Also known as: rien culpable · nient culpable · nient culp · not guilty
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A historical common-law plea of not guilty entered by a defendant in response to criminal charges.
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Ruby Rivera entered a rien culp plea to theft charges. The trier of fact returned a finding of not guilty based on insufficient evidence. That outcome barred any subsequent prosecution for the same offense under the former prosecution rule.
Rosa Ruiz refused to enter any plea at arraignment. The court therefore entered a rien culp plea on her behalf as required when a defendant declines to respond. The case proceeded to trial on that basis.
Roger Ramirez was charged after an alleged involuntary reflex caused property damage. His counsel filed a rien culp plea and argued that no voluntary act supported liability. The court dismissed the case for lack of the required conduct element.
Rita Russell faced an indictment for fraud. She responded with a rien culp plea as one of the recognized pleadings in the proceeding. The case moved forward on that formal response.
Roberto Reyes entered a rien culp plea to a charge requiring proof of purpose. The prosecution failed to establish the required mental state for each material element. The court acquitted him at trial.
Renata Russo filed a rien culp plea and later sought to rely on mental disease excluding responsibility. Because she did not provide timely written notice, the court barred the defense at trial.
It is the formal plea of not guilty that puts the prosecution to its proof on every element of the charged offense.
A finding of not guilty after a rien culp plea constitutes an acquittal that bars retrial for the same offense or any greater included offense.
A court must enter a rien culp plea when a defendant refuses to plead or when a defendant organization fails to appear.
…22, col. 1; N. Y. Times, Aug. 25, 1965, p. 1, col. 1. In general, see Borchard, Convicting the Innocent (1932); Frank & Frank, Not Guilty (1957). [^maj-25]: In the fourth confession case decided by the Court in the 1962 Term, Fay v. Noia , 372 U. S. 391 (1963), our disposition made it unnecessary to delve at length into the…