Civil Procedure
Sep. 29, 2025
How frivolous filings drain public resources
Vexatious litigants pose unique challenges for public entities when acting as defendants, since existing California statutes focus primarily on abusive plaintiffs, leaving a gap in the law that forces municipalities and other plaintiffs to waste resources responding to frivolous motions and appeals -- a problem that may require legislative reform to address.
Vexatious litigants are especially vexing for public entities, which have an obligation to carefully steward finite amounts of tax dollars and which are frequently targeted by individuals alleging shadowy government conspiracies. Ordinarily, when a self-represented litigant who meets one or more of the criteria set forth in Code of Civil Procedure Section 391(b) files suit, their classification and treatment as vexatious is straightforward. The issu...
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