Hyperlitigious Persons

Persistent litigation has been described across professions in different ways. Legally, it is referred to as “vexatious litigation,” whereas medically it has been diagnosed as “querulous paranoia” and “litigious paranoia.” Other critical names include “cranks,” “injustice collectors,” “serial pests,” and “wrecks of justice.” In general, these terms describe an individual who exhibits several of the following qualities:

• Initiates dozens or hundreds of suits.

• Has a life that revolves around the development and progress of litigation.

• Is not deterred by repeated negative outcomes.

• Files suits that are trivial or unfounded.

• Invests great amounts of time in litigation.

• Is a known and persistent presence for lawyers, judges, and clerks.

For the purposes of this article, we will refer to these individuals as “hyperlitigious” persons. We formed this term by joining the prefix hyper, meaning over or excessive, and the word litigious, meaning concerned with lawsuits or litigation. This term is more neutral than previously used terms such as querulous, paranoid, and vexatious that are pejorative and infer psychopathology. The term hyperlitigious is meant to be descriptive and free of inferences regarding the behavior's origins or the individual's level of psychological functioning.