merger legal definition

noun

1. In contract law, the action of superceding all prior written or oral agreements on the same subject matter.
2. In criminal law, the inclusion of a lesser offense within a more serious one, rather than charging it separately, which might cause double jeopardy.
3. In litigation, the doctrine that all of the plaintiffÂ’s prior claims are superceded by the judgment in the case, which becomes the plaintiffÂ’s sole means of recovering from the defendant.
4. The combination under modern codes of civil procedure of law and equity into a single court.
5. In corporate law, the acquisition of one company by another, and their combination into a single legal entity.