What does "malicious prosecution" involve?

Malicious prosecution is a legal concept that pertains to the initiation of a legal action without probable cause and with malice. For a claim of malicious prosecution to be valid, the plaintiff must demonstrate that the defendant intentionally brought forth a legal action against them, knowing that there were insufficient grounds for that action. The key components are the absence of probable cause — meaning that a reasonable person would not have believed that the claim was likely to succeed — and the presence of malice, which indicates a wrongful intent behind the initiation of the lawsuit.

In contrast with other options, the other choices do not capture the essence of malicious prosecution. A defense against defamation claims involves different legal principles, primarily focused on protecting one's reputation rather than addressing the legitimacy of initiating legal actions. Handling disputes informally pertains more to alternative dispute resolution techniques and does not involve the legal criteria necessary for a malicious prosecution claim. Lastly, protecting personal rights in various contexts encompasses a broad range of legal protections that are not specifically tied to the initiation or conduct of litigation in the way that malicious prosecution is. Thus, the correct choice effectively encapsulates the definition and elements of malicious prosecution.