Legal Definitions - John Doe defendant

A John Doe defendant is an anonymous defendant who is labeled as "John Doe" because the plaintiff does not know their name at the time of filing a lawsuit. This term is commonly used in situations such as police-brutality lawsuits where the plaintiff does not know the names of the officers allegedly at fault.

For example, if someone is a victim of police brutality and wants to file a lawsuit against the officers involved, but does not know their names, they can name them as John Doe defendants in the lawsuit. This allows the plaintiff to proceed with the lawsuit and identify the officers later on.

In summary, a John Doe defendant is a placeholder name used in legal proceedings when the defendant's identity is unknown at the time of filing the lawsuit.