A defendant or defender (Δ in legal shorthand) is any party required to answer a plaintiff"s complaint in a civil lawsuit, or any party that has been formally charged or accused of violating a criminal statute. (Respondent is the parallel term used in a proceeding which is commenced by petition.)
In criminal law, a defendant is anyone tried as the accused. But convention in Scotland does not recognise the use of the term "defendant" in criminal p...
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A defendant or defender (Δ in legal shorthand) is any party required to answer a plaintiff"s complaint in a civil lawsuit, or any party that has been formally charged or accused of violating a criminal statute. (Respondent is the parallel term used in a proceeding which is commenced by petition.)
In criminal law, a defendant is anyone tried as the accused. But convention in Scotland does not recognise the use of the term "defendant" in criminal proceedings; the terms "accused" or "panel" are used instead.
Defendants in civil actions usually make their first court appearance voluntarily in response to a summons. But criminal defendants are often taken into custody by police and brought before a court under an arrest warrant. Historically, civil defendants could be taken into custody under a writ of capias ad respondendum and be forced to post bail before being released. But modern-day civil defendants are usually able to avoid most (if not all) court appearances if represented by a...
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