International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research

E-ISSN: 2582-2160   •   Impact Factor: 9.24

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Volume 8 Issue 5
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Legal Abuse Syndrome: How the Legal System Can Become a Weapon, and How to Recognise It

Author(s) Ms. Susan Wasserman, Ethen Maccarthy
Country United States
Abstract The legal system exists to deliver justice and resolve disputes, yet it can also be deliberately misused as an instrument of control, exhaustion, and exploitation. This article examines this pattern, known in clinical psychology as Legal Abuse Syndrome (LAS) and in legal scholarship as lawfare, through four interconnected areas: the psychological toll of LAS and its overlap with post-traumatic stress disorder; specific litigation tactics, including repeated filings, false alienation allegations, and financial exhaustion, that make this abuse difficult to recognise and challenge; practical protective steps available to families navigating suspected legal abuse; and a related but distinct context, trust administration, where settlors and beneficiaries can be targeted through undue influence and trustee self-dealing. Drawing on clinical research, recent legal scholarship, and case law, the article argues that Legal Abuse Syndrome does not require any law to be broken, only the legitimate tools of the legal system, its procedures, costs, and presumption of good faith, to be turned against the people those tools were designed to protect. Recognising this pattern, documenting it, and engaging trauma-informed legal and mental health support are identified as the clearest paths toward protection and reform.
Keywords Legal Abuse Syndrome, Lawfare, Coercive Control, Litigation Abuse, Trust Beneficiaries, Family Court, Undue Influence.
Field Sociology > Administration / Law / Management
Published In Volume 8, Issue 5, September-October 2026
Published On 2026-09-12
DOI https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i05.87375
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CrossRef DOI prefix of IJFMR is 10.36948/ijfmr

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