penal action
- A step taken by the government or an individual aiming to enforce a penalty according to a statute against someone who has broken a law, serving a punitive, not curative, purpose
- If the company continues to dump waste illegally, it could face a penal action.
- The individual, caught stealing, was fearful of the impending penal action.
- The negligent contractor was served with a penal action for violating building safety regulations.
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