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
Jenner & Block, a litigation firm, explains on its blog:
First and foremost, this decision does not spell the end of the mifepristone litigation.
—Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post, 17 June 2024
The paperwork, comprising motions, depositions and other docs, had remained under seal during Giuffre and Maxwell’s litigation to protect identities of victims and of people who came up but who didn’t do anything wrong, the judge on the case previously wrote.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 14 June 2024
The litigation is being led by the ubiquitous civil rights and personal-injury lawyer Ben Crump, who has represented the families of Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and other Black people killed in high-profile violent encounters.
—Linda Villarosa Robin Miles Krish Seenivasan Alec K. Redfearn, New York Times, 13 June 2024
According to Rokita’s office, litigation against additional defendants in this case is still ongoing.
—Brittany Carloni, The Indianapolis Star, 12 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for litigation 
Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post, 17 June 2024
The paperwork, comprising motions, depositions and other docs, had remained under seal during Giuffre and Maxwell’s litigation to protect identities of victims and of people who came up but who didn’t do anything wrong, the judge on the case previously wrote.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 14 June 2024
The litigation is being led by the ubiquitous civil rights and personal-injury lawyer Ben Crump, who has represented the families of Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and other Black people killed in high-profile violent encounters.
—Linda Villarosa Robin Miles Krish Seenivasan Alec K. Redfearn, New York Times, 13 June 2024
According to Rokita’s office, litigation against additional defendants in this case is still ongoing.
—Brittany Carloni, The Indianapolis Star, 12 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for litigation
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.
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Cite this Entry
“Litigation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/litigation. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.
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