Definition

Noun: * Vexatious Litigation: A legal action or lawsuit that is brought without sufficient grounds, primarily to harass, annoy, or cause trouble for the defendant, rather than to legitimately resolve a legal dispute. It is litigation initiated maliciously and without probable cause.

Usage

• The term is used in legal contexts to describe a specific category of abusive legal proceedings.
• It often refers to a pattern of behavior by a plaintiff who repeatedly files baseless lawsuits.
• Courts may impose sanctions or issue orders to prevent a party from engaging in further vexatious litigation.

Examples

• The company sought to recover its legal costs, arguing the claim against it was vexatious litigation.
• After the third frivolous lawsuit, the judge declared the plaintiff a vexatious litigant to curb future vexatious litigation.
• A key defense against vexatious litigation is to file a motion for summary judgment early in the process.

Advanced Usage

• "Vexatious litigant": A person who habitually and persistently engages in vexatious litigation. Courts may require such a person to obtain prior permission from the court before filing any new lawsuits.
• The concept is related to, but distinct from, "frivolous litigation." While all vexatious litigation is frivolous, it is characterized by an element of malice or an intent to harass.

Variants and Related Words

• Vexatious (adjective): Causing or tending to cause annoyance, frustration, or worry. (e.g., ).
• Litigation (noun): The process of taking legal action; the process of suing someone.
• Frivolous lawsuit (noun phrase): A lawsuit with no serious purpose or value, lacking a legal basis.
• Malicious prosecution (noun phrase): A tort claim that can be brought by someone who was subjected to a criminal or civil proceeding that was initiated maliciously and without probable cause, and that terminated in the claimant's favor.

Synonyms

• Frivolous lawsuit
• Baseless lawsuit
• Malicious prosecution (specific legal tort)
• Abuse of process (broader legal concept)

Related Legal Concepts and Idioms

• "To sue someone into submission": An informal idiom describing the strategy of filing multiple lawsuits to burden an opponent with legal costs and stress, which can be a form of vexatious litigation.
• "Strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP)": A type of lawsuit intended to censor, intimidate, and silence critics by burdening them with the cost of a legal defense until they abandon their criticism or opposition. While similar in harassing effect, SLAPPs often have a slightly different legal definition and purpose than vexatious litigation.

Noun

1. litigation shown to have been instituted maliciously and without probable cause
   • he got an injunction against vexatious litigation by his enemies