Appellee is a legal term used to refer to the party who has won the case in the lower court and is being appealed against. Generally used in civil cases, an appellee is the defendant or respondent who has prevailed in a trial or hearing and is represented in the appellate court. Synonyms of the term appellee include respondent, defendant-appellee, and prevailing party. Other terms used interchangeably with appellee include counter-defendant, cross-defendant, beneficiary, and intended receiver. All these terms are used to describe an individual, party, or group who is being appealed against in a ruling by the lower court.