RUSTICUM JUDICIUM

rusticum judicium (r<<schwa>>s-ti-k<<schwa>>m joo-dish-ee-<<schwa>>m).1. The

division of liability so that one party (usu. a defendant) must pay only part (usu. half) of another

party’s (usu. the plaintiff’s) loss. • Rusticum judicium originated in 17th century maritime law as a

means of efficiently resolving collision cases in which both ships were at fault. In maritime law,

damages were equally divided. — Also termed rusticum jus. Cf. comparative negligence under

NEGLIGENCE. 2.Rare.Rough justice; a rustic tribunal. • This is a literal translation of the term,

used colloquially rather than accurately. — Sometimes misspelled rusticum judicum. [Blacks Law 8^th]