Legal Definitions - malicious abuse of legal process

Malicious abuse of legal process is when someone uses a court process in a wrongful and harmful way to get a result that is not allowed by the law. This is also known as abuse of process, malicious abuse of process, wrongful process, or wrongful process of law. It is different from malicious prosecution, which is when someone starts a legal case against another person without any legal basis.

For example, if someone files a lawsuit against another person just to harass them or to get revenge, even though they know they don't have a valid legal claim, this would be considered malicious abuse of legal process. Another example is if a police officer arrests someone without any probable cause, just to intimidate or punish them, this would also be considered malicious abuse of legal process.

In both cases, the person who is harmed by the abuse of legal process can sue the person who used it for damages. This is because the abuse of legal process can cause emotional distress, financial loss, and damage to reputation.