Meaning
Litigation is a noun that refers to the process of taking legal action or settling disputes through the court system. It involves lawsuits, trials, and other formal legal proceedings.
Grammar and Usage
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Part of speech: Noun (uncountable in general use, but can be countable when referring to individual cases).
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Usage: Often used in formal or legal contexts.
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Typical structures:
- "engage in litigation"
- "be involved in litigation"
- "litigation against someone"
- "litigation over something"
Common Phrases
- civil litigation – lawsuits involving private disputes (not criminal).
- criminal litigation – court action related to crimes.
- pending litigation – legal action that has not been resolved yet.
- litigation process – the steps involved in legal proceedings.
- litigation costs – expenses involved in taking a case to court.
Collocations
- verb + litigation: engage in litigation, initiate litigation, avoid litigation, face litigation.
- adjective + litigation: lengthy litigation, costly litigation, ongoing litigation, complex litigation.
- litigation + noun: litigation process, litigation expenses, litigation strategy, litigation settlement.
Examples
- The company decided to avoid litigation by reaching a settlement with the customer.
- He has been involved in lengthy litigation over property rights.
- Litigation costs can be extremely high and burdensome.
- The firm specializes in both civil and criminal litigation.
- The new policy aims to reduce unnecessary litigation between businesses.
- Pending litigation has delayed the company’s merger.
- Many clients prefer arbitration to litigation because it is faster.
- Their lawyer advised them that litigation might take several years.
Synonyms or Related
- lawsuit
- court case
- legal proceedings
- trial
- prosecution (in criminal cases)
Antonym
- settlement
- agreement
- mediation
- arbitration