The Vermont Statutes Online
The Statutes below include the actions of the 2025 session of the General Assembly.
NOTE: The Vermont Statutes Online is an unofficial copy of the Vermont Statutes Annotated that is provided as a convenience.
Subchapter
005
:
ABUSIVE LITIGATION
(Cite as: 15 V.S.A. § 1183)
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§ 1183. Hearing; procedure
At the hearing, evidence of any of the following shall create a rebuttable presumption
that litigation is being initiated, advanced, or continued primarily for the purpose
of harassing, intimidating, or maintaining contact with the other party:
(1) The same or substantially similar issues between the same or substantially similar
parties have been litigated within the past five years in the same court or any other
court of competent jurisdiction.
(2) The same or substantially similar issues between the same or substantially similar
parties have been raised, pled, or alleged in the past five years and were decided
on the merits or dismissed.
(3) Within the last 10 years, the party allegedly engaging in abusive litigation has been
sanctioned by any court for filing one or more cases, petitions, motions, or other
filings that were found to have been frivolous, vexatious, intransigent, or brought
in bad faith involving the same opposing party.
(4) Any court has determined that the party allegedly engaging in abusive litigation has
previously engaged in abusive litigation or similar conduct and has been subject to
a court order imposing prefiling restrictions. (Added 2023, No. 48, § 1, eff. September 1, 2023.)