abuse of process
English
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /əˈbjuːs əv ˈpɹəʊ.sɛs/[1]
- (General American) IPA(key): /əˈbjus əv ˈpɹɑsɛs/[2]
Noun
abuse of process (usually uncountable, plural abuses of process)
- A cause of action in tort arising from one party making a malicious and deliberate misuse or perversion of regularly issued court process (civil or criminal) not justified by the underlying legal action.[3]
Related terms
- malicious prosecution
References
- “abuse of process” in Lesley Brown, editor, The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 5th edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 10.
- “abuse of process” in Christine A. Lindberg, editor, The Oxford College Dictionary, 2nd edition, New York, N.Y.: Spark Publishing, 2002, →ISBN, page 5.
- Philip Babcock Gove (editor), Webster's Third International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged (G. & C. Merriam Co., 1976 [1909], →ISBN), page 8