What is a Defendant?
In civil or criminal law, a defendant is an individual being sued or accused of committing a crime.
What is a Defendant?
According to Black’s Law Dictionary, a defendant is “A person against whom relief or recovery is sought in an action or suit.” As such, in criminal cases, defendants are charged with offenses by the government or state, while in civil cases, they are typically sued by plaintiffs seeking compensation or other legal remedies. The role of a defendant is to defend themselves against the accusations brought forth by the prosecution or plaintiff. For example, in insurance law, a defendant would be the person who caused an injury, such as hurting someone in a car accident, along with their insurance company.
In legal contexts, defendants enjoy certain rights, such as the right to a fair trial, the right to legal representation, and the right to present a defense. These rights ensure that the legal process remains just and balanced. For instance, in criminal cases, defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. This presumption places the burden of proof on the prosecution to demonstrate the defendant’s guilt.
More information about Defendant
MONTGOMERY COUNTY — Carjacking Ends in Police Chase & Car Explosion
UPPER PROVIDENCE TOWNSHIP, PA (April 7, 2025) —— Police are currently searching for a group of eight to 10 people after a police chase ended in an explosive crash in Montgomery County on Friday, April 4.
Upper Providence police were notified by police in Norristown of a stolen car that they tracked to the Wawa on Egypt Road after midnight. As police were searching for that car, license plate readers found a second stolen car in the area.
When officers neared the intersection of Egypt and Longford road, they encountered four cars and a group of masked people. Police approached, and upon seeing the lights, the group jumped into three cars and fled. The group left a woman behind, who had reportedly been carjacked.
One car sped toward Mont Clare, two others sped north toward Yeager Road. As the chase approached the intersection of Lewis Road, […]
Read MoreMore information about Defendant
$12 Million Bad Faith Insurance Action
Munley Law obtained a jury verdict of $12 million for our client, who was badly injured at work when a forklift struck her.
The forklift was retrofitted with a faulty alarm system and had backed up without warning, striking her. The accident resulted in the amputation of her left leg.
The company that sold her employer the forklift was notified, as was their insurance company. The insurance company claimed a lack of coverage and refused to cover the associated costs of the accident but gave no notice to the insured.
As a result of the accident, Munley Law sued the company that sold her employer the forklift and the forklift seller’s insurer for bad faith. The case went to trial, revealing that the employer had purchased the forklift at resale and was informed by the seller that its backup alarm was missing. The seller agreed to put an alarm on the forklift, […]
Read MoreMore information about Defendant
$2 Million Fatal Truck Accident Verdict
A jury awarded $2 million to our clients, the estate of a car accident victim whose fatal crash was caused by a reckless truck driver in an oversized and unpermitted tractor trailer.
According to the case facts, the victim was struck by a tractor trailer making a reckless left-hand turn from a stop sign. The force of the impact caused the victim’s car to roll over on the driver’s side, entrapping the driver. The driver suffered an immediate and extensive traumatic injury, resulting in his death.
He left behind a wife and child. The victim’s wife lost not only her husband but future income and benefits with his death.
Representing the plaintiff’s estate and the victim’s wife, the tuck accident attorneys at Munley Law made the case that the semi-tractor trailer was oversized and overweight and that the defendant did not have the necessary state permits to operate the vehicle. […]
Read MoreMore information about Defendant
$3 Million Product Liability Settlement
Partner Daniel Munley was able to reach a $3 million product liability settlement with an industrial manufacturer for our client, a young man whose arm was amputated after being caught between components of a dangerously modified piece of box-crushing equipment.
Our client and his co-worker were compacting cardboard boxes for recycling with a mechanical baler at the distribution center where they worked. The machine was improperly assembled with the chamber door on the wrong side—the manufacturer was supposed to ensure that the control panel must be located on the same side as the chamber door and latch plate to give an operator a clear view. When his co-worker operated the control panel, he could not see or locate our client and closed the latch plate, crushing and amputating the plaintiff’s dominant left arm.
Daniel Munley showed that the manufacturer not only redesigned the baler machine to fit in the customer’s facility by choosing an unsafe configuration but did so knowingly, […]
Read MoreMore information about Defendant
Boat Accident Lawyer
If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a boating or water sports accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you may have cause to pursue legal action. As the injured victim, you may be entitled to monetary compensation for your medical treatment, missed time from work, and pain and suffering. However, you will likely need a boat accident lawyer who has the experience and legal acumen to get you the full compensation that you deserve.
For more than 65 years, the boat accident lawyers of Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys have helped clients throughout Pennsylvania. Our boating injury attorneys have earned national recognition for their work on behalf of injured victims. We have been named among the Best Lawyers in America, and have received the highest possible peer and client review ratings from Martindale-Hubbell. Contact a boating accident lawyer now for a consultation free of charge. […]
Read More
