Legal Definitions - litigious

The term litigious describes an individual, organization, or even a situation that has a strong tendency or inclination to engage in lawsuits. This often means they are quick to resort to legal action, sometimes even for minor issues, or when other forms of resolution might be more appropriate.

Here are some examples illustrating the use of "litigious":

• Example 1 (Individual): Ms. Albright has a reputation in her neighborhood for being litigious. Over the past decade, she has filed lawsuits against three different neighbors concerning issues ranging from a shared fence dispute to the noise level of a backyard party, often bypassing attempts at friendly discussion or mediation.

  Explanation: Ms. Albright's repeated and frequent use of lawsuits for relatively minor disputes, rather than attempting to resolve them through discussion or other non-legal means, illustrates her litigious nature.

• Example 2 (Company): MegaCorp, a large pharmaceutical company, is widely considered litigious within its industry. It frequently initiates lawsuits against smaller generic drug manufacturers for alleged patent infringement, even for minor variations, often forcing these smaller companies into expensive legal battles they struggle to afford.

  Explanation: MegaCorp's consistent strategy of initiating numerous lawsuits against competitors, even for slight infringements, demonstrates a litigious approach to protecting its intellectual property and market position.

• Example 3 (Environment/Culture): In the highly specialized world of fine art appraisal, the environment can be quite litigious. Disagreements over authenticity or valuation often escalate directly to court, with parties quickly filing claims against each other rather than seeking arbitration or expert panels.

  Explanation: This scenario describes an industry where legal action is a prevalent and often immediate response to perceived wrongs or disagreements, indicating a litigious culture within that sector.