Editing Vexatious litigation (section)

{{Short description|Legal action which is brought solely to harass or subdue an adversary}}
'''Vexatious litigation''' is legal action which is brought  solely to [[harass]] or subdue an [[Enemy|adversary]]. It may take the form of a primary [[frivolous lawsuit]] or may be the repetitive, burdensome, and unwarranted filing of meritless motions in a matter which is otherwise a meritorious [[cause of action]]. Filing vexatious litigation is considered an [[Abuse of process|abuse of the judicial process]] and may result in [[sanctions (law)|sanctions]] against the offender.

A single action, even a frivolous one, is usually not enough to raise a litigant to the level of being declared vexatious. Rather, a pattern of frivolous legal actions is typically required to rise to the level of vexatious. Repeated and severe instances by a single [[lawyer]] or [[law firm|firm]] can result in eventual [[disbarment]].

Some [[jurisdiction]]s have a list of vexatious litigants: people who have repeatedly abused the legal system. Because lawyers could be disbarred for participating in this abuse of the legal process, vexatious litigants are often unable to retain legal counsel, and such litigants, therefore, represent themselves in court. Those on the vexatious litigant list are usually either forbidden from any further legal action or are required to obtain prior permission from a senior judge before taking any legal action. The process by which a person is added to the list varies among jurisdictions. In [[liberal democracy|liberal democratic]] jurisdictions, declaring someone a vexatious litigant is considered to be a serious measure and rarely occurs, as judges and officials are reluctant to curtail a person's access to the courts.

These legal actions occur{{dubious|reason=It's dubious that frivolous/harassment legal actions *only* occur in common law systems|date=February 2024}} in some countries of the former [[British Empire]], where the [[common law]] system still remains: [[Australia]], [[Canada]], [[Ireland]], [[New Zealand]], [[United Kingdom|UK]], and [[United States|US]], which are specified below. [[Civil law (legal system)|Civil (codified/continental) law]] systems typically do not have a prohibition against vexatious litigation.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}