Legal Definitions - writ of prevention

A writ of prevention is a legal document that prevents the filing of a lawsuit. It is also known as a quia timet writ, which is a Latin term meaning "because he fears." This writ allows a person to seek equitable relief from future probable harm to a specific right or interest.

For example, if a person fears that their neighbor is going to build a fence that will block their access to a road, they can file a writ of prevention to stop the neighbor from building the fence. This writ is used to prevent harm before it happens.

The doctrine of quia timet permits equitable relief based on a concern over future probable injury to certain rights or interests, where anticipated future injury cannot be prevented by a present action at law. This means that if a person believes that their rights or interests are going to be harmed in the future, they can seek relief from the court to prevent that harm from happening.