Writ of Quominus

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In England, the Writ of Quominus was a writ whereby the medieval court of Exchequer obtained a general jurisdiction over common pleas, and was a notable example of the use of a legal fiction.

The plaintiff who wished to sue was supposed to be a debtor to the Crown and by reason of inability to recover his debt or damages from the defendant was thereby less able (quo minus sufficiens existit) to satisfy the Crown.

The device was generally used from the fourteenth century but was only abolished in the nineteenth century.