Also known as: rei · defendant · accused
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A defendant or party to a suit in Roman and civil law. The term also denotes a party to a contract or transaction who assumes a debt or obligation and, in criminal matters, an accused or convicted person.
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Roberto Reyes, identified as the reus, operated a vehicle with a substantially greater deviation from reasonable care than civil negligence requires. His conduct caused the death of a pedestrian. The court held the killing to be involuntary manslaughter under the criminal negligence standard.
Rita Russell, the reus in a federal contract action, received a written notice and request to waive service of summons. She declined to waive, forcing the plaintiff to incur the expense of formal service. The court later considered whether her refusal triggered any cost-shifting consequences.
Roger Ramirez, the reus charged with assault, sought to introduce evidence of the alleged victim's pertinent trait of violence. The prosecutor responded by offering rebuttal evidence of the same trait in the reus. The court evaluated admissibility under the applicable evidence rule.
Riley Rivera, the reus in a pending criminal prosecution, asked counsel to accept a contingent fee arrangement tied to acquittal. Counsel declined, citing the prohibition on such fees for representing a defendant in a criminal case. The reus then retained counsel on an hourly basis instead.
Rajesh Rao, the reus in a felony trial, made a prima facie showing that the prosecutor used peremptory challenges to exclude jurors on the basis of race. The prosecutor then articulated race-neutral explanations for the strikes. The trial court determined whether purposeful discrimination had occurred.
Rosa Ruiz, the reus in a civil action with no other proper venue, was subject to personal jurisdiction in the district where the suit was filed. The plaintiff invoked the statutory fallback provision allowing venue in any district where a defendant is subject to personal jurisdiction. The court upheld venue on that basis.
The term reus denotes a defendant or a party to a suit. It also extends to any party assuming a debt or obligation in a transaction and, in criminal matters, an accused or convicted person.
Supporting sources
Reus refers to the defendant or party assuming an obligation, while actor refers to the plaintiff or claimant who initiates the action. The two terms function as counterparts in describing opposing parties in a suit.
Supporting sources
…a declaratory judgment that the Texas abortion statutes were unconstitutional on their face, and an injunction restraining the defendant from enforcing the statutes. A three-judge District Court for the Northern District of Texas, to which the action was referred, held that the Does and Hallford had no standing to sue, but…