From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsuesue /sjuː $ suː/ ●○○ verb [intransitive, transitive] 1 SCLto make a legal claim against someone, especially for money, because they have harmed you in some way If the builders don’t fulfil their side of the contract, we’ll sue. The company is suing a former employee.sue (somebody) for libel/defamation/negligence/slander etc Miss James could not afford to sue for libel. She was suing doctors for negligence over the loss of her child. The railway may sue for damages (=in order to get money) because of loss of revenue. He is being sued for divorce (=in order to end a marriage) by his wife.2 → sue for peace→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
sue• There is nothing in the contract that would prevent Jody from suing.• It seems never to have been doubted that a corporation created by Royal Charter can sue for libel.• If that does not work, the party will sue the state.sue (somebody) for libel/defamation/negligence/slander etc• He could also sue Alan for negligence.• His widow sued the defendants for negligence.• Pitka claimed that these words were false and defamatory and sued the newspaper for libel.• Two black men who had been jurors in the Bristol riots trial in 1981 threatened to sue Lord Denning for libel.• They decided to sue the farm for negligence and today they won an historic test case at the County Court in Swindon.• Can a teacher sue a principal for slander for making critical remarks about his or her teaching techniques?• Dramatists or actors whose work is maliciously booed or hissed off the stage would sue their tormentors for slander rather than libel.From Longman Business Dictionarysuesue /sjuːsuː/ verb [intransitive, transitive]LAW to make a legal claim against someone, especially for an amount of money, because you have been harmed in some wayIf the builders don’t fulfil their side of the contract, we’ll sue.sue forThe company was sued for nonpayment by their supplier.→ See Verb tableOrigin sue (1100-1200) Anglo-French suer “to follow, make a legal claim to”, from Vulgar Latin sequere, from Latin sequi; → SEQUENCE 