Legal Definitions - right in personam

Definition: A legally enforceable claim that another person will do or will not do a given act; a recognized and protected interest the violation of which is a wrong.

Examples:

• If you have a contract with someone to deliver goods to you, you have a right in personam to enforce that contract if they fail to deliver the goods.
• If someone owes you money, you have a right in personam to take legal action to recover that debt.

These examples illustrate that a right in personam is a legal claim that you have against another person to do something they promised to do or to refrain from doing something that would harm you. If they violate this right, you can take legal action to enforce it.