Extensive Definition
Mesne (an Anglo-French legal form of the O. Fr.
meien, mod. moyen, mean, Med. Lat. medianus, in the middle, cf.
"mean"), middle or intermediate, an adjective used in several
legal phrases.
A mesne lord is one who has tenants holding under him, while
himself holding of a superior lord. Mesne process was such process
as intervened between the beginning and end of a suit. Mesne
profits are profits
derived from land while in wrongful possession, and may be claimed
in damages for trespass, either in a separate
action or joined with an action for the recovery of the land. The
plaintiff must prove
that he has re-entered into possession, his title during the period
for which he claims, the fact that the defendant has been in
possession during that period, and the amount of the mesne profits.
The amount recovered as mesne profits need not be limited to the
rental value of the land,
but may include a sum to cover such items as deterioration or
reasonable costs of getting possession.
See also Demesne