During the mid- and late Ming, a series of civil litigation cases surrounding the grave plots, ancestral temples, and assets related to the funding of graves and sacrifices occurred in the Huizhou region. A considerable body of materials related to such cases has been preserved in Ming-period litigation documents and family genealogies from Huizhou. These materials reflect changes in the Huizhou lineages during the Ming; as such, they constitute a critical historical set of sources. This essay examines distinguishing characteristics of Huizhou lineage litigation battles during the Ming. It then reviews the litigation surrounding the grave plots and ancestral temples of the Wu family of Mingzhou, the Luo family of Chengkan, the Fang family of Liushan, and the Jin family of Dangxi as case studies to explore the place of civil litigation in the resolution of lineage conflicts. Finally, it shows that these civil litigation battles were closely linked to changes in conceptions of sacrifices and adjustments in state policy. Huizhou's reputed ”fondness for litigation” was in fact the process through which lineages sought state recognition.