I understand that a central part of the novel is the long-running lawsuit of “Jarndyce vs Jarndyce”. What was this lawsuit over? And, was it ever settled?
Are there ever actual lawsuits that go on for decades? Who gets paid in those cases? 
I never read the book, but I saw an adaptation on Masterpiece Theater. The case was styled Jarndyce and Jarndyce, and it was an estate case – competing claims between different heirs or beneficiaries of a large estate. That was why the case was in the court of Chancery, which had jurisdiction over estates. Dickens had once worked as a court reporter, and the case was his satire on the impenetrable, confusing, dilatory procedures of the court of Chancery, which (in his account – I don’t know how accurate it was) often did drag out estate cases for years and even decades before the heirs could claim their legacies.
In the end . . . well, I’ll leave that to somebody who knows how to do a spoiler box. 
Thank you! I happen to be right in the middle of Bleak House right now, so please, no unboxed spoilers.
From The Friendly Dickens by Norrie Epstein:
I once worked on a case, as a paralegal, that started in September, 1977 and our client didn’t settle until late 1990. I don’t know when the remaining defendants settled.
I once worked on a case, as a paralegal, that started in September, 1977 and our client didn’t settle until late 1990. I don’t know when the remaining defendants settled.
I have a case right now, as a lawyer, involving a car accident that occurred in 1987. Without getting into the messy details, the claim wasn’t made until 1993 and we’ve been litigating it ever since.
I hit submit too soon–sorry…