Santa Ana, CA asked in Business Law and Civil Litigation for California

Q: Defendants wasted 1 year of plaintiff's time. What is the cause of action for the wasted time?

4 Lawyer Answers
James L. Arrasmith
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Answered
  • Sacramento, CA
  • Licensed in California

A: The cause of action for the wasted time by the defendants may be a claim for "Tortious Interference with Contractual Relations" or "Malicious Prosecution" if the defendants intentionally and wrongfully interfered with the plaintiff's contractual rights, causing the one-year delay. The plaintiff could seek damages for the losses suffered as a result of the interference.

James L. Arrasmith

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Yelena Gurevich
Yelena Gurevich
Answered
  • Studio City, CA
  • Licensed in California

A: There is no such cause of action. Look up litigation privilege (assuming the wasted time happened during an active litigation). Even if it was before litigation began, there is no such thing as a cause of action for wasted time.

Tim Akpinar
Tim Akpinar
Answered
  • Little Neck, NY

A: It doesn't sound like a standard cause of action. If there are additional details, such as egregious conduct, that would give rise to something that could be framed as a cause of action, you could discuss in detail and confidentiality with an attorney. Good luck

Tim Akpinar
Tim Akpinar
Answered
  • Little Neck, NY

A: Addendum - There's the opposite situation, where the defendant believes the plaintiff's lawsuit was lodged for malicious purposes other than a being valid cause of action for recovery of legitimate damages (frivolous lawsuit). That allegation tends to be more common. Good luck

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