A “Mareva” is often used to refer to a Mareva injunction, which is a legal remedy used in certain jurisdictions to prevent a defendant from disposing of their assets or moving them out of the jurisdiction while legal proceedings are ongoing. Mareva injunctions are usually employed to ensure that the defendant’s assets remain available to satisfy a potential judgment in favor of the plaintiff.
The term “Mareva” comes from the case Mareva Compania Naviera SA v International Bulkcarriers SA [1980] 1 All ER 213, in which this type of injunction was first granted by the English courts. Mareva injunctions are sometimes referred to as “freezing orders” because they effectively freeze the defendant’s assets to prevent them from being moved or used to frustrate the enforcement of a judgment.