What's the record for the longest lawsuit ever?
The Massachusetts Appeals Court issued a ruling today in a Westborough property lawsuit filed in 1983 that will ensure further work for the lawyers and their descendants:
This twenty-five-year dispute concerning a now long-terminated commercial lease is currently before us on cross appeals. The litigation will not end here; we vacate the judgment and remand the matter for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
Of note is that neither of the parties is named Jarndyce. Alert tweeter Kate Hutchinson alerts us that this case is in its infancy compared to Gaines v. Hennen, which went on for 60 years - even continuing for 8 years after the death of the woman who brought it.
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What about Donut & Donuts?
What about Donut & Donuts?
Lawsuit filed in 1992
It looks like that although the dispute began in 1983, the lawsuit wasn't filed until 1992, by the building's trustees because the tenant had not paid the rent.
Still in contention for "longest"
The case still has "legs"; from the ruling: "This twenty-five-year dispute...will not end here; we vacate the judgment and remand the matter for further proceedings..."