Lis alibi pendens is a Latin term that translates to "a suit pending elsewhere." It refers to a legal doctrine that allows a court to dismiss a case if a similar case involving the same parties and issues is already pending in another court. This doctrine helps prevent multiple lawsuits on the same matter from proceeding simultaneously in different courts.
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Google Gemini AI
May 4
Lis Alibi Pendens
Definition:
Lis alibi pendens is a legal principle that prevents a court from hearing a case that is already pending before another court with proper jurisdiction. It literally means "another lawsuit is pending."
Purpose:
To prevent conflicting or parallel proceedings in different courts involving the same subject matter and parties. It ensures that the first court to acquire jurisdiction over a case remains the exclusive forum for resolving the dispute.
Conditions for Lis Alibi Pendens:
- There must be two lawsuits involving the same cause of action. - The lawsuits must be pending in different courts. - The courts must have proper jurisdiction over the cases. - The parties involved in the lawsuits must be substantially the same.
Consequences of Lis Alibi Pendens:
- The court where the second lawsuit is filed must dismiss the case. - The parties cannot relitigate the same issues in the second lawsuit. - The court in which the first lawsuit was filed retains exclusive jurisdiction.
Exceptions:
- The first lawsuit may have been dismissed for reasons not related to the merits of the case. - The parties may have agreed to consolidate the lawsuits in a single court. - The second lawsuit may involve additional claims or parties that were not present in the first lawsuit.
Example:
If two lawsuits are filed in different courts over the ownership of the same property, the court where the first lawsuit was filed will have lis alibi pendens and will dismiss the second lawsuit. The parties must then proceed with the case in the first court.