champerty
/ˈtʃampəti
/noun [mass noun] Law
An illegal agreement in which a person with no previous interest in a lawsuit finances it with a view to sharing the disputed property if the suit succeeds.First, that ought to weigh with the court in considering, in connection with the law of champerty, whether the agreement into which he entered was justifiable....
- It is said to be Victoria where the agreement is made, a State in which maintenance and champerty is no longer unlawful, perhaps not even tortious.
- Historically, English and American common law has prohibited champerty - and officially, that is still the American rule.
Derivatives
champertous
- In our contention the Court of Appeal wrongly regarded the 1993 Act as abolishing more than the consequences in criminal law and in tort of champertous conduct.
- A champertous agreement was illegal and void, involving as it did criminal conduct.
- In any event even if they themselves were a firm of solicitors their agreement would be champertous.
Origin
Late Middle English: from Anglo-Norman French champartie, from Old French champart 'feudal lord's share of produce', from Latin campus 'field' + pars 'part'.
- ready-made
- ready-making
- ready meal
- ready-mix
- ready-mixed
- ready money
- ready-moneyed
- ready reckoner
- ready roll
- ready room
- ready-sensitized
- ready, steady, go (also ready, set, go)
- ready-to-wear
- ready-up
- ready-witted
- reaffect
- reafference
- reafferent
- reaffirm
- reaffirmance
- reaffirmation
- reaffirmer
- reafforest
- reafforestation
- Reaganaut