A defendant is the party against whom a civil or criminal lawsuit has been brought.
A codefendant is when there is more than one defendant being sued in the same litigation or more than one person charged in the same complaint. A codefendant is a one of multiple defendants named in the lawsuit.
joint defendant
A defendant is the party against whom a civil or criminal lawsuit has been brought.
A cross-defendant is the party named as a defendant in the cross-complaint.