Legal Definitions - realignment

Definition: Realignment is the process by which a court identifies and rearranges the parties involved in a case according to their ultimate interests, usually in determining diversity jurisdiction.

Example: In a lawsuit involving a car accident, the driver of the car may be sued as the defendant. However, if the driver was working for a company at the time of the accident, the company may also be involved in the lawsuit as a defendant. Realignment would involve rearranging the parties so that the company is the primary defendant, as they may have more resources to pay damages.

This example illustrates how realignment can help ensure that the parties involved in a case are arranged in a way that makes the most sense for the ultimate outcome of the case.