Champerty and maintenance are doctrines in common law jurisdictions that aim to preclude frivolous litigation: Maintenance is the intermeddling of a disinterested party to encourage a lawsuit. It is: "A taking in hand, a bearing up or upholding of quarrels or sides, to the disturbance of the common right."

What is the meaning of champerty and maintenance?

Champerty is the process whereby one person bargains with a party to a lawsuit to obtain a share in the proceeds of the suit. Maintenance is the support or promotion of another person's suit initiated by intermeddling for personal gain.

What is a champerty in legal terms?

"Champerty" refers to an agreement under which a stranger to a lawsuit agrees to assist in its prosecution or defense in exchange for some of the proceeds of the action. ... The doctrine was based on a general mistrust of litigation and of money lending.