The Volokh Conspiracy

Mostly law professors | Sometimes contrarian | Often libertarian | Always independent

Volokh Conspiracy

THOT pluries

|

Just ran across two terms I had never heard before, THOT and pluries, both in the same opinion, Chisholm v. Epps (W.D.N.C. Nov. 30, 2015). The opinion - in a defamation case, dismissed because the plaintiff filed too late - references THOT, which is apparently a gardening term, as meaning "That Hoe Over There." "Pluries," on the other hand, which the opinion doesn't define, turns out to be a bit of legalese, old but still much in use in some jurisdictions; Black's Law Dictionary tells us that "pluries" (or "pluries writ") means:

A third or subsequent writ issued when the previous writs have been ineffective; a writ issued after an alias writ.

"Alias," in addition to the more commonly known meaning, thus means "Issued after the first instrument has not been effective or resulted in action." And "Pluries," of course, is also the name of the forthcoming sequel to the Jennifer Garner/J.J. Abrams TV show.