latitat (lat-[schwa]-tat), n. [Law Latin “he lurks”] Hist. A writ issued in a personal action after the sheriff returned a bill of Middlesex with the notation that the defendant could not be found. • The writ was called latitat because of its fictitious recital that the defendant lurks about in the county. It was abolished […]
latitat 〈拉〉〈英〉潜逃拘捕令状 15世纪时，王座法庭〔Court of King’s Bench〕创制了一种独特的程序，这种程序使它对某些案件与民诉法庭〔Court of Common Pleas〕享有共同管辖权。这种程序以被告真正或依法推定处于马夏尔西监狱〔Marshalsea prison〕典狱长〔Marshal〕的拘押状态下为前提事实，因为该监狱处于王座法庭所在地米德尔塞克斯郡〔Middlesex〕，这样就能够使王座法庭拥有当然的管辖权。其操作是：首先由原告提出针对被告的米德尔塞克斯申诉状〔Bill of Middlesex〕，宣称被告以暴力手段对他实施了侵权行为，并拟称后者已提供担保，保证按时出庭。这样，在案件性质上就赋予了王座法庭以司法管辖权。如果届时米德尔塞克斯郡郡长找不到被告，则一道潜逃拘捕令状就会发给邻近郡之郡长，要求他拘捕被告。如果已知被告不在米德尔塞克斯郡，那么签发潜逃拘捕令状是诉讼的第一步。该令状中强调使用latitat(潜逃)一词，故名。1832年的《令状统一法》〔Uniformity of Process Act〕废除了这一令状。