Plea in Europe

Definition of Plea

The reply to a ” plaint,” a mode of defence in an action at law.
In a criminal prosecution, the prisoner has to plead to the indictment, which he may do (1) by pleading to the jurisdiction, that is, alleging that the Court has no jurisdiction to try him ; (2) by a demurrer (q.v.) ; or (3) by some plea in bar, either a general plea, “guilty,” or ” not guilty,” or a special plea ; such as ” autrefois acquit.”.
Pleas in abatement were pleas which showed that in criminal proceedings the prosecutor, or in civil proceedings the plaintiff, had committed some informality which prevented him from succeeding. Now obsolete.
Formerly in a civil action pleas were of two kinds, dilatory and peremptory. The former included pleas to the jurisdiction, pleas in suspension, e.g., an allegation of infancy, and pleas in abatement ; the latter consisted of pleas in bar which showed a substantial defence to the action, either by traverse or by confession and avoidance (q.v.). Pleas have been superseded by the Statement of Defence. Plead. To make a plea (q.v.)

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Definition of Plea is, temporally, from A Concise Law Dictionary (1927). This page needs to be proofread.

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