Legal Definitions - internecine

The term internecine describes a conflict or struggle that is highly destructive, often to all parties involved, or that involves severe internal strife within a group.

Here are some examples illustrating the application of internecine:

• Imagine two rival technology companies locked in a bitter legal battle over patent infringement. Each company spends enormous sums on legal fees, diverts key personnel from product development, and suffers significant reputational damage as confidential information is revealed in court. Even if one company ultimately "wins" the lawsuit, both emerge financially depleted and strategically weakened, having inflicted substantial harm upon each other. This situation could be described as an internecine legal struggle because the conflict was mutually destructive, causing significant damage to both competitors.

• Consider a national sports league where several team owners are constantly at odds, publicly criticizing each other, undermining league policies, and refusing to cooperate on collective initiatives like revenue sharing or player safety. This constant internal bickering prevents the league from presenting a unified front, alienates fans, and ultimately harms the overall health and profitability of the organization. This scenario illustrates internecine politics within the league, as the conflict among its members is highly damaging to the group as a whole.

• In a historical context, a civil war fought between two factions within the same country, where both sides commit atrocities and suffer catastrophic losses of life and infrastructure, leaving the nation utterly devastated regardless of who prevails, would be an internecine conflict. The fighting is characterized by extreme destruction and a high cost to all involved, often leading to the collapse of social order and long-term instability for the entire society.