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in forma pauperis

in forma pauperis

9.9
Allowed to go to court without paying fees because you cannot pay
  • adjective
  • /ɪn ˈfɔrmə ˈpɔpərɪs/
  • UK
: sin recursos
  • The court granted her application to proceed in forma pauperis because she could not afford the filing fees.

Examples

  • The court granted her application to proceed in forma pauperis because she could not afford the filing fees.

  • Many prisoners submit appeals in forma pauperis when they lack the means to pay legal costs.

  • He filed his lawsuit in forma pauperis after demonstrating his financial hardship.

  • He filed in forma pauperis.

  • The court allowed her to proceed in forma pauperis.

  • He filed his lawsuit in forma pauperis after demonstrating his financial hardship.

  • Many prisoners submit appeals in forma pauperis when they lack the means to pay legal costs.

Surface Forms

in forma pauperis positive

Morphology

in + forma + pauperis

This is a Latin legal formula rather than a compositional English phrase: the constituents 'forma' and 'pauperis' are not English words a B1 learner would know, so the meaning cannot be derived from the listed parts. Its use is a specialized legal convention (loaned Latin) whose sense must be learned as a term, making it unpredictable from the constituents.

Etymology

In forma pauperis comes from Latin: forma means 'form' and pauperis means 'poor person'. Imagine someone too poor to pay court fees and the court lets them go ahead without paying; that's why the adjective describes someone allowed to go to court 'without paying fees'.