A plea in criminal court where the defendant neither admits nor denies guilt but accepts punishment as if guilty. This plea cannot be used as evidence of guilt in subsequent civil proceedings.
From Latin 'nolo contendere,' literally meaning 'I do not wish to contend' or 'I will not contest it.' This plea developed in Roman law and was adopted into common law systems as a middle ground between guilty and not guilty pleas.
Nolo contendere is the legal equivalent of saying 'I'm not admitting I did it, but I'll take my punishment anyway' - it's particularly clever because it prevents the plea from being used against you if someone later sues you in civil court!
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