litigation
noun
lit·i·ga·tion
ˌli-tə-ˈgā-shən 
plural litigations
: the act, process, or practice of settling a dispute in a court of law : the act or process of litigating
an issue that has been in litigation for years
an attorney who specializes in the litigation of property disputes
The American Judicial System generally limits the filing of lawsuits to individuals with a personal stake in the litigation, but there are instances when litigants cannot themselves prosecute an action.—
Jonathan Mahler
Jonathan Mahler
also
: a legal action or proceeding (such as a lawsuit)
"You can't realize how much it costs to run one of these litigations. To get a battery of lawyers into a courtroom and do all the planning … and so on costs $500,000." —Gordon Gould
Gordon Gould Examples of litigation in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
As a result of litigation by the website Radar Online, the FBI released tens of thousands of pages from 2007 to 2008.
—Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2025
The panel of three judges, all of whom were appointed by Democratic presidents, said the federal judge's order is not subject to review by a higher court at this stage of the litigation.
—Maureen Groppe, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2025
Other companies with pending litigation, recalls, or consumer complaints include Instant Pot, SharkNinja, and Cuisinart.
—Sponsored Content, The Denver Post, 28 Feb. 2025
Tatra sued Volkswagen for copying its 1936 Type 97, litigation which was dropped when Germany took over the Tatra factory with the 1938 invasion of Czechoslovakia.
—Raphael Orlove, Robb Report, 27 Feb. 2025
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Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2025
The panel of three judges, all of whom were appointed by Democratic presidents, said the federal judge's order is not subject to review by a higher court at this stage of the litigation.
—Maureen Groppe, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2025
Other companies with pending litigation, recalls, or consumer complaints include Instant Pot, SharkNinja, and Cuisinart.
—Sponsored Content, The Denver Post, 28 Feb. 2025
Tatra sued Volkswagen for copying its 1936 Type 97, litigation which was dropped when Germany took over the Tatra factory with the 1938 invasion of Czechoslovakia.
—Raphael Orlove, Robb Report, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for litigation
Cite this Entry
“Litigation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/litigation. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.
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