in personam

American  

[in per-soh-nam] / ɪn pərˈsoʊ næm /

adverb

Law.

1. (of a legal proceeding or judgment) directed against a party or parties, rather than against property.

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in personam British  

/ ɪn pɜːˈsəʊnæm /

adjective

1. law (of a judicial act) directed against a specific person or persons Compare in rem

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Etymology

Origin of in personam

Borrowed into English from Latin around 1880–85

Example Sentences

Such a proceeding is, either in form or substance, one not in personam but in rem.

From The American Judiciary by Baldwin, Simeon E., LLD

But he points out, "If the treaty only created a right in personam the case is different."

From Neutral Rights and Obligations in the Anglo-Boer War by Campbell, Robert Granville

Tutius est pignori incumbere quam in personam agere.

From The Care of Books by Clark, John Willis

Rights, in personam or in rem, are objects of economic value, and the exchange of these rights makes up the bulk, if not the whole, of economic exchange.

From The Value of Money by Anderson, Benjamin M.

In modern times, thinking, whether he knows it or not, in terms of natural rights and by derivation of legal rights, the analytical jurist speaks of rights in personam.

From An Introduction to the Philosophy of Law by Pound, Roscoe