SUIT (L. Lat. seeta; from Lat. sequi, to follow. French, suite). An action.
It is more general than "action," which is almost exclusively applied to law, and de notes any legal proceeding of a civil kind brought by one person against another ; Ap pleton v. Turnbull, 84 Me. 72, 24 Atl. 592; Dullard v. Phelan, 83 Ia. 471, 50 N. W. 204. It includes actions at law as well as proceed ings in equity; Elk Garden Co. v. Thayer Co., 179 Fed. 556.
Suit is a generic term, of comprehensive signification, and applies to any proceeding in a court of justice in which the plaintiff pursues, in such court, the remedy which the law affords him for the redress of an injury or the recovery of a right. McPike v. Mc Pike, 10 Ill. App. 333.
The word suit in the twenty-fifth section of the Judiciary Act of 1789 applies to any proceeding in a court of justice in which the plaintiff pursues in such court the remedy which the law affords him. An application for a prohibition is, therefore, a suit ; Weston v. Charleston, 2 Pet. (U. S.) 449, 7 L. Ed. 481. According to the Code of Practice of Louisi ana, art. 96, a suit is a real, personal, or mixed demand made before a competent judge, by which the parties pray to obtain their rights and a decision of their disputes. In that acceptation, the words suit, process, and cause are in that state almost mous. See SEcTA; Steph. Pl. 427; 3 Bla. Corn. 395; 1 Chitty, Pl. 399; Bemis v. Faxon, 4 Mass. 263 ; Burdick v. Green, 18 Johns. (N. Y.) 14; Kolb's Case, 4 Watts (Pa.) 154 ; 3 Story, Const. § 1719. In its most ex tended sense, the word suit includes not only a civil action, but also a criminal prosecu tion, as, indictment, information, and a con viction by a magistrate ; Hamm, N. P. 270.
Suit is applied to proceedings in chancery as well as in law ; 1 Sm. Ch. Dec. 26; and is, therefore, more general than action, which is almost exclusively applied to matters of law; Didier v. Davison, 10 Paige, Ch. (N. Y.) 516.
The witnesses or followers of the plain tiff. 3 Bla. Com. 295. See SECTA.
Suit of court, an attendance which a ten ant owes to his lord's court. Cowell. Every copyholder of a manor, in the absence of special custom, formed one of the copyhold "homage" and was bound to attend the cus tomary court on the usual days, upon pain of fine, distress, and forfeiture. Formerly no administrative or even ministerial act affect ing the constitution of the manor could be done elsewhere than in the lord's court. It was the duty of the homage to "present" or take formal notice of any circumstance affect ing the manor. Under an act of 1894, a cus tomary court must still be held for recording a consent to a grant of a copyhold tenement out of the waste. Jenks, Modern Land Law 67. • Suit covenant, where one has covenanted to do suit and service in his lord's court. Suit custom, where service is owed time out of mind.
Suithold, a tenure in consideration of cer tain services to the superior lord.
The following one in chase; as, fresh suit. A petition to a king, or a great person, or a court.