Legal Definitions - Respondent

Definition: The respondent is the person or party who is being sued or against whom a petition is filed. This can be either the plaintiff or the defendant from the court below, as either party can appeal the decision thereby making themselves the petitioner and their adversary the respondent. In the past, in the equity courts of common law, the defendant was always called the respondent.

Example: In a divorce case, the person who files for divorce is the petitioner, and the other spouse is the respondent. The respondent is the one who has to respond to the petition and either agree or disagree with the claims made by the petitioner.

Example: In a criminal case, the respondent is the person who is accused of committing a crime. The prosecution is the petitioner who files charges against the respondent. The respondent then has the opportunity to respond to the charges and defend themselves in court.

These examples illustrate how the respondent is the party who is being sued or accused of something and has to respond to the claims made against them.