Legal Definitions - no contest

Definition: No contest is a plea made by a criminal defendant in which they do not contest the charges against them. This plea does not admit guilt, but it does waive the right to a trial and allows the court to treat the defendant as guilty for sentencing purposes.

For example, if someone is charged with theft, they may choose to plead no contest. This means they are not admitting guilt, but they are also not fighting the charges. The court will then sentence them as if they were guilty.

It's important to note that a no contest plea cannot be used against the defendant in a civil suit arising from the same cause of action. This means that if someone pleads no contest to a criminal charge, they cannot be held liable in a civil lawsuit for the same incident.

However, if the defendant testifies in a subsequent proceeding, their earlier conviction can be used to impeach their credibility, even if it was the result of a no contest plea.

The term "no contest" is also known as "nolo contendere," which is a Latin phrase meaning "I will not contest."