Personal Action

In Civil Law. An action in which one under to the actor either ex contractu or ex delicto. It will be seen that this includes all actions against a person, without reference to the nature of the property involved. In a limited sense of the word action in the civil law, it includes only personal action, all others being called petitions. See Real Action. In Common Law. An action brought for the recovery of personal property, for the enforcement of some contract or to recover J damages for its breach, or for the recovery of damages for the commission of an injury to the person or property. Such arise either upon contracts as, account, assumpsit, covenant, debt, and detinue (see these words), or for wrongs, injuries, or torts, as trespass, trespass on the case, replevin, trover (see these words). Other divisions of personal actions are made in the various states; in Yermont and Connecticut an action is in use called an action of book debt

See Personal Property.