Legal Definitions - pari delicto

Definition: A legal term that means "in equal fault." It refers to a situation where both parties in a dispute are equally responsible for the wrongdoing.

Example: Two people agree to rob a bank together. During the robbery, one of them is injured and sues the other for damages. In court, the judge may rule that they are in pari delicto, meaning that they are both equally responsible for the illegal act of robbing the bank. Therefore, the injured party cannot recover damages from the other.

Another example could be two companies that engage in illegal price-fixing. If one of the companies sues the other for damages, the court may find that they are in pari delicto and therefore cannot recover damages from the other.

These examples illustrate how the concept of pari delicto is used to prevent one wrongdoer from benefiting at the expense of another wrongdoer.