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
Lenkov draws a parallel between business law and litigation, uniquely positioning himself to anticipate legal challenges in business deals.
—Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 12 May 2024
Employers have invested in arbitration systems that resolve disputes faster and less expensively than litigation.
—Lewis L. Maltby, Fortune, 9 May 2024
The judge overseeing former President Donald Trump's classified documents case has now indefinitely postponed the trial date pending resolution of outstanding pretrial litigation, including disagreements about how the classified information is used during trial.
—Katherine Faulders, ABC News, 7 May 2024
The Recording Industry Association of America and the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry declined to comment on any potential litigation to WIRED.
—Kate Knibbs, WIRED, 7 May 2024
Also, the potential for an inadvertent breach of an NDA could put a VC into litigation from an unhappy founder who did not get funded.
—Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 May 2024
Jack Taylor purchases the ranch property and closes access to La Sierra.
► 1981: More than 100 residents of the San Luis Valley file a class-action lawsuit against Taylor for access to the ranch, setting off decades of litigation.
—Elise Schmelzer, The Denver Post, 5 May 2024
While the resolutions have been withdrawn ahead of the corporation’s annual shareholder meeting in May, Exxon is still pursuing litigation, confirming its insidious intention is more delay and deception.
—Ruth Holton-Hodson, The Mercury News, 2 May 2024
The decision does not remove Benitez from the bench or disqualify him from presiding over high-profile civil cases — including potential future litigation over state gun laws — but does limit his role in criminal matters.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024
Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 12 May 2024
Employers have invested in arbitration systems that resolve disputes faster and less expensively than litigation.
—Lewis L. Maltby, Fortune, 9 May 2024
The judge overseeing former President Donald Trump's classified documents case has now indefinitely postponed the trial date pending resolution of outstanding pretrial litigation, including disagreements about how the classified information is used during trial.
—Katherine Faulders, ABC News, 7 May 2024
The Recording Industry Association of America and the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry declined to comment on any potential litigation to WIRED.
—Kate Knibbs, WIRED, 7 May 2024
Also, the potential for an inadvertent breach of an NDA could put a VC into litigation from an unhappy founder who did not get funded.
—Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 May 2024
Jack Taylor purchases the ranch property and closes access to La Sierra.
► 1981: More than 100 residents of the San Luis Valley file a class-action lawsuit against Taylor for access to the ranch, setting off decades of litigation.
—Elise Schmelzer, The Denver Post, 5 May 2024
While the resolutions have been withdrawn ahead of the corporation’s annual shareholder meeting in May, Exxon is still pursuing litigation, confirming its insidious intention is more delay and deception.
—Ruth Holton-Hodson, The Mercury News, 2 May 2024
The decision does not remove Benitez from the bench or disqualify him from presiding over high-profile civil cases — including potential future litigation over state gun laws — but does limit his role in criminal matters.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'litigation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near litigation
Cite this Entry
“Litigation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/litigation. Accessed 18 May. 2024.
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