MALFEASANCE

The doing of an illegal and unlawful act; wrongdoing, especially a violation of the public trust by a public official. EXAMPLE: Franz hopes to get re-elected and accepts a bribe to fund his campaign from the Widgets Corporation in exchange for the promise of providing them future government contracts. Franz has committed malfeasance. Compare misfeasance; nonfeasance. Source: Barron's Dictionary of Legal Terms, Steven H. Gifis, 5th Edition; © 2016