as in complaint
a court case brought against the plaintiff of another court case by the defendant
The defendant filed a counterclaim for his own injuries, claiming that he only rear-ended the plaintiff because she had stopped too fast.
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Recent Examples of counterclaim
In March, Williams filed a counterclaim in Mecklenburg County Court, accusing Baumgarten of tarnishing her reputation as Opera Carolina’s leader.
—
Catherine Muccigrosso, Charlotte Observer, 5 May 2025
In her counterclaim, Heard was awarded $2 million in compensatory damages but no punitive damages.
—Kimberly Nordyke, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Dec. 2024
In February 2024, Fannie Mae sued the company and sought an emergency appointment of a receiver.
728 N Jennings RD Partners filed a counterclaim, accusing Fannie Mae of breach of contract and breach of good faith and fair dealing.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 26 Apr. 2025
Indeed, Geffen filed nearly 100 pages of counterclaims, some of which point to signs that Sun may have known about the transaction all along.
—Rachel Corbett, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for counterclaim
Catherine Muccigrosso, Charlotte Observer, 5 May 2025
In her counterclaim, Heard was awarded $2 million in compensatory damages but no punitive damages.
—Kimberly Nordyke, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Dec. 2024
In February 2024, Fannie Mae sued the company and sought an emergency appointment of a receiver.
728 N Jennings RD Partners filed a counterclaim, accusing Fannie Mae of breach of contract and breach of good faith and fair dealing.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 26 Apr. 2025
Indeed, Geffen filed nearly 100 pages of counterclaims, some of which point to signs that Sun may have known about the transaction all along.
—Rachel Corbett, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for counterclaim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterclaim
Noun
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That’s the first time taxes have topped the list of complaints since December 2020.—
Brandon Kochkodin,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
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The complaint argues that CAA’s trade secrets are essential to making the company — and the industry — run.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
10 June 2025
Noun
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In May 2024, CNN aired a portion of the video six months after Ventura Fine brought forward allegations of an attack that matched this incident in her bombshell lawsuit.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
4 June 2025
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Famed attorney Tony Buzbee has declined to represent a woman considering a potential lawsuit against NBA star, Zion Williamson.—
DeMicia Inman,
VIBE.com,
4 June 2025
Noun
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The payout was approved on June 3, in a lawsuit filed on behalf of Jose Rivas Barillas, who was 16 when the fight occurred, according to a settlement of litigation document obtained by PEOPLE.—
Lesley Cosme Torres,
People.com,
6 June 2025
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After extensive litigation in multiple states, FedEx paid nearly half a billion dollars in settlement payments for misclassification.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Noun
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Nowhere near any potential settlement, and with Baldoni on the back foot after Monday’s dismissal of his $400 million countersuit against Lively, Ryan Reynolds and others, Lively vs. Baldoni is set to go to trial on March 9, 2026 in federal court in New York City.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
10 June 2025
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Baldoni in January filed a $400 million defamation countersuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and publicist Leslie Sloane, also accusing them of civil extortion.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
4 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Counterclaim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterclaim. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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