Bruised rib removed mistakenly, so they claimed? (4)
I believe the answer is:
sued
'they claimed?' is the definition.
The definition suggests an adverb but the answer is not.
'bruised rib removed mistakenly' is the wordplay.
'removed' suggests deleting specific letters.
'mistakenly' indicates an anagram.
'bruised' with 'rib' taken away is 'used'.
'used' is an anagram of 'SUED'.
'so' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for sued that I've seen before include "Brought an action against" , "Started legal proceedings against (someone)" , "Took legal action against" , "taken to court" , "Prosecuted" .)