Court & Litigation

Respondent

In plain English

The person who has to respond to an application made against them.

What it means

A respondent is the party who must answer an application brought by an applicant. This term is used in tribunals such as VCAT, NCAT and QCAT, in the Federal Circuit and Family Court, and in appeals (where the person responding to an appeal is the respondent). It is the application-based equivalent of a defendant, who responds in claim-based proceedings.

How it's used

As the respondent, the company filed material explaining why the Tribunal should dismiss the claim.

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