From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishprior claimprior claima person’s right to something which is considered more important than another person’s right to the same thing His own children have a prior claim to the business. → prior
Examples from the Corpus
prior claim• You have a prior claim on him.• Ace had a prior claim on the Doctor's affections.• Bondholders, on the other hand, have a prior claim on the firm. 