Home > West's Encyclopedia of American Law > Res

[Latin, A thing.] An object, a subject matter, or a status against which legal proceedings have been instituted.

For example, in a suit involving a captured ship, the seized vessel is the res, and proceedings of this nature are said to be in rem. Res, however, does not always refer to tangible PERSONAL PROPERTY. In matrimonial actions, for example, the res is the marital status of the parties.