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

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

Examples of litigation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Does the hiring of Kessler mean litigation is certain? —Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 25 Jan. 2025

However, ongoing litigation resulted in eligibility restrictions. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025

Town of Highland Attorney John Reed said Thursday that the town doesn’t comment on pending or ongoing litigation. —Michelle L. Quinn, Chicago Tribune, 24 Jan. 2025

Qualified immunity is a legal protection that shields government employees from litigation over work actions absent a clear violation of constitutional or statutory rights. —Robert Salonga, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing litigation

• in litigation