Mesne Process

Mesne process, all those writs which intervene in the progress of a suit or action between its beginning and end, as contradistinguished from primary and final process. Thus, the capias or mesne process was issued after a writ of summons, which was the primary process, and before a capias ad satisfaciendum, which was the final process, or process of execution. See IMPRISONMENT.

By the (English) Judgments Act, 1838 (1 & 2 Vict. c. 110), s. 1, the power of arrest upon mesne process was relaxed, and confined to the case of a debtor about to quit England, and where the amount of the debt was 20l. or upwards; and by the (English) Debtors Act, 1869 (32 & 33 Vict. c. 62), s. 6, it is enacted, that 'after the commencement of the Act a person shall not be arrested upon mesne process in any action.' Nevertheless, where a plaintiff has good cause of action against the defendant to the amount of 50l. or upwards, and the defendant is about to quit England, and the absence of the defendant from England will materially prejudice the plaintiff in the prosecution of his action, a judge may order the defendant to be arrested unless or until security be found