co-defendant

/,koudi'fendənt/

Thân thiện

The co-defendant and his lawyer review documents in the courtroom.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A defendant who has been joined together with one or more other defendants in a single action: In a legal case, a "co-defendant" is a person or entity who is formally accused alongside another person or entity in the same lawsuit or criminal proceeding. They share the status of being a defendant in that specific legal action.

Usage

• The term "co-defendant" is used primarily in formal legal contexts, such as in court documents, legal news, and discussions about lawsuits or criminal trials.
• It specifies that multiple parties are being sued or prosecuted together in one case.
• The prefix "co-" means "together" or "jointly," indicating the shared status.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The judge ordered that the testimony of one co-defendant could not be used against the other.
  • She and her business partner were named as co-defendants in the breach of contract lawsuit.
  • The prosecution's case relied heavily on a deal made with a co-defendant who agreed to testify.

Advanced Usage

• "Co-defendant" vs. "Co-conspirator": A "co-conspirator" is someone who participates in a conspiracy with another, but they are not necessarily a "co-defendant" unless they are formally charged together in the same legal case. All co-defendants in a conspiracy case are co-conspirators, but not all co-conspirators become co-defendants.
• Strategic Implications: In legal strategy, the relationship between co-defendants can be complex. They may have aligned or conflicting interests, which can lead to situations where one co-defendant testifies against another in exchange for a lesser sentence (often called "turning state's evidence").

Variants and Related Words

• Defendant (n): The primary term for a person or entity accused in a civil lawsuit or charged with a crime in a criminal case.
• Co-plaintiff (n): A plaintiff who is joined together with one or more other plaintiffs in a single action. (This is the counterpart to a co-defendant on the side bringing the lawsuit.)
• Co-accused (n): A term similar to "co-defendant," more commonly used in some Commonwealth countries' criminal law contexts.

Synonyms

• Joint defendant: A direct synonym emphasizing the shared or joint nature of the accusation.
• Co-respondent: In specific types of cases, such as divorce proceedings (historically) or certain administrative hearings, this term can have a similar meaning of a jointly-named party.

Antonyms

• Plaintiff: The party who initiates a lawsuit.
• Prosecutor: The state's attorney who brings criminal charges against a defendant.
• Co-plaintiff: The opposing role in a multi-party lawsuit.

Related Phrases

• To be tried jointly with: This phrase describes the situation of co-defendants. (e.g., )
• Severance of defendants: A legal motion to separate the trials of co-defendants, often due to prejudicial evidence or conflicting defenses.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a defendant who has been joined together with one or more other defendants in a single action

Từ đồng nghĩa

• codefendant