abuse of distress

The wrongful or unlawful use or sale of property that has been seized in order to force payment or the performance of some contractual obligation (known in law as the process of distress or distrain). It was a clear case of abuse of distress: the landlord, without a court order, changed the locks on the door and then seized and sold the tenants' belongings only an hour after serving them a notice of eviction.

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Romaine	[.rəu'mein]
Ustinya	-	Russian
Junius	-	Ancient Roman
Gilgamesh	GIL-gə-mesh (English)	Near Eastern Mythology
Sayaka	sah-yah-kah	Japanese
Leelo	-	Estonian