A claim made by a defendant in response to a claim made against them in a lawsuit.
From counter- (against) + claim. Claim comes from Old French clamer, from Latin clamare, meaning 'to cry out' or 'to call loudly,' originally referring to public declaration of rights.
Counterclaims are so common in legal battles that many lawsuits end up with both parties suing each other, creating a fascinating tug-of-war where nobody's purely the victim or perpetrator.
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