The writ of estrepement (/ɛˈstriːp.mənt/ eh-STREEP-mənt), or de estrepamento (/ˌdiː ɛˌstrɛpəˈmɛn.toʊ/ DEE-eh-STREP-ə-MEN-toh), was a writ in common law countries that would be used to prevent estrepement, a type of 'voluntary waste' (a change in condition of real property brought about by a current tenant that damages or destroys the value of that property).
[1] In his Commentaries, Blackstone noted that this common law writ would lie originally to prevent waste that took place between judgment in a real action and delivery of possession by the sheriff.
Either writ empowered the sheriff to prevent such waste, allowing him to imprison the waster, and even to raise a posse comitatus to assist him.
The standard pleading in response was to deny any waste contrary to the writ,[4] and the issue would be tried by a jury, with the outcome resulting in a conviction for contempt of court.
[6] While analogous to the injunction in equity, one major difference is that the grounds for the issuance of the writ was not the inequitable conduct of the defendant, but that the use of the land in the manner prohibited would work to commit a wrong.