1Law A person who brings a public lawsuit, typically in the name of the Attorney General, regarding the abuse of an office or franchise.
〔律〕（提起公诉的）告发人（尤指以检察总长的名义起诉渎职）
Example sentencesExamples
Public nuisance is a tort as well as a crime but civil proceedings may be brought only with the consent of the Attorney-General on a relator action.
Because then we would have had a so-called controversy between the Attorney-General, the relators and a judge who, by our convention, simply submits to the will of this Court, the orders of the Court.
He has to exercise a discretion, and he has to decide whether, in his view, it is in the public interest that the relator should be able to bring proceedings in the particular respect.
Your Honour, may I answer the question perhaps on behalf of the relators?
Your Honour, that is not unusual, of course, in the course of relator actions but it possibly creates difficulties.
2
variant spelling of relater
Definition of relator in US English:
relator
nounrəˈlādərrəˈleɪdər
1Law A person who brings a public lawsuit, typically in the name of the Attorney General, regarding the abuse of an office or franchise.
〔律〕（提起公诉的）告发人（尤指以检察总长的名义起诉渎职）
Example sentencesExamples
Because then we would have had a so-called controversy between the Attorney-General, the relators and a judge who, by our convention, simply submits to the will of this Court, the orders of the Court.
Your Honour, that is not unusual, of course, in the course of relator actions but it possibly creates difficulties.
Your Honour, may I answer the question perhaps on behalf of the relators?
Public nuisance is a tort as well as a crime but civil proceedings may be brought only with the consent of the Attorney-General on a relator action.
He has to exercise a discretion, and he has to decide whether, in his view, it is in the public interest that the relator should be able to bring proceedings in the particular respect.