Legal Definitions - rien dit

Rien dit is a historical legal term originating from Law French, meaning "says nothing." In legal contexts, it referred to a situation where a party, typically a defendant, failed to respond to a legal claim or accusation within the required timeframe. This lack of response was treated as an admission of the claim or a waiver of the right to dispute it, often leading to a judgment being entered against them by default. It is similar to what is known today as a default judgment.

Here are some examples illustrating the concept of rien dit:

• Imagine a small business, "Creative Designs LLC," sues a client for failing to pay for services rendered. Creative Designs files a formal complaint with the court and properly serves the client with the legal documents. If the client fails to file an answer or any other responsive pleading with the court by the deadline, the court could consider this a rien dit situation. Creative Designs could then ask the court for a default judgment, winning the case because the client "said nothing" in their defense.

• Consider a situation where a car owner files a claim in small claims court against a mechanic for damages caused by faulty repair work. The mechanic is properly served with the lawsuit papers, which include a summons to appear in court or file a written response by a specific date. If the mechanic ignores these documents and does not show up in court or file any defense, the court would view this as a rien dit scenario. The car owner could then request a default judgment, as the mechanic offered no defense to the claim.

• A credit card company sues an individual for an unpaid balance. The company files a lawsuit and ensures the individual receives the legal papers through proper channels. If the individual does not file an answer, appear in court, or otherwise respond to the lawsuit within the time allowed by law, this constitutes a rien dit situation. The credit card company could then petition the court for a default judgment, allowing them to collect the debt without having to prove their case in a contested trial, because the individual failed to present any defense.