English > action at law: 1 sense > noun 1, act| Meaning | A judicial proceeding brought by one party against another; one party prosecutes another for a wrong done or for protection of a right or for prevention of a wrong. |
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| Synonyms | legal action, action |
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| Category | law, jurisprudence | The collection of rules imposed by authority |
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| Narrower | antitrust case | A legal action brought against parties who are charged with limiting free competition in the market place |
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| civil action | legal action to protect a private civil right or to compel a civil remedy (as distinguished from criminal prosecution) |
| counterclaim | A claim filed in opposition to another claim in a legal action |
| custody case | A legal action to determine custody (usually of children following a divorce) |
| lis pendens | A pending lawsuit |
| prosecution, criminal prosecution | The institution and conduct of legal proceedings against a defendant for criminal behavior |
| test case, test suit | A representative legal action whose outcome is likely to become a precedent |
| Broader | proceeding, legal proceeding, proceedings | (law) the institution of a sequence of steps by which legal judgments are invoked |
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| Spanish | caso, causa, proceso |
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| Catalan | causa, procés |
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