Lis alibi pendens definition
Lis alibi pendens literally means “a suit pending elsewhere.” Black’s Law Dictiofary 931 (6th ed. 1990). “The fact that proceedings are pending between a plaintiff and defendant in one court in respect to a given matter is a ground for preventing the plaintiff from taking proceedings in another court against the same defendant for the same object arising out of the same cause of action.” Id. The term is infrequently used in U.S. case law, but one could argue that the doctrine differs, if only slightly, from the “international abstention” doctrine discussed supra Part III.A, in that the lis alibi pendens doc- trine does not impose an in rem jurisdictional requirement. Furthermore, although most authorities