PoliticsAugust 28, 2026

countersuit

KOWN-ter-soot

Definition

A legal claim filed by a defendant against a plaintiff in the same lawsuit, or an opposing legal action taken in response to an initial claim.

Etymology

Derived from the Latin 'contra,' meaning against, and the Old French 'suite,' meaning pursuit or a set of legal actions. It denotes a legal process initiated in response to a primary claim.

In the news

Governor Hochul announced a countersuit against a county sheriff who refused to comply with the state's new policy on ICE cooperation, escalating the legal battle over local law enforcement's role in federal immigration enforcement.

Hochul ICE policy ‘written in the blood of victims,’ opponent says as sheriffs sue

Read the full article ↗

WFIN

Related words

Learn words like this every day

Meet new words every morning.

Newspoken pulls carefully chosen words from the day’s news — with clear definitions, context, and light review that makes them stick. Get it on your phone.