"Not guilty," e.g.

PLEA

Think of what a defendant might formally declare in court to respond to a charge before a trial begins.

In court, when someone says "not guilty," they're making a formal statement called a plea. The clue uses "e.g." to hint that "not guilty" is just one example of this kind of legal response. So the answer is "PLEA," which is the general term for how a defendant responds to charges.