Legal Definitions - regress

Regress refers to the act of returning or re-entering a place, or the legal right to do so. It signifies the ability or entitlement to go back to a previous position, location, or state. Historically, it also referred to the right to seek repayment or compensation from another party.

• Example 1 (Property Access):

  A homeowner grants a neighbor a temporary license to cross their backyard to access a public park while a city path is under construction. The agreement explicitly states the neighbor has the right of "ingress, egress, and regress" across the property for the duration of the construction.

  Explanation: In this scenario, "regress" ensures the neighbor not only has the right to *enter* (ingress) and *leave* (egress) the backyard but also the specific right to *return* to the property repeatedly as needed to access the park during the agreed-upon period.

• Example 2 (Contractual Right to Revert):

  A software company offers a premium subscription with a 14-day free trial. The terms of service state that if a user cancels before the trial ends, their account will "regress" to the basic free version, retaining their saved data but losing premium features.

  Explanation: Here, "regress" describes the contractual right or automatic process for the user's account to revert to a prior, less-featured state (the basic free version) after a specific action (canceling the trial). It's a return to a previous condition or status.

• Example 3 (Right to Recourse/Repayment):

  A small business owner secures a loan, and a friend acts as a personal guarantor. If the business defaults on the loan and the friend, as guarantor, is compelled to pay the bank, the friend then has a legal right of "regress" against the business owner to recover the amount they paid.

  Explanation: In this context, "regress" refers to the guarantor's right to seek repayment or compensation from the primary debtor (the business owner) after having satisfied the debt themselves. It represents a form of recourse to recover funds from the party primarily responsible.