A charging lien is defined as a type of attorney's lien under which a lawyer acquires an interest in a judgment awarded to the client. This may mean that the lawyer can eventually claim a portion of any money paid to the client due to the...
class actions
class
A class is a group of people or things defined by one or more common attributes. In a legal context, a class refers to all those persons who are in the same category, having the same type of rights or who have suffered from the same incident...
class action
Overview
A class action is a procedural device that permits one or more plaintiffs to file and prosecute a lawsuit on behalf of a larger group, or "class". Put simply, the device allows courts to manage lawsuits that would otherwise be...
derivative action
A derivative action is a type of lawsuit in which the corporation asserts a wrong against the corporation and seeks damages.
Derivative actions represent two lawsuits in one: (1) the failure of the board of directors to sue...
discovery
In civil actions, the discovery process refers to what parties use during pre-trial to gather information in preparation for trial.
The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure have very liberal discovery provisions. Before the...
entity
An entity refers to a person or organization possessing separate and distinct legal rights, such as an individual, partnership, or corporation. An entity can, among other things, own property, engage in business, enter into contracts, pay...
equitable estoppel
See estoppel.
[Last updated in November of 2022 by the Wex Definitions Team]
equitable relief
The remedy resulting from a claim of estoppel. Equitable relief is distinguished from remedies for legal actions in that, instead of seeking merely monetary damages, the plaintiff is seeking that the court compels the defendant to perform a certain...
equity
In law, the term "equity" refers to a particular set of remedies and associated procedures involved with civil law. These equitable doctrines and procedures are distinguished from "legal" ones. While legal remedies typically involve monetary...
frivolous
A frivolous claim, often called a bad faith claim, refers to a lawsuit, motion or appeal that is intended to harass, delay or embarrass the opposition.
A claim is frivolous when the claim lacks any arguable basis either in...