Nominal defendant
Defined in 2 dictionaries — Black's (1910), Black's (1891)
Black's Law Dictionary
Henry Campbell Black, M.A. · 1910
A person who is joined as defendant in an action, not because he is immediately liable in damages or because any specific relief is demanded as against him, but because his connection with the subject-matter is such that the plaintiff's action would be defective, under the technical rules of practice, if he were not joined.
—-Nominal partner. A person who appears to be a partner in a firm, or is so represented to persons dealing with the firm, or who allows his name to appear in the style of the firm or to be used in its business, in the character of a partner, but who has no actual interest in the firm or business. Story, Partn. § 80.
Defined under Nominal in Black's Law Dictionary.
A Dictionary of Law
Henry Campbell Black · 1891
A person who is joined as defendant in an action, not because he is immediately liable in damages or because any specific relief is demanded as against him, but because his connection with the subject-matter is such that the plaintiff's action would be defective, under the technical rules of practice, if he were not joined.