false arrest

noun

, Law.

1. arrest or detention of a person contrary to or unauthorized by law.

Word History and Origins

Origin of false arrest¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

They received a settlement from the City of New York in the amount of $41 million after the Five had sued the City for false arrest and malicious prosecution.

From Slate

Compounding her troubles, five of the six officers charged by Mosby in Gray’s death sued her for malicious false arrest, false imprisonment, and defamation, among other claims.

From Slate

Though he did not speak in court on Tuesday, Allegria in a written victim impact statement described emptiness and anger that have haunted him since the false arrest.

From Los Angeles Times

That jury award included more than $2 million in punitive damages to Christopher Garza for false arrest, battery and the use of excessive force in the 2021 incident at a tire store in Salem.

From Seattle Times

Mr. Houck is seeking $1.1 million in damages for malicious and retaliatory prosecution, false arrest, abuse of process, and assault, citing the September 2022 raid on his rural Pennsylvania home in front of his wife and seven children by at least a dozen heavily armed FBI agents.

From Washington Times