counterclaims

plural of counterclaim
as in lawsuits
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 counterclaims Williams, who had filed counterclaims against Baumgarten for allegedly making false and defamatory statements about her and tarnishing her reputation, also voluntarily dismissed her suit at the same time. Catherine Muccigrosso july 24, Charlotte Observer, 24 July 2026 The New York Times has filed counterclaims against the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which is pursuing a lawsuit against the news organization for allegedly discriminating against a white male employee by passing him over for a promotion. Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 10 July 2026 Judge Biggs largely agreed with Williamson that Ford should have known her counterclaims were without merit, reasoning that outlook became clear after the court held the five-year contract was void as a matter of law. Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 9 July 2026 The three-week trial did not address antitrust claims alleged by Musk and harassment counterclaims filed by Altman that are still pending. Bloomberg, Mercury News, 7 July 2026 In 2022, a jury awarded Depp more than $10 million in damages, while Heard won one of her counterclaims and was awarded $2 million. Charlie Carballo, USA Today, 30 June 2026 In April 2026, the defendants filed counterclaims of their own against the investors. Elizabeth Rosner, PEOPLE, 17 June 2026 And in March, van Keulen dismissed one of the Mountain West’s counterclaims against the Pac-12 but ruled two others could proceed to trial, most notably the tortious interference claims. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 May 2026 Nathan, Abel, and Wayfarer filed counterclaims against Jones. Victoria Bekiempis, Vulture, 14 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterclaims
Noun
  • The county attorney presented a plan to sue several big pharma companies for the deceptive marketing practices that triggered the opioid epidemic, following the pattern established by lawsuits filed against tobacco companies starting in the 1990s.
    Guthrie Scrimgeour, Rolling Stone, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Lawsuits over bills Besides Musk’s complaint, Minnesota has seen several lawsuits over bills related to the tech industry.
    Mary Murphy, Twin Cities, 2 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • The Citizens Review Board, which reviews complaints about CMPD, has not responded to requests for comment.
    Caitlin McGlade, Charlotte Observer, 31 July 2026
  • The feud has gotten personal and heated recently, but the complaints date back years.
    AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 30 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Counterclaims.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterclaims. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

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