private nuisance
- noun
- /ˈpraɪvɪt ˈnjuːsəns/
- Formal
:
molestia privada
- Private nuisance arose from the assize of nuisance, which barred interference with the enjoyment of property.
- private nuisance action
- law of private nuisance
- private nuisance cases
Examples
-
Courts also recognized several defenses to private nuisance causes of action.
Academic text (1994) -
12 Generally, these two types of remedies were sought in an action for private nuisance.
Academic text (1994) -
Some believed that private nuisance actions were inadequate to prevent pollution and to compensate for pollution harm.
Academic text (1994) -
Private nuisances occur where there is an invasion of reasonable interests in the use and enjoyment of land.
Academic text (1999) -
Henceforth, only the private nuisance was conceptually limited to interference with rights in land.
Academic text (1998) -
The property group only considered private nuisance, that is, the noninvasive interference with the use and enjoyment of land.
Academic text (1998) -
An examination of common law actions for private nuisance, trespass, public nuisance, and strict liability tells a different story.
Academic text (1994) -
In addition to private nuisance actions, plaintiffs used trespass to enjoin polluting activities.
Academic text (1994) -
Consequently, these states do not provide nuisance protection for activities that may cause water pollution, and they allow private nuisance actions relating to water pollution or flooding.
Academic text (1999) -
The neighbor's loud music was a clear case of private nuisance that disrupted our peaceful evenings.
Synonyms
15
5.7
An act the law treats as harmful because it stops people using or enjoying property
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally clear: 'private' (relating to an individual) modifies 'nuisance' (an interference or annoyance), so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to a nuisance affecting a specific person or their property. However, the expression is a legal term with the additional nuance of unlawful interference with use/enjoyment of land, which may not be fully predictable to a B1 learner, so it is only partly transparent.
Etymology
Private nuisance comes from a simple image: a neighbour makes loud noise, bad smells, or puts up a tall fence that stops you enjoying your house or garden. Because it harms only certain neighbours (so it's private) and is an annoying or harmful thing (a nuisance), the phrase means 'an interference with a person's use or enjoyment of their land'.