Also known as: vs. · v.
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A preposition signifying opposition between parties in a lawsuit or other legal proceeding.
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
Valerie Voss sent a signed letter proposing terms for a supply deal with Venture Holdings. After the parties later formed an oral agreement on those terms, Voss versus Venture Holdings was filed to enforce the deal. The court treated the earlier letter as a sufficient memorandum under the statute of frauds.
A state statute criminalized the use of contraceptives by married couples. A physician and a patient brought suit in Griswold versus Connecticut against enforcement officials. The Supreme Court recognized a constitutional right of privacy that invalidated the law.
A railroad employee was injured while working on tracks in Pennsylvania. The employee sued the railroad in federal court in Erie Railroad versus Tompkins, which applied general common law rather than state tort rules. The Supreme Court held that state law must govern such diversity cases.
A newspaper published an advertisement criticizing police conduct during civil rights protests. A city commissioner sued the paper for libel in New York Times versus Sullivan after the ad contained factual errors. The Supreme Court required proof of actual malice before a public official could recover.
A railroad company owned a historic terminal building that the city designated a landmark. The designation prevented the company from constructing a large office tower above the terminal in Penn Central versus New York City. The Supreme Court upheld the restriction against a takings challenge.
A real estate company purchased land intending to develop it for industrial use. A village ordinance restricted the land to residential purposes in Village of Euclid versus Ambler Realty. The Supreme Court upheld the zoning law as a valid exercise of police power.
It is shortened to v. or vs. in the names of cases and other legal proceedings.
Supporting sources
Writers need not define versus because readers readily understand its meaning in case names.
Supporting sources
Marbury v. Madison <!-- acedexams opinion md v1 -- Case information - Court: Supreme Court of the United States - Decided: February 24, 1803 - Judges: Chief Justice Marshall…