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Glite Dictionary
vexatious litigation

vexatious litigation

9.9
A lawsuit that a person brings to annoy or harm someone without good reason
  • noun
  • /vɛkˈseɪʃəs lɪtɪˈɡeɪʃən/
  • Formal
translation icon : litigio vexatorio
  • Their repeated attempts at vexatious litigation ultimately led to sanctions by the judge.

Examples

  • The court issued a restraining order to prevent further vexatious litigation against the organization.

  • Laws exist to protect defendants from vexatious litigation brought by disgruntled parties.

  • The court dismissed the case as vexatious litigation.

  • Many consider her claims to be vexatious litigation.

  • The judge dismissed the case, labeling it as vexatious litigation intended to harass the defendant.

  • Many believe that vexatious litigation only serves to burden the legal system and waste resources.

  • He faced numerous challenges due to the vexatious litigation initiated by his competitors.

Surface Forms

vexatious litigation singular
vexatious litigations plural

Morphology

vexatious + litigation

The noun phrase is a straightforward adjective + noun composition: 'vexatious' (causing annoyance or harassment) modifies 'litigation' (legal proceedings), yielding the meaning of legal action intended to annoy or harass an opponent. This compositional pattern is transparent and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituent words would grasp the basic sense (the legal technicality of 'without sufficient grounds' is a predictable extension rather than idiomatic).

Etymology

Vexatious litigation comes from vexatious, meaning 'annoying' or meant to cause trouble, and litigation, meaning a court case. Imagine someone who keeps bringing court cases just to bother another person, and it means 'legal action started to harass without good reason'.