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plea /'plē/ n [Anglo-French plei plai legal action, trial, from Old French plait plaid, from Medieval Latin placitum, from Latin, decision, decree, from neuter of placitus, past participle of placēre to please, be decided]1 a: an allegation of fact in civil litigation made in response to a claim compare demurrerb: a defendant's answer to a plaintiff's claim in civil litigation◇ Under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and in states where they have been adopted, civil pleas are abolished, and answers and motions are used instead. Such pleas were used at common law.dil·a·to·ry plea /'di-lə-ˌtōr-ē-/: a common-law plea which is intended to defeat the pending action or proceeding without involving any decision on the merits of the caseplea in abatement: a plea entered by a party seeking postponement or dismissal of an action by setting forth some matter or defect regarding procedure, jurisdiction, or timing – called also plea of abatement;plea in bar: a plea that alleges the existence of an absolute bar (as a statute of limitations) to an actionplea of abatement: plea in abatement in this entry2 a: an accused party's answer to a criminal charge or indictmentb: a plea of guilty3: an earnest entreaty
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.
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noun
allegation, answer, arguments at the bar, assertion, claim, counterstatement, defendant's answer to charges, defense, exceptio, excusatio, legal argument, legal defense, petitio, pleading, pleadings, rebuttal, refutation, reply, response, retort, statement alleged in defense, statement alleged in justification, statement of defense, statement which answers the charges, statements on behalf of the defense
associated concepts: entering a plea, plea in abatement, plea in bar, plea in equity, plea of estoppel, plea of guilty, plea of insanity, plea of nolo contendere, plea of not guilty, plea of payment, plea of recoupment, plea of release, plea of self-defense, plea of setoff
foreign phrases:
- Ambiguum placitum interpreteri debet contra proferentem. — An ambiguous plea ought to be interpreted against the party entering it- Exceptio falsi omnium ultima. — A false plea is the worst of all- Interdum evenit ut exceptio quae prima facie justa videtur, tamen inique noceat. — It sometimes happens that a plea which on its face seems just, nevertheless is injurious and inequitableII index advocacy, allegation, answer (judicial response), argument (pleading), call (appeal), claim (legal demand), contention (argument), counterargument, entreaty, invitation, nollo contendere, petition, pleading, prayer, pretense (pretext), request, response
Burton's Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006
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n.(1) In criminal law, a defendant’s response to the charges brought against him or her.(2) Formerly, at common law or equity, one of several kinds of pleading that have now been made obsolete under the Rules of Civil Procedure.
The Essential Law Dictionary. — Sphinx Publishing, An imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. Amy Hackney Blackwell. 2008.
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An accused defendant's formal answer to criminal charges. Typically defendants enter one of the following pleas: guilty, not guilty, or nolo contendere. A plea is usually entered when charges are formally brought (at arraignment). (See: nolo contendere)Category: Criminal LawCategory: Small Claims Court & Lawsuits
Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary. Gerald N. Hill, Kathleen Thompson Hill. 2009.
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n.1 An accused person's formal reply to a charge in a criminal court, the choices being guilty, not guilty, nolo contendere (no contest).2 An answer in an equity case telling why a suit should be barred, delayed, or dismissed.3 A pleading.@ affirmative pleaOne intent on establishing a fact not in the bill that, if established, negates the merit of the complainant's case.@ dilatory pleaOne that contests the grounds of a plaintiff's case, other than its merits, such as wrong jurisdiction, wrong defendant, or other defects in the procedure.@ double pleaOne having two or more distinct and independent grounds of complaint for the same issue and requiring each one of those grounds to be answered separately.@ peremptory pleaOne directly responding to the particulars of the plaintiff's charges.=>> plea.@ plea in abatementA dilatory plea objecting to the time, method or place of the plaintiff's assertion, but not addressing any of that assertion's underlying merits.=>> plea.@
Webster's New World Law Dictionary. Susan Ellis Wild. 2000.
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A formal response by the defendant to the affirmative assertions of the plaintiff in a civil case or to the charges of the prosecutor in a criminal case.
Dictionary from West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005.
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A formal response by the defendant to the affirmative assertions of the plaintiff in a civil case or to the charges of the prosecutor in a criminal case.II The first pleading by a criminal defendant, the defendant's declaration in open court that he or she is guilty or not guilty. The defendant's answer to the charges made in the indictment or information.
Short Dictionary of (mostly American) Legal Terms and Abbreviations.
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n.1) in criminal law, the response by an accused defendant to each charge of the commission of a crime. Pleas normally are "not guilty," "guilty," "no contest" (admitting the facts, but unwilling to plead "guilty," thus resulting in the equivalent of a "guilty" verdict but without admitting the crime), or "not guilty by reason of insanity" (at the time of the criminal act). However, the accused may make a "dilatory plea" challenging the jurisdiction of the court or claiming that he/she is the wrong defendant, requiring a special hearing. He/she may admit the acts but have excuses to be considered (a "plea in abatement"), which may affect the judge's sentence. Pleas are entered orally at arraignment (first court appearance) or a continued (postponed) arraignment. If after a preliminary hearing the judge determines the defendant must face trial for a felony, he/she will have to enter a plea again before a judge of the trial court.2) any written answer or other response filed by a defendant to a complaint or petition in a civil lawsuit.
Law dictionary. EdwART. 2013.
