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counterplea

counterplea

9.9
A reply by the person who started a court case to the other side's argument
  • noun
  • /ˈkaʊntərˌpli/
  • Jargon
translation icon : contrapleito
  • After receiving the defendant's plea, the court allowed the plaintiff to submit a counterplea.

Examples

  • The lawyer drafted a detailed counterplea in response to the defendant's allegations.

  • The lawyer filed a counterplea in response to the defendant's claims.

  • Her counterplea addressed every argument presented by the opposing counsel.

  • Can you explain the purpose of a counterplea?

  • The lawyer drafted a detailed counterplea in response to the defendant's allegations.

  • After receiving the defendant's plea, the court allowed the plaintiff to submit a counterplea.

  • Her counterplea addressed every argument presented by the opposing counsel.

Synonyms

counterstatement
vscounterplea
  • Formal
1 7.3

A written or spoken reply that opposes another claim

is a plaintiff's reply aimed at a defendant's plea
counterdeclaration
vscounterplea
  • Formal
9.0

A written reply that opposes another statement

is a plaintiff's reply directed at a defendant's plea

Surface Forms

counterplea singular
counterpleas plural

Morphology

counterplea = plea (transparent) = counter + plea

Formed by the productive prefix 'counter-' (meaning 'in opposition') added to the legal noun 'plea', yielding an opposing or responsive plea; the meaning is directly compositional.

Etymology

Counterplea combines counter and plea, where counter means 'against' or 'in reply' and plea means 'a request or legal statement'. So a counterplea is the plaintiff's reply that answers or opposes the other side's plea.