Collateral Attack Legal Meaning and Definition

Here is a simplified definition of the legal term Collateral Attack.

Collateral Attack (noun)

A collateral attack is a method in law where an individual can attempt to overturn a judgment from a previous case by starting a new case. This process is typically used when someone is unhappy with the decision made in the initial case. However, it is different from an appeal as an appeal is a challenge to a decision made in the exact same case, whereas a collateral attack starts an entirely new case to dispute a past judgment.