Also known as:placita · placitabile · placitare · placitory · placits · plea · pleas · pleading
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A pleading or plea in a judicial proceeding.
Sources & Authorities· 34 primary sources
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
Cases
Statutes
How it applies
Common Examples
6
Unsigned Complaint Struck
Phoebe Park filed a complaint against her former employer but omitted her attorney's signature and contact details. The defendant moved to strike the document. The court struck the unsigned placitum because the omission was not promptly corrected after notice.
Withdrawn Plea Inadmissible
Parker Phillips entered a guilty plea during negotiations that he later withdrew. At trial the prosecutor sought to introduce statements from those discussions. The court excluded the placitum evidence under the rule barring use of withdrawn pleas against the defendant.
Conviction Bars Retrial
Phuong Pham accepted a guilty plea that the court entered as a judgment. Months later the state attempted a second prosecution on the same charges. The court dismissed the new case because the prior placitum produced a conviction that had not been reversed or vacated.
Pierce Patterson's lawyer recommended rejecting a plea offer without consulting him. Patterson insisted on accepting the deal after full discussion. The lawyer was required to abide by the client's decision on the placitum to be entered.
Late Removal Notice
Paula Pierce received the initial complaint on day one but filed her notice of removal on day forty-five. The federal court remanded the action because the placitum setting forth the claim had been received more than thirty days earlier.
Refusal to Plead
Patrick Phan refused to enter any plea at arraignment. The court immediately entered a not guilty placitum on his behalf so the case could proceed to trial without delay.
Common questions
Frequently Asked
1
What does placitum historically refer to in legal proceedings?+
A placitum refers to a pleading or plea filed in court. Primary authorities define it as the formal document or statement that initiates or responds to a claim.
410 U.S. 113 (1973)Constitutional Law
…Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary 1261 (24th ed. 1965). [^maj-21]: E. Coke, Institutes III 50; 1 W. Hawkins, Pleas of the Crown, c. 31, § 16 (4th ed. 1762); 1 W. Blackstone, Commentaries 129-130; M. Hale, Pleas of the Crown 433 (1st Amer. ed. 1847). For discussions of the role of the quickening concept…