Legal Definitions - malicious abuse of process

Malicious abuse of process is when someone uses a court process in a wrongful and harmful way to achieve a result that is either illegal or beyond the scope of the process. This is also known as abuse of legal process, malicious abuse of legal process, wrongful process, or wrongful process of law. It is different from malicious prosecution.

For example, if someone files a lawsuit against another person with the intention of causing them harm or harassment, rather than seeking justice, it is considered malicious abuse of process. Another example is if a police officer arrests someone without probable cause, just to intimidate or harass them, it is also considered malicious abuse of process.

In both examples, the court process is being used for a purpose other than what it was intended for, and it causes harm to the other party. This is why it is considered a tortious and improper use of the legal system.