What is "lawfare"

n. The use of the judicial system against one's foes often only to attack or condemn a rival.

Lawfare is a recently coined word not yet appearing in the Oxford English Dictionary, a portmanteau of the words law and warfare, said to describe a form of asymmetric warfare. Lawfare is asserted by some to be the illegitimate use of domestic or international law with the intention of damaging an opponent, winning a public relations victory, financially crippling an opponent, or tying up the opponent's time so that they cannot pursue other ventures such as running for public office, similar to a SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation) lawsuit.