— Also termed abuse of legal process; malicious abuse of process; malicious abuse of legal process; wrongful process; wrongful process of law. Cf. MALICIOUS PROSECUTION. [Cases: Process 168–171. C.J.S. Process §§ 106–114.]
abuse of process
The improper and tortious use of a legitimately issued court process to obtain a result that is either unlawful or beyond the process’s scope.