countersue

verb

coun·​ter·​sue ˈkau̇n-tər-ˌsü 

variants or less commonly counter-sue

countersued also counter-sued also countersuing also counter-suing

transitive + intransitive

: to sue (someone) in return : to bring a counterclaim against someone

They were dissuaded from suing one another because they knew their target likely had patents that covered similar territory and they could be countersued quickly—the legal equivalent of mutually assured destruction.

—Steven Levy

Appellant countersued, alleging that respondent's interest charges were usurious and that he had breached his fiduciary duty to her.

—Peterson v. Gustafson, 584 N.W. 2d 660 (1998)

Examples of countersue in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Ahead of the trial's start on March 21, Judge Holmberg lowered that amount to $300,000; Paltrow, meanwhile, countersued for the $1 and legal fees. —Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 2 May 2023

In January, the Port countersued Clark for more than $100 million in damages, including the bill for the gate reconfiguration and other rework. —oregonlive, 8 Apr. 2023

Paltrow in response countersued for $1 and attorney fees, a symbolic action that mirrors Taylor Swift’s response to a radio host’s defamation lawsuit. —Sam Metz, Anchorage Daily News, 30 Mar. 2023

Bauer denied the allegations in the court records and countersued the woman, accusing her of fraud, extortion and fabricating her pregnancy. —Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 14 June 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1897, in the meaning defined above