counterclaim

noun coun·ter·claim \ ˈkau̇n-tər-ˌklām \

|Updated on: 4 Aug 2018

Definition of counterclaim

: an opposing claim; especially : a claim brought by a defendant against a plaintiff in a legal action

Recent Examples of counterclaim from the Web

Shooter, in his counterclaim, says comments Ugenti-Rita made about him on social media and in interviews were false and defamatory.

— richard ruelas, azcentral, "Lawsuits fly as ousted Rep. Don Shooter vows to repair his own reputation," 6 July 2018
Nativa filed a counterclaim, asking the court to grant the compulsory license for the Russian market.

— mckenna moore, Fortune, "Russian Drugmaker Granted License to Produce Celgene Copycat," 11 July 2018
All four defendants have filed counterclaims or motions to dismiss, several of which accused Landan of attempting to use the court system to silence his accusers.

— bailey loosemore, The Courier-Journal, "Haymarket defamation lawsuit moves forward with new court ruling," 28 June 2018
On Monday, the defendants brought counterclaims, accusing Ticketmaster of creating and disseminating its own bots, and placing the blame for Hamilton ticket resells on the ticket giant itself.

— eriq gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, "Ticketmaster Secretly Provides Scalpers With Bot Software, Brokers Claim," 27 June 2018
Davidson denied the claims and filed a counterclaim in federal court in Los Angeles.

— christal hayes, USA TODAY, "Keith Davidson files defamation lawsuit against Stormy Daniels after collusion accusations," 8 June 2018
HouseCanary filed a counterclaim shortly after the litigation started.

— patrick danner, San Antonio Express-News, "San Antonio company HouseCanary wins $700M jury verdict," 16 Mar. 2018
In addition to filing an answer to Daniels' lawsuit, Davidson also filed a defamation counterclaim against Avenatti and Daniels.

— mj lee and scott glover, CNN, "Stormy Daniels' ex-attorney rips former client and her new lawyer in countersuit that includes Cohen," 7 June 2018
His counterclaim seeks damages for slander, intentional infliction of emotional distress.

— bruce vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Mequon executive counters sex-tape privacy suit with his own claim of secret recordings," 29 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'counterclaim.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of counterclaim

1784

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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counterclaim

verb

Definition of counterclaim

counterclaimed; counterclaiming; counterclaims

intransitive verb

: to enter or plead a counterclaim

transitive verb

: to ask in a counterclaim

Recent Examples of counterclaim from the Web

Perry’s counterclaims, however, are pending in court.

— j. scott trubey, ajc, "Atlanta Housing Authority names interim leader, plans CEO search," 10 May 2018
The foundation asked for a dismissal of all claims and counterclaimed for payment of $960,000.

— milton esterow, Vanities, "The Bitter Legal Battle over Peggy Guggenheim’s Blockbuster Art Collection," 19 Feb. 2017
The foundation asked for a dismissal of all claims and counterclaimed for payment of $960,000.

— milton esterow, Vanities, "The Bitter Legal Battle over Peggy Guggenheim’s Blockbuster Art Collection," 19 Feb. 2017
The foundation asked for a dismissal of all claims and counterclaimed for payment of $960,000.

— milton esterow, vanityfair.com, "The Bitter Legal Battle over Peggy Guggenheim’s Blockbuster Art Collection," 5 Jan. 2017
While finding that a number of facts remain in dispute, Bledsoe dismissed Hopkins’ defamation claims and Michael Waltrip Racing’s counterclaims accusing Hopkins of stealing pit crew tools and misappropriating trade secrets about one of the tools.

— joe marusak, charlotteobserver, "Lawsuit against Michael Waltrip Racing can go to trial, judge rules," 1 June 2017

First Known Use of counterclaim

1857

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Law Dictionary

counterclaim

noun coun·ter·claim \ ˈkau̇n-tər-ˌklām \

legal Definition of counterclaim

: a claim for relief that is asserted against an opposing party after an original claim has been made — compare affirmative defense at defense, cross-action, cross-appeal, cross-claim, interpleader, third-party claim

—

counterclaim

verb

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counterclaim

Definition of counterclaim

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counterclaim

Definition of counterclaim

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counterclaim

legal Definition of counterclaim

counterclaim

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counterclaim

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