least one cutout on said pawl being aligned with a catch on said trigger to allow said trigger to pivot to said second position, and in said locked position, said at least one cutout being out of alignment with said catch and said catch contacting a surface on said pawl to thereby prevent said trigger from being pivoted to said second position.