- no contest
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no con·test n: nolo contendere
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.
- no contest
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A criminal defendant's plea in court that the defendant will not contest the charge of a particular crime, also called "nolo contendere." While technically not an admission of guilt for commission of the crime, a plea of "no contest" will be treated for sentencing purposes by a judge as an admission of responsibility. A no contest plea is often made in cases in which there is also a possible lawsuit for damages by a person injured by the criminal conduct (such as reckless driving, assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault), because it cannot be used in the civil lawsuit as an admission of fault. (See also: nolo contendere)Category: Criminal LawCategory: Small Claims Court & Lawsuits
Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary. Gerald N. Hill, Kathleen Thompson Hill. 2009.
- no contest
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The English translation of a nolo contendere plea used in criminal cases. Generally the terms nolo contendere and no contest are used interchangeably in the legal community. The operation of a no contest plea is similar to a plea of guilty. A defendant who enters a no contest plea concedes the charges alleged without disputing or admitting guilt and without offering a defense.
Dictionary from West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005.
- no contest
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The English translation of a nolo contendere plea used in criminal cases. Generally the terms nolo contendere and no contest are used interchangeably in the legal community. The operation of a no contest plea is similar to a plea of guilty. A defendant who enters a no contest plea concedes the charges alleged without disputing or admitting guilt and without offering a defense.No contest has a different meaning in the context of a will.
Short Dictionary of (mostly American) Legal Terms and Abbreviations.
- no contest
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n.in criminal law, a defendant's plea in court that he/she will not contest the charge of a particular crime, also called nolo contendere. While technically not an admission of guilt for commission of the crime, the judge will treat a plea of "no contest" as such an admission and proceed to find the defendant guilty as charged. A "no contest" plea is often made in cases in which there is also a possible lawsuit for damages by a person injured by the criminal conduct (such as reckless driving, assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault), because it cannot be used in the civil lawsuit as an admission of fault. "No contest" is also used where there has been a "plea bargain" in which the defendant does not want to say he/she is guilty but accepts the sentence recommended by the prosecutor in exchange for not contesting the charge (which is often reduced to a lesser crime). It is standard practice for the judge to ask either the attorneys or the defendant, "Is there a factual basis for the plea?" before accepting it and finding the defendant guilty.
Law dictionary. EdwART. 2013.
