In
jurisprudence,
procedural defenses are a form of
defense, via which a
party argues that it should not be held
liable for a legal charge or claim brought against it. In
common law jurisdictions the term has applications in both
criminal law and
civil law. Procedural defenses are applicable independently of the question of guilt or innocence in a criminal proceeding, and independently of
substantive findings for or against a
plaintiff or
defendant in a civil proceeding.