Elin Johansdotter was born by 1580, and probably earlier – perhaps already in the latter half of the 1570s – as she was married to her first husband, Tonne Eriksson, on 9 October 1592. Lady Elin Johansdotter was involved in several cases in different courts though people are focusing on her litigation at the Svea Court of Appeal, a popular legal venue for nobility dealing with land disputes. In order to assess Elin Johansdotter’s agency in her litigation in the Svea Court of Appeal, people must first investigate the framework of law and custom which defined the possibilities of women’s activity in court. While women had property rights, their rights to administer their property and conduct legal acts were curtailed by law. The noble Christoffer von Wernstedt’s cause against Elin Johansdotter regarding arson and slander was markedly different. He sued Elin for having purportedly incited a man to torch his mill and for slandering him.