What Does a Nolo Plea Mean?

A nolo plea is used in criminal law by a defendant. It is also called nolo contendere, and it means the defendant will not contest the charges that have been brought against them. More commonly, most people have heard of this term as a plea of "no contest."

Guilt

Legally and in the technical sense, a nolo plea does not necessarily imply that a person is admitting that he committed a particular crime. but the judge will rule that the defendant is guilty of the charge.

Lawsuits

Many times, a nolo plea is used in situations where lawsuits are prevalent. This would be mainly for lawsuits where damage was a direct result of a crime. This would include cases of assault with a deadly weapon, reckless driving or even aggravated assault.

Plea Bargain

A nolo plea is commonly used in plea bargain cases. The defendant does not want to actually admit guilt but wants to accept whatever sentence is being offered in the plea.

Truth

The judge must see that there is some accurate truth for the plea. A nolo plea is not a way of admitting guilt so it cannot be brought up in future trials.

Permission

Courts do not have to accept a nolo plea and--more often than not--they don't. The court has to first grant permission before this plea can be entered.