court of common pleas

n. pl. courts of common pleas

1. A court in some states of the United States having general jurisdiction.

2. A court in Great Britain that formerly heard commoners' civil cases.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Court of Common Pleas

1. (Law) English law (formerly) a superior court exercising jurisdiction in civil actions between private citizens

2. (Law) law US (in some states) a court exercising original and general jurisdiction

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

court′ of com′mon pleas′

1. (formerly in England) a court to hear civil cases between common citizens.

2. (in some U.S. states) a court with general civil jurisdiction.

[1680–90]

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

Martha Bardell to commence an action against you for a breach of promise of marriage, for which the plaintiff lays her damages at fifteen hundred pounds, we beg to inform you that a writ has been issued against you in this suit in the Court of Common Pleas; and request to know, by return of post, the name of your attorney in London, who will accept service thereof.

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Clifford, Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas; Hon.

Family Lawyers Sarinia M. Feinman and Lindsay H. Childs Attended PBA Family Law Section Summer Meeting

The May 1 ruling upheld a decision by the Court of Common Pleas of Lehigh County, which affirmed a decision by the city zoning hearing board to deny the initial request.

Parking an issue in Allentown apartment plan

Forest City accused Rascal Flatts' ownership of not paying rent and breaching its lease at Station Square, according to a lawsuit recently filed in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas.

Despite problems elsewhere, restaurant still expected in The Arboretum of South Barrington

Gyorgy Benedek, owner of Maintenance Free Building Services Inc., pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of Failure to Comply after submitting a check to BWC for $43,069 in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. The plea followed a BWC investigation that revealed Benedek provided falsified BWC certificates of coverage to land a cleaning contract with another company.

Cleaning Company Owner Pays $43K Restitution to Ohio Workers' Comp Insurer

"By undervaluing the mitigating impact of age and disability and overestimating any present danger to the community," Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas Judge Steven O'Neill imposed a term whose harshness violated statutes and sentencing rules, they said in an 11-page motion.

Bill Cosby is asking to get his prison sentence reduced or be granted a new trial; His lawyers said the judge abused his discretion by failing to adequately consider the 81-year-old entertainer's age and failing eyesight

The lawsuit was filed in the Court of Common Pleas for Allegheny County by two people representing two classes of plaintiffs: survivors of clergy sexual abuse, and children currently enrolled in Catholic schools who could be at risk of abuse, according to the lawsuit.

Pennsylvania dioceses sued

Domestic Violence Center Court (DVCC) is held every other Thursday in the Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas. All misdemeanor and felony DV preliminary hearings (absent homicides and serious bodily-injury cases) are held in this forum, so that every DV case is brought before the court within two weeks of the defendant's arraignment.

Lancaster County's Domestic Violence Court Moving Cases Faster While Protecting Victims

Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas Judge Steven O'Neill also decided to designate Cosby a "sexually violent predator" under Pennsylvania law.

Bill Cosby sentenced to 3 to 10 years in prison for sexual assault