Legal Definitions - meditatio fugae

Meditatio fugae is a legal term used in Scots law to describe the intention of absconding or running away to avoid paying a debt.

• If a creditor believes that their debtor is planning to leave the country to avoid paying their debt, they can apply to a magistrate for a warrant to apprehend the debtor for examination.
• If a debtor has already left and the creditor has reason to believe that they are in another country, they can still apply for a warrant to imprison the debtor until they find a way to make them pay the debt.

These examples illustrate how meditatio fugae is used in Scots law to prevent debtors from escaping their obligations by leaving the country or going into hiding.