Defendant

Legal Definition and Related Resources of Defendant

Meaning of Defendant

The party against whom relief o recovery is sought in an action or suit.

Defendant Alternative Definition

A party sued in a personal action. The term does not in strictness apply to the person opposing or denying the allegations of the demandant in a real action, who is properly called the tenant. The distinction, however, is very commonly disregarded; and the term is further frequency applied to denote the person called upon to answer, either at law or in equity, and as well in criminal as civil suits.

United States Constitutional Meaning of Defendant

The party against whom an action is brought. At the appellate level the party moved against is called the appellee or respondent.

Synonyms of Defendant

noun

  • the accused
  • accused litigant
  • accused party
  • charged party
  • party against whom a complaint is lodged
  • party against whom charges are pending
  • party who is sued
  • respondent
  • Associated Concepts: codefendant
  • defendant’s rights
  • indispensable party defendant
  • necessary party defendant
  • nominal defendant
  • party defendant
  • principal defendant
  • proper party defendant
  • third party defendantsforeign phrases: Favorabiliores reipotius quarn adores habentur
  • The condition of the defendant is to be favored rather than that of the plaintiff
  • Reus excipiendo fit actor
  • The defendant by his pleading may make himself a plaintiff
  • Melior est conditio possidentis
  • etrei quarn actoris
  • The condition of the possessor and that of the defendant is better than that of the plaintiff
  • Habemus optimum testem
  • confitentemreum
  • We have the best witness
  • a confessing defendant
  • Melior est conditio defendentis
  • The position of the defendant is the better one

Definition of Defendant in the Free Online Notary Dictionary

Person Accused Of Causing Damages And From Whom Compensation Is Sought In A Lawsuit.

Find similar definitions of the Defendant concept in the Notary Dictionary, to be used to allow for comparison of legal terms meanings.

Related Entries of Defendant in the Encyclopedia of Law Project

Browse or run a search for Defendant in the American Encyclopedia of Law, the Asian Encyclopedia of Law, the European Encyclopedia of Law, the UK Encyclopedia of Law or the Latin American and Spanish Encyclopedia of Law.

Defendant in Historical Law

You might be interested in the historical meaning of this term. Browse or search for Defendant in Historical Law in the Encyclopedia of Law.

Legal Abbreviations and Acronyms

Search for legal acronyms and/or abbreviations containing Defendant in the Legal Abbreviations and Acronyms Dictionary.

Related Legal Terms

You might be also interested in these legal terms:

Mentioned in these terms

Absolute Privilege, Accused, Estoppel by Acquiescence, Action, Answer, Appearance, Assumption Of Risk, At Issue, Autrefois Acquit, , Bill Of Particulars, , Cause Of Action, Champerty, Clean Hands, Co-respondent, Cognozit, Common Enterprise, Comparative Negligence, Competency, Competent, Confess, Confession, Confession And Avoidance, Connivance, Consent-rule, Contestation Of Suit, Contributory Negligence, Conversion, Cross Action, Cruelty, Damages, Deceit, Defense, Detinue, Disclaim, Disclaimer, Double Jeopardy, Ejectment, Equitable Execution, Equitable Lien, Exemplary Damages, Expectation Of Life, Fiction, Flight, Further And Other Relief, Garnishee, Go To The Country, Half-mark, Imparlance, Impleader, Implied Malice, Indemnity, Injunction, Innuendo, Insanity, Instance, Intervening Agency, John Doe, Joinder Of Causes Of Actions, Judgment, Judgment In Personam, Judgment In Quasi Rem, Judgment Nihil Dicit, Judgment Nil Dicit, Jurisdiction Of The Person, Justification, Last Chance, Last Clear Chance, Long Arm Statutes, Malice, Malicious Abuse Of Process, Malicious Prosecution, Mary Carter Agreement, Mental Disease, Minimum Contact, Mitigation Of Damages, Money Had And Received, Motion In Arrest Of Judgment, Murder, Next Friend, Non-tenure, Not Guilty, Nuisance, , Palsgraf Rule, Plaintiff, , Punitive Damages, Reasonable Care, Receiver, Recent Possession, Reconvention, Recoupment, Rejoinder, Remittitur, Replevin, Replication, Reply, Rescue, Respondent, Rolled-up Plea, Satisfaction Piece, Scire Facias, Sentence, Set-off, Shock, Special Appearance, Special Damages, Special Verdict, Specific Performance, Statutory Rape, Strict Liability, Substituted Service, Theft By False Pretenses, Third Party, , Trespass, Trover.

Translate Defendant (Civil) from English to Spanish

Translation of Defendant (Civil) , with examples. More about free online translation into Spanish of Demandado and other legal terms is available here.

Translate Motion In Support of Motion To Suppress the Illegal Search Of The Motel Room, the Person, Purse and Effects of The Defendant from English to Spanish

Translation of Motion In Support of Motion To Suppress the Illegal Search Of The Motel Room, the Person, Purse and Effects of The Defendant, with examples. More about free online translation into Spanish of Pedimento en apoyo del pedimento para suprimir el registro ilegal del cuarto de motel, la persona, cartera y efectos personales del acusado and other legal terms is available here.

  • Pedimento en apoyo del pedimento para suprimir el registro ilegal del cuarto de motel, la persona, cartera y efectos personales del acusado
  • Legal English Translation

Translate Defendant from English to Spanish

Translation of Defendant , with examples. More about free online translation into Spanish of Acusado and other legal terms is available here.

Browse

You might be interested in these references tools:

Resource Description
Defendant in the Dictionary Defendant in our legal dictionaries
Browse the Legal Thesaurus Find synonyms and related words of Defendant
Legal Maxims Maxims are established principles that jurists use as interpretive tools, invoked more frequently in international law
Legal Answers (Q&A) A community-driven knowledge creation process, of enduring value to a broad audience
Related topics Defendant in the World Encyclopedia of Law

Notice

This definition of Defendant is based on the The Cyclopedic Law Dictionary . This entry needs to be proofread.

Vocabularies (Semantic Web Information)

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Resource Description
Topic Map A group of names, occurrences and associations
Topic Tree A topic display format, showing the hierarchy
Sitemap Index Sitemap Index, including Taxonomies
https://legaldictionary.lawin.org/defendant/ The URI of Defendant (more about URIs)

Defendant in the One-L Dictionary

The person against whom a lawsuit or prosecution has been brought. In a civil suit this is the person from whom a plaintiff seeks relief. In a criminal action, the defendant is the accused.

Note: This Defendant definition in the One-L Dictionary for new law students is from Harvard Law School (HLS).

Defendant in other One-L Dictionary

A person sued in a civil proceeding or accused in criminal proceeding

Defendant from the Washington and Lee University School of Law Dictionary.

English Spanish Translation of Defendant

Demandado (civil procedure), acusado (criminal procedure)

Find other English to Spanish translations from the Pocket Spanish English Legal Dictionary (print and online), the English to Spanish to English dictionaries (like Defendant) and the Word reference legal translator.

Defendant in Law Enforcement

Main Entry: Law Enforcement in the Legal Dictionary. This section provides, in the context of Law Enforcement, a partial definition of defendant.

Grammar

This term is a noun.

Etimology of Defendant

(You may find defendant at the world legal encyclopedia and the etimology of more terms).

c. 1400, in the legal sense, from French défendant, present participle of défendre (see defend). Earliest use in English was as a present participle adjective meaning “defending” (c. 1300).

Meaning of Defendant in Spanish

Description/ translation of defendant into Spanish: imputado, procesado, acusado, reo; disruptive defendant: acusado perturbador (el que muestra una unruly behaviour = conducta incivil); prospective defendant: presunto reo; jailed defendant: imputado privado de libertad, en prisión preventiva (en España se habla también de “causa con preso”)[1]

Note: for more information on related terms and on the area of law where defendant belongs (criminal procedure law), in Spanish, see here.

Notes and References

  1. Translation of Defendant published by Antonio Peñaranda

Resources

See Also

  • Law Enforcement Officer
  • Policeman
  • Law Enforcement Agency

Further Reading

English Legal System: Defendant

In the context of the English law, A Dictionary of Law provides the following legal concept of Defendant :

A person against whom court proceedings are brought.

Compare claimant.

Defendant Meaning in the U.S. Court System

In a civil case, the person or organization against whom the plaintiff brings suit; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.

Meaning of Defendant in the U.S. Legal System

Definition of Defendant published by the National Association for Court Management: In a civil case, the person being sued. In a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.

Concept of Defendant in the context of Real Property

A short definition of Defendant: The person against whom a civil or criminal action is brought.

Concept of Defendant in the context of Real Property

A short definition of Defendant: The person against whom a civil or criminal action is brought.

Meaning of Defendant in Political Science

A very basic notion of Defendant related to the United States’election law is provided here: A person accused of doing something that is not legal

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