litigation
n.the process of taking a disagreement to a court of law so a judge can decide who is right. It is a formal way for people or companies to solve legal problems.
n.the process of taking legal action through a court system to resolve a dispute. Often used to describe civil rather than criminal proceedings.
“The company is currently involved in litigation over a patent.”
“After months of failed negotiations, the two businesses decided that litigation was the only way to settle the contract dispute.”
“The threat of protracted litigation often forces a settlement between parties who wish to avoid the escalating costs and public scrutiny of a full trial.”
Commonly follows verbs like 'commence', 'avoid', or 'threaten'; often functions as a modifier in phrases like 'litigation costs'.
“The claims could open the floodgates to the type of litigation that challenged the tobacco industry in the late 1990s, he said.”
“Aminta Ossom provides pro bono advice to a plaintiff in separate Duty of Vigilance litigation, but has no financial interest in TotalEnergies and was not involved in the TotalEnergies case.”
Borrowed from Latin lītigātiō, equivalent to litigate + -ion.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.