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no contest
A criminal defendant's plea in court that the defendant will not contest the charge of a particular crime, also called "nolo contendere." While technically not an admission of guilt for commission of the crime, a plea of "no contest" will be treated for sentencing purposes by a judge as an admission of responsibility. A no contest plea is often made in cases in which there is also a possible lawsuit for damages by a person injured by the criminal conduct (such as reckless driving, assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault), because it cannot be used in the civil lawsuit as an admission of fault. (See also: nolo contendere)
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