civil action

[siv-uhl ak-shuhn]

noun

Law.

1. a noncriminal lawsuit regarding an alleged violation of someone’s rights.

   When he started his own business and solicited his former employer’s clients, the employer filed a civil action against him.

   Some states require litigants in civil actions to go through alternative dispute resolution first.

Example Sentences

However, she noted that "less intrusive" measures such as a police warning or civil action were not pursued prior to prosecution.

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Kuhn said that under the state’s Unfair Competition Law, the county counsel’s office does not need a formal vote of the Board of Supervisors to proceed with a civil action.

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He was accused by the Securities and Exchange Commission in September in a civil action of participating in a fraud that lost investors more than $350 million while earning millions in management fees.

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‘The newly appointed attorney has demanded that I return almost half of the amount that I received and has filed a civil action to compel me to do so.’

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Hazel Knowles, senior project lead for Advice Direct Scotland, said tackling rogue trade was challenging and that "civil action is not always easy".

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