A: A bona fide termination means that the prior criminal or civil action that gave rise to the malicious prosecution lawsuit was terminated in a manner indicating that the defendant was either found not guilty of the criminal charges or was not civilly liable, and therefore, the action lacked merit.  A cause of action that terminated due to technical or procedural reasons, or for reasons other than consideration of the merits, is not a bona fide termination that will sustain an action for malicious prosecution.