Definition

1. Noun:
   • A pleading by the plaintiff in reply to the defendant's rejoinder: In common law legal procedure, a "surrejoinder" is the plaintiff's formal written response or pleading that directly answers the points raised in the defendant's "rejoinder." It represents a specific stage in the back-and-forth exchange of pleadings that historically defined a lawsuit.

Usage

• The term "surrejoinder" is a highly specialized legal term. It is used almost exclusively in historical or formal discussions of common law pleading procedure. In modern legal practice, this specific term and the rigid pleading stages it represents are largely obsolete, having been replaced by more flexible rules of civil procedure.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The plaintiff's attorney filed a surrejoinder to counter the new allegations in the defendant's rejoinder.
  • In his surrejoinder, the plaintiff clarified the points of fact that remained in dispute.

Advanced Usage

• Legal Procedure Context: The sequence of pleadings in traditional common law was: plaintiff's declaration, defendant's plea (or answer), plaintiff's replication, defendant's rejoinder, plaintiff's surrejoinder, defendant's rebutter, and plaintiff's surrebutter. The "surrejoinder" is the fifth step in this sequence.
• Figurative/Extended Use: Rarely, the term can be used in a non-legal, figurative sense to mean a sharp or formal counter-reply in any debate.
  • Her comment was a clever surrejoinder to his earlier criticism.

Variants and Related Words

• Rejoinder (n): The defendant's pleading in reply to the plaintiff's replication.
• Replication (n): The plaintiff's pleading in reply to the defendant's plea or answer.
• Rebutter (n): The defendant's pleading in reply to the plaintiff's surrejoinder.
• Surrebutter (n): The plaintiff's pleading in reply to the defendant's rebutter.
• Pleading (n): A formal written statement of a party's claims or defenses.

Synonyms

• Reply (n): A general term for a response or answer. (Less specific)
• Response (n): An answer or reply. (General term)
• Counterstatement (n): A statement made in opposition to another.

Antonyms

• Allegation (n): A claim or assertion made without proof, typically initiating an argument.
• Charge (n): An accusation or claim laid against someone.

Noun

1. (law) a pleading by the plaintiff in reply to the defendant's rejoinder