ANCILLARY
Subordinate; aiding. A legal proceeding that is not the primary dispute but which aids the judgment rendered in or the outcome of the main action. A descriptive term that denotes a legal claim, the existence of which is dependent upon or reasonably linked to a main claim.
For example, a plaintiff wins a judgment for
a specified sum of money against a defendant in
a NEGLIGENCE action. The defendant refuses to
pay the judgment. The plaintiff begins another
proceeding for a writ of attachment so that the
judgment will be satisfied by the sale of the
defendant’s property seized under the writ. The
attachment proceeding is ancillary, or subordi-
nate, to the negligence suit.An ancillary proceed-
ing is sometimes called an ancillary suit or bill.
A claim for ALIMONY is an ancillary claim
dependent upon the primary claim that there are sufficient legal grounds for a court to grant a
DIVORCE.
