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Law vocabulary · Lawsuits & Procedure

Respondent

Meaning in law, with examples

/rɪˈspɒndənt/nounCommon term

In law, respondent means: The party against whom an appeal, a petition or an arbitration claim is brought, and who must respond to it.

In Turkish: davalı, karşı taraf, aleyhine başvurulan taraf

How it is used

Used instead of 'defendant' in appeals, in arbitration, in many family and employment cases and before international courts. In an appeal the party appealing is the 'appellant' and the other side is the 'respondent' (in US practice often the 'appellee').

Example sentences

  1. The respondent has 30 days to submit its answer to the request for arbitration.

  2. Counsel for the respondent argued that the appeal should be dismissed.

Common collocations

  • counsel for the respondent
  • the respondent's case
  • appellant and respondent
  • respondent company
  • appellantThe party who appeals against a court or tribunal decision, asking a higher court to change or cancel it.
  • claimantThe person or organisation that starts a civil case in the courts of England and Wales; the word used there instead of plaintiff since 1999.
  • defendantThe person or company that a case is brought against: the side that must answer a civil claim or a criminal charge.
  • appealTo ask a higher court to review and change the decision of a lower court; also used as a noun for this request.
  • arbitrationA private way of resolving a dispute in which the parties agree to let one or more independent arbitrators decide it, usually with a final and binding result.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Lawsuits & Procedure

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not legal advice.